Trains > Planes and Automobiles
Graphic by Claire Arveson
Spring Break is upon us, which means come Friday campus will look like a ghost town as a majority of students embark on trips back home or mini-vacays before the final stretch run of the school year. In class, I hear students rattle off all the places they’re flying to for vacation: “Punta Cana”, “Ireland”, “Cabo”, etc. On the other hand, for students traveling back home, I often find them opting for driving back for a long car ride. If I am being honest, I feel quite bad for these students; not because I am jealous of all the beautiful places they’re traveling to (I very much am), but because they’re going to endure two of the worst methods of transportation we have in modern society. Meanwhile, therein lies a transportation method that absolutely mogs both flying and driving: the train.
It pains me to see the state of the locomotive in our country today, especially the role it used to carry in society. The train used to power everything! From cargo shipping, to letter mailing, to commercial travel, the train literally drove westward expansion in the United States. Nowadays, the train has been relegated to sort of a niche traveler choice after having much higher ridership rates from the early-mid 20th century. And for all our so-called technical advancements in the subsequent decades, I’m not so sure we didn’t have it right when it comes to mass transit with the locomotive. Let’s consider the two primary modes of travel in our times that not only shape (and wreck) our transportation system (and thereby, our environment and economy): the automobile and airplane.
The amount of damage done to the environment by the automobile industry is well documented, so I won’t regurgitate old news. However, what is underdiscussed are all of the hidden fees that comes with car ownership. One of the biggest turn offs that curbs me from buying a car is simply insurance. Full coverage insurance runs the average American nearly $2,150 a year, which comes to about $180/month. This doesn’t even cover the other costs that come with having a car such as monthly payments on the lease, repairs and maintenance, oil checks, or the mother of them all, GAS! Americans pay an average of $204/month on gas, according to 2024 data. All in all, we’re talking about thousands of dollars for the most dangerous motorized transportation method we have.
Not only do costs drive me away from opting for automobiles, but also, as my best friend in high school would tell me when he offered rides, “driving is a hassle,”. Seriously though, when I hear my peers describe their plans to drive back home, I just envision them needing to lock in for four or five hours as they resist the temptation of resting their eyes or settling down for a meal (or let’s be so real, scroll on their phones). When my parents and I make our measly three hour drive every break from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo (West Coast folks wassup), even we have had to take turns in delegating who drives. Simply put, if I have multiple hours to kill, I don’t want to waste them with my hands on the wheel. Driving forces you to engage with the unknown elements of the road, when you have the option of either leisuring or being productive as a passenger.
Which takes me to the other culprit that unleashed dread to U.S. mass transit: the airplane. Airlines do offer passenger seats for their customers, so you aren’t tasked with making sure you get to your destination safely like you are when you drive. However, merely being a passenger isn’t what makes transportation pleasant. It’s your surrounding conditions as a passenger that makes a trip pleasurable or discomforting. As anyone who has had to fly commercially can tell you, it sure isn’t a pedicure. You’re crammed in with whoever is next to you (you’d be lucky if it wasn’t a stranger), the seat has a limit on its reclination, and your entertainment is either an old movie off a six-inch screen or likely, however much you’re willing to pay for WiFi (shoutout JetBlue for their free WiFi service). And this is just the riveting experience on the actual plane itself! I haven’t even gone through the wait at TSA or how you’re magically able to wipe half your bank account if you purchase a burger at the airport! From arm-and-a-leg costs to an overall discomforting experience for non first class customers, it begs one to ask, is a better transit world possible? Thankfully, the answer is a resounding yes.
Ever since coming to Syracuse as a first-year in Fall of 2022 (get your ‘unc’ jokes out of the way now), I’ve found myself increasingly using Amtrak as my primary mode of transportation. And unlike my experience on airlines, I can say that my experience with Amtrak has only improved. The seats are spacious and can recline to a much greater degree compared to airplane seats, only once in my six trips has there been a delay, the staff are kind and helpful, strangers are receptive to conversation if you’re open to it, and there’s an actual cafe car! Yes, the food is mostly processed and/or microwavable, but I’ll take that over the petty packet or pretzels and crackers!
What I would say is my favorite feature about taking the train for travel as a college student is the amount of space and free time you have to get stuff done. We college students often face a laundry list of tasks that stems from classes, extracurriculars, career prospects, and basic self-care/socialization necessities. In class, I find myself frequently yearning for multiple hours of free time to be productive and close the gap on my goals. When have I been the most productive in my college career? When I am on the Amtrak and am forced to kill 5+ hours until I arrive at my destination. Each time I take the train for either Thanksgiving or spring break, I make huge dents into books on my reading list and/or long final projects that require tens of hours of work. Taking the Amtrak is essentially like checking out a room at Bird Library to lock in for a final, except when you step out of the room you’re in a different city.
Now obviously, there are certain destinations where travel by air is the only option or the most practical option (like rest assured, until the U.S. actually invests in people and builds high-speed rail, I will NOT be taking an Amtrak from Syracuse to Los Angeles). For cars, I understand politicians sorta built a society catered for them (more specifically, the car lobby) and we’re just operating with the choices they gave us. However, if your destination is within 500 miles, you get cheaper tickets, more leg room, more free time, and better comfort if you opt for the train over the plane. And for cars, you trade in long hours where you’re required to focus on the road for the option of leisure with a relaxing book or locking in to kill outstanding tasks.
If taking the train is starting to sound enticing to you, my message would be: all aboard the bandwagon! Americans all around are starting to take the train more, with Amtrak reporting record ridership last year and a 10% increase in adjusted ticket revenue. People are buying my arguments: planes and cars are simply too expensive and too discomforting for them to overwhelmingly dominate mass transit. If we want to take steps to building a better world, look no further than the railyard.