This seems like a very similar (and big) problem to Europe. Trains are just so expensive. UK it is unreal, I'm pretty sure some days you can fly from London to edinburgh for 1/10th, on a bad day 1/5th of the cost of trains. It just doesn't seem worth it. Clearly something about the economics of trains just doesn't work, especially when compared to mid-distance trips where cheap airlines also exist.
I came here expecting to see that the "free market zero regulation" of the US, and business sense would mean quite a cheap fare for this train, but no, it's just as bad as europe.
Even though they are supposedly the ultimate green mass public transportation, trains really need to get cheaper to be a serious alternative for cars and cheap airlines, as you also point out.
You pay more money but the experience is different. You can do many things in a train that you can't do in a car like:
- working
- having a meal (and by that I don't mean eating a sandwitch or crisps)
- have a conversation that involve eye contacts
- playing board/card games
- watching a movie
- reading
All of these activities are impossible for a car driver and would make most passenger feeling sick or spreading food everywhere in the car.
So it is not like an apple to apple comparison. The added cost is hardly justified for a short 1h30 drive, but the longer the trip the more it makes a difference.
The UK is an outlier for train ticket prices. There's a huge difference between booking an inflexible ticket in advance, and buying a ticket on the day.
Elsewhere in Europe there's usually less difference. Here in Denmark the cheapest Copenhagen-Århus ticket booked in advance is around £15, and the standard ticket (any time) is £50. London to Manchester is a similar distance, and the price varies from around £20 (supposedly) to £185.
Hmm... I expected the cheapest ticket in England to be less than the cheapest in Denmark.
(Denmark isn't big enough for an equivalent journey to London-Edinburgh, but Sweden is. I notice the Malmö-Stockholm route is so busy the direct trains are mostly fully booked for several days ahead — Britain does have more capacity in return for the expensive fares.)
I came here expecting to see that the "free market zero regulation" of the US, and business sense would mean quite a cheap fare for this train, but no, it's just as bad as europe.
Even though they are supposedly the ultimate green mass public transportation, trains really need to get cheaper to be a serious alternative for cars and cheap airlines, as you also point out.