It’s countdown time to my great OE – heading off for four months travel overseas, and today reading the NZ Herald has confirmed why I was so keen to go by train wherever I can.
It seems travelling by rail is back in fashion and it is also the most fuel efficient and least carbon intensive way you can travel. For example a diesel locomotive at its most efficient can move a tonne of weight 700 kms on 4 litres of fuel. Making a full train 10 times more thriftier than a hybrid car, let alone an 18 wheel truck.
When I decided to travel this year, carbon emissions were certainly a consideration, and so wherever I can, I am going by train. This has proved more expensive than flying, and much harder to organise but I will see more of the country along the way.
In the USA, my first stop, I will travel on Amtrak from San Francisco to Seattle, then to Chicago, then Buffalo (to see Niagara Falls) and New York. On the way home in December, I will travel from Washington to Tampa, Florida. The longest trip is 2 days, and I am mostly in a sleeper car for overnight trips. I have learnt such things as – shuttles only run from airports, not train stations (even though they are close together), and Amtrak can be hours and even days late at times – all very frustrating, but some of the things I hope will change as more of us travel by train. (Amtrak passengers are up 17% on 2 years ago)
Hopefully the residual feeling of romance associated with train travel will be encouraged, and more of us travelling will lead to more investment and better timetables and connections for us all. Bring it on, I say!
I’m so excited for you taking off on your OE. good choice going by train. it will be an experience of the life time. i’m happy for you.
I rode Amtrak from Oakland Ca. to Chicago with my companion. Being health concsious, she made two dishes to take on the train and i made two dishes. it was a couple or so day trip. and we happily ate our to-go food. Half way into the cross country trip the crowded car we were in began to clear out. Ah, leg room! We happily stretched out. After a few more stops we realized that the only people left in the car were us two and two elderly ladies in the seats in front of us. One of the ladies says to the other, “do you want to change cars?” and the other had replied, “no, we’ve put up with it for this long we can go the rest of the way.” I was mortified when my traveling companion informed me that it was our garlic breathe that ran everyone away except the two perservering old ladies. moral of the story, if you need more room, eat garlic. have fun rosemary, and i will happily track your adventures. thank you so much. love, wolfy, the tennessee tart.