pros and cons of railways ?

Question

what are some pros and cons (advantages and dis-advantages) of railways and trains?

Answer 1

Pros:
can get a lot of people on them (but against the wishes of the train companies who seem to aim to try and keep people away).

Can be quicker than driving (on the odd ocassion that the trains are on time)

if just 1 person the train is usually cheaper, but more than 1 person and car is cheaper

you can drink while travelling

Cons:
the train companies (especially first great western) are terrible

trains are rarely on time, rarely have enough carriages and are vastly overpriced for the standard of service

very limited by when you can travel because unless going between major cities trains are not very frequent

the railways have been neglected for so long that they have been surpassed by most of the developed and developing world

Answer 2

pros about railway use are, Your carbon emission is lowered so its more environmentally friendly to take the train.
It can be quicker than a car, because you are not stuck in traffic jams.
You can stretch your legs on a train and have a walk about if your on a longer journey.
There is more space than in a car so you can take books, and games to entertain your kids and yourself.
No tiredness as the driving is done for you,especially if on long journeys.
scenery is better not just miles & miles of motorway to look at.
Dont need to stop for toilet breaks.

Cons
Ticket prices can be very expensive if not bought in advance
Delays can occur as in cars, but can be subjected to bigger delays time wise if say have problems with overhead lines.
Overcrowding during busy periods may mean standing or sitting on floor for long journeys
late running trains may means you could be stuck in a small station with few ammenities.
If you stay away you cannot use the car to visit places you will have to walk or rely on public transport,
you can sing as loud as you want in your car to your favourite tunes and no-one else is going to mind.

Answer 3

Pros are: cause less damage to the environment than cars. In congested Britain they are generally faster than driving. You can read,sleep,relax or work or look at beautiful countryside while you are travelling. Advance purchase fares for long distances are very cheap,costing much less than petrol, and rail cards - Family,Young Persons,Senior Citizens etc., give one third off most ticket prices after 09-30 Mon-Fri, anytime weekends..
Con: Long distance trains where you have not booked in advance are too expensive before 09-30 on Monday to Fridays

Answer 4

A pro here the fuel efficiency. A typical railcar (in the U.S.) holds around 100 tons of grain, freight, etcetera. That's the equivelant of 2.5 trucks. So a typical 100 car train takes 250 trucks off the road - times several hundred coast to coast trains every day.

Answer 5

If you have ever traveled in Europe, you know the railroad can
take you from one country to another while you sleep. The railroads are a better method of transporting goods long distances than trucks - they need to figure out that if they provided sleeping cars they could take the trucks on flat bed cars and eliminate much of the long distance driving. In Korea
many commute on trains and the trains move much faster. In
short, railroads can provide a transportation link which at present is limited to sea-land containers,

Answer 6

They are slower than traveling by plane. That is a disadvantage.

There is a kind of romance seeing the country from a moving train.
Watching the scenery go by and enjoying the dining car and sleeper compartments, is fun.
Your vacation starts when you board the train. These are all advantages.

Answer 7

The answers about decreasing highway congestion and saving fuel because of trains' advantage are totally correct.
another thing to cinsider is the land itself, a railroad right of way is only the width of a two lane highway and can move more freight than a 6 lane interstate.
when it is time to rebuild a highway it takes months and lots of huge earth moving equipment and literally hundreds of thousands of gallons of deisel fuel.
Railroads continually rebuild and upgrade their lines constantly between trains with lilttle or no disruption in traffic.
Pretty much every bit of material from a rebuilt section of track is easily recyclable.
You have to pay for that section of highway to be rebuilt with yoru highway taxes, the railroad company pays for rebuilding and upgrading their roadbed so it is cheaper for the taxpayer.

Pros: safer highways, less congestion, safer travel per passenger mile, less fuel consumption per ton mile of freight moved, far fewer emissions per ton mile of freight or passenger mile, lowered tax burden

Cons: . . . . . . . . . . none I can think of

Answer 8

Pro:
Fuel efficient (relatively)
comfortable
low-hassle terminals

Con:
All destinations aren't on the track, OR you have to go thru station C,D, and E on your way from A to B.
You have to stick to the railroad's timetable, which means connecting trains may be on tomorrow's schedule.
The fare is fair, but the plane's are cheaper, and two-way.

Answer 9

You cannot convert it to WL quota on your own. The status PQWL appears if you book ticket for some intermediate stations. WL is normally status if you are making booking for Start to End Stations. PQWL means you will be given seats provided there are no WL passengers.

Answer 10

Pros: pretty fast, you can sit and relax instead of concentrating on driving, no traffic jams, fairly reliable.

Cons: overpriced, crowded, may not get a seat, annoying announcements.