We should compare.

Not because I doubt you but Europe is pretty disparate.

Amtrak from NYC to Philadelphia cost as much as a flight to continental Europe, and the experience was abysmal, truly awful I couldn’t even get the tickets for hours and took a bus instead.

Perhaps I’m “spoiled” by UK and Swedish trains but UK is pretty terible

▲

ghaff 5 hours ago | parent | next [-]

It depends hugely on when you book--both time in advance and time of year--as well as any sales going on. Which can vary a TON in Europe as well. I almost always take trains within Europe but they're no bargain.

▲

saalweachter 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Re: when you book, for the East Coast trains time of day matters greatly.

If you book a train from NYC to Philadelphia on Dec 9, there are four trains leaving before 6am with coach tickets for $10.

NYC to Boston has similar early morning prices.

	▲	ghaff 4 hours ago \| parent [-]
		Right. I'm not going to NYC for now but I saw the end-of-year sale in my inbox recently. Pricing varies a lot. (And I usually don't book Acela on my own dime absent a bargain; the transit time isn't much different from the regional.)

▲

ericmay 5 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

We were talking about the websites, and the OP was saying it’s the “worst example”. Cost and experience weren’t being discussed.

▲

dijit 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Yes, I meant I had a bad experience with the website, as in, it didn't work at all and I had to go to a service counter.

They acted like I was committing a crime at the service desk too tbh. I’m not sure how they are in business.

▲

ericmay 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Yea and in France when the only train for the day broke down I couldn’t get a refund because “you might come back to France one day”.

Sorry, as an American Amtrack’s website isn’t even in my top 5 of worst train websites.

	▲	dijit 5 hours ago \| parent [-]
		not getting a refund is a lot different than not even getting a ticket imo. Fair point about refunds for delays in general, its so awful I normally don’t do it. Not with trains, busses nor airlines.