this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2023
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[–] masterairmagic@sh.itjust.works 56 points 1 year ago (4 children)

It's probably faster than an airplane if you also factor in the time lost at airports going through meaningless queues.

[–] AfricanExpansionist@lemmy.ml 26 points 1 year ago (4 children)

n China, the trains are awesome and pretty much everything else sucks hard.

Chinese train stations are a fucking nightmare compared to the rest of the world. First, they have a funneled entrance from the subway that goes through multiple choke points. For example, at Shanghai Hongqiao, you're in a mob of hundreds, forced to go up two long escalators.

Next, people there don't have freedom of travel, so there is a security check to actually enter the station, where they look at your papers and make sure you're approved for your destination. The queues are super long and people constantly cut in line. It's rage-inducing.

Then they subject you to a baggage check, metal detector, and frisking.

Now you're inside the station, but you can't just go to the platform. Instead, you wait at a secure gate until maybe ten minutes before scheduled departure. Again, it's a giant mob of people, trying to form a line in a station that's also just overcrowded. They finally open the gate and everyone rushes through and down to the platform.

You have to arrive an hour ahead of your train's departure else you're going to have a very stressful time.

I

[–] zurchpet@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sounds just like taking a flight at an airport.

[–] 5redie8@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

people there don't have freedom of travel

What?

[–] Smatt@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] victron@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago

This guy this guys

[–] socsa@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 year ago

Oh wow, another person on Lemmy who has actually been to China.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That's the huge advantage of trains in my opinion. Instead of having to drive out to the airport, and deal with check in, boarding, and so on, you just go to the train station downtown and get off downtown of the city you want to go to. That alone saves a ton of time and hassle.

[–] Che_Donkey@lemmy.ml 10 points 1 year ago

Than and Bar Car!

pretty countryside with an ice cold beer in hand is amazing

[–] Aurenkin@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 year ago

Trains are awesome in general. This train in particular looks freaking great!

[–] andruid@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some airports are located closer to cities downtowns for this reason.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

That's not very common for a good reason given that airports create a lot of noise pollution.

[–] andruid@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Are airports louder than train stations? Near freight trains and air port and the freight trains are much worse for me personally. Though I would hope passenger train systems are designed for less noise.

[–] yogthos@lemmy.ml -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] andruid@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks for the data, and yep that seems to be the case that passenger trains are quieter for the people living near a station vs planes taking off and circling a runway.

Honestly neither bother me too much, but I thinkings a matter of good spacing. No one's lives 1 mile from the run way or 25 meters next to the tracks from here, which is good thing for both.

Another to add passenger trains can make simple intercity travel easier, when for planes it's just not economical.

[–] driving_crooner@lemmy.eco.br 7 points 1 year ago (2 children)
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Canada is pathetic.

[–] thejml@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I worry that the more useful and prevalent high speed trains become, the more the population will use them… and the more likely the long useless queues will also move to trains.

Trains can have more stations to spread out the load, but then they won’t be as high speed.

Still, I’ll happily take advantage of the currently short queues.

In airports it's usually the security theater that causes the long queues.

[–] lemann@lemmy.one 4 points 1 year ago

I feel that could be resolved by adjusting ticket prices and providing alternative options, like regional buses/coaches. Another possibility is adding more doors to each carriage, spreading out queues across the platform, but at the cost of less seating

Where I am, the regional/inter-city train costs are very competitive with the alternatives, and sometimes enable more flexibility with travel. It's still nowhere near the affordability of some parts of Asia though, and is overpriced IMO. My biggest gripe though has got to be only 2 doors on each carriage side, one at either end. And they're narrow AF, good luck carrying a bike on board. What sadist designed these trains 😭

[–] geemili@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago

I think this is unlikely to happen. Going through security is one of the big sources of useless queues at airports, which trains don't have. Trains also tend to have more doors to get, which should reduce the length of queues to get on the train.