ZBB member photos, part 5. (Something for the weekend, sir?)

[Rui]

British trains aren't terrible but they're not cheap... Going to university from Alton to Cambridge (about 2h30 each way) costs £25 return if you have a railcard, about £40 if not.

I'm quite excited to try out China's long distance trains...I haven't heard much in the way of their ontimeness, but man they are cheap as hell. I am planning to take a weekend trip from Beijing (where I am currently living/staying) to Xi'an, which is about a 12-13 hour train ride, that is only $62! It would easily be double the price on Amtrak

I didn't get to experience the Shinkansen when I was in Tokyo last week, but I did go on Tokyo's local trains...getting to/from Narita airport into the middle of the city (about an hour's commute) is about $30. But everything in Tokyo is expensive But man they were nice trains...always on time (and if not, they would notify you ahead of time that something or other has happened via the screens on the train), very clean...and the one going from the airport into the city even has trolleys full of food that workers wheel up and down the train!

[Delthayre]

Amtrak's service in the northeast corridoor, which is the lines between Boston and Washington, D.C. as well as some related routes such as the Empire Service from Buffalo to New York City, is quite nice. The tickets aren't cheap, but they aren't as expensive as what Viktor paid. It usually cost me at least $56 (€45,30; £37.85) to travel from Albany, New York to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, provided that I reserved the tickets early enough. The trains are slightly sluggish as federal regulations restrict their speed to below 79Mph (127.13Kmh) and they are sometimes delayed by the freight trains that share the same tracks. It usually took two and a half hours to go from Albany to New York City, then an hour and twenty minutes to go from New York City to Philadelphia, with a layover between them of at least three quarters of an hour.

The tracks in the northeast are old; some are within a decade or two of their bicentennials. The northeast corridor also subsidizes Amtrak's many unprofitable routes and its employees have anything like the deals that other public transportation employees have, Amtrak also has very high labor costs and very expensive retirement benefits.

[Pthagnar]

one thing i wonder is how train ticket costs compare to gasoline costs

[vampireshark]

one thing i wonder is how train ticket costs compare to gasoline costs

Using Delthayre's example, the trip (according to MapQuest) from Albany from Philadelphia is 232 miles (approx. 374 km). With a vehicle that can get 30 miles per US gallon (7.83L/100km) and an approximate fuel cost of US$2.84 per US gallon (74.8¢/51.6p per litre), that comes out to about $22 for the trip, one way, by car.

There are no tolls on this route, so it'd be $22 for up to about 5 people in a nice little car. Cheaper regardless of the number of people.

By comparison: it's about 180 miles (290 km) from London to Swansea. Using a better car, one that gets 6.6L/100 km (36 miles per US gallon), which is more realistic here in the UK, and an average fuel cost of £1.20 per litre (US$6.60 per gallon), that works out to £22.97 for the trip eastward and £28.47 westward.

I can get a one-way ticket to London, if I'm lucky, for about £11 at the cheapest. This means that three people would need to be in the car to produce substantial savings.

[Pthagnar]

plus labour costs for the driver [if you look at it from the point of production] / the price of convenience of not having to do the driving yourself [from the point of consumption]

of course, if you *like* driving [crosslink to the relevant thread], then these could be negative

[patiku]

AmTrak

Hey buddy, let's go to my office for a sec.

First, lemme say that you're a great poster. Length, vocabulary, you're doing everything right. There's just a small problem with you using "CamelCaps" in inappropriate places. Neither Amtrak nor Wikipedia use it, and I and some other guys here in the office would appreciate it if you'd rein that in a tiny bit. It's not a big deal, though, so don't worry about it. Just try to remember, okay buddy?

Before you go, I just have to tell you that some of your recent posts are outstanding, seriously. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but some of the higher-ups have taken an interest in you, and if you keep wowing us (in the accents on the ZBB thread, for instance), you might get that promotion a little sooner than was scheduled. Just something to think about.

Now get back to your desk before I take away your lunch break! Ha ha, just kidding, big guy. See ya!

[Jipí]

Also, why the emphasis on the brand name by emboldening it? The Zompist Bulletin Board℠ is not a corporate outlet for Amtrak™...

[finlay]

Before you're ninja-editing again (he had a picture of a steam train for America there)...

For example:


Germany (this is an ICE3, however the first-series ICE are still being used a lot though only half as pretty)


France (TGV)

He's right, some countries in Europe have trains like that... but it was a piss-poor example; I mean he could have at least bothered to find a European train.

Plus, it's actually just France and Germany that do them; the bigger countries. The UK doesn't really count, as it's French-designed and goes to France. They may one day get one going London to Birmingham or something, neatly ignoring that it's not as much needed for such a short distance.

On the other hand, while no UK trains look like that, you get some really shabby-looking ones in Europe; the standard is slightly higher overall here. They're still expensive as fuck because they haven't worked out a decent pricing system.

[Cockroach]

1/3 Americans don't have a passport. Of that a large number hasn't left their state. The fact id there's a large part of the country that thinks "why should I travel? I have everything I need right here in my hometown"

[patiku]

Who cares? Do Americans have an obligation to spend a summer in Paris or something?

[Amsel]

I've always said the deterioration of our train system was one of our biggest failures as a nation. Damn you America and your stupid highway system!

And exactly *when* would you support the sort of tax regime that would make a European-esque interstate rail system in the US plausible? Is it important enough to you that the cost should add to the deficit?, or should we just expropriate all the money that conservative voters would rather use to, say...add another lane to the I-405?

[Io]

1/3 Americans don't have a passport.

Implying 2/3 Americans have a passport? Looks quite a lot to me.

Plus, it's actually just France and Germany that do them; the bigger countries.

Spain has them too, if that's what you meant by 'do them'.

[Io]

[rickardspaghetti]

You look gorgeous in a dress, Io!

[the duke of nuke]

Or is he the one in the lavender shirt? Just checking

[Io]

No! That's the cock-teaser I'm groping

Good choice though ^5

[the duke of nuke]

So you're the one in the hat?
Also, is he a cocktease or is he just straight?

[Viktor77]

Also, is he a cocktease or is he just straight?

A gay cocktease? Is that even possible given how horny gay men are?

[the duke of nuke]

I know some very restrained gay men, Viktor. Maybe you could learn from them

[Viktor77]

I know some very restrained gay men, Viktor. Maybe you could learn from them

Restrained gay men? That's an oxy moron!

I joke, of course.

[Io]

By cockteaser I mean that he spent a good night being homo, actually he started doing it lately so it's been going for a while now and I thought he might have become curious or maybe he's always been but he's letting it go only now and later at the club, oh my at the club, we were so fucking gay, dancing together, he unbuttoned my shirt a bit, ppl were looking at us and were like WTF?! but then NOTHING, we took a taxi together since we live close to each other and he didn't budged down to my begging to come at my place.

On the next day he asked me on IM "why did you want me come at your place so much?"......... the fcuk?! Wasn't it obvious?!?!

Now you probably know more than you ever wanted to

[Viktor77]

By cockteaser I mean that he spent a good night being homo, actually he started doing it lately so it's been going for a while now and I thought he might have become curious or maybe he's always been but he's letting it go only now and later at the club, oh my at the club, we were so fucking gay, dancing together, he unbuttoned my shirt a bit, ppl were looking at us and were like WTF?! but then NOTHING, we took a taxi together since we live close to each other and he didn't budged down to my begging to come at my place.

On the next day he asked me on IM "why did you want me come at your place so much?"......... the fcuk?! Wasn't it obvious?!?!

Now you probably know more than you ever wanted to

Awe. He's cute. You two would be so cute together too! You should totally try to work him.

[Io]

Thanks but no thanks, I'm sick of these mixed signals guys. Mind games and mind reading, I don't like.

[eodrakken]

restrained gay men

pix pls

[vampireshark]

(Isn't it a bit obvious which is Io? Several other pictures of him have been posted.)

Still, nice pic. Even if Io's the one acting a bit crazy.