When looking over the timetables for Japan Rail, what always struck me was that trips tended to top out at 6 hours, regardless of speedhttps://twitter.com/380kmh/status/919252082720460800 …
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...this is the main reason that overnight trains in Japan mostly vanished--and why overnight high-speed trains are still rare
If supersonic air travel became more commercially viable, then there'd be no realistic chance for slower-but-more-comfy air alternatives
But if no faster options than air travel become available, and if slower ones can compete in price while excelling in comfort?
Then, and ONLY then, does intercontinental travel by maglev start to look viable. Europe to Asia, Asia to America, etc...
...because even in this very specific future, air travel is obviously better for many trips (over the Atlantic, for example)
The opening of the Chuo Shinkansen in 2027 should shed some light on maglev's ability to compete on price. Will be interesting to see...
...if it pays off, and longer maglev routes get built in Eurasia--say, approaching the 6 hour threshhold--it'll be time to test comfort
And if a high level of comfort is possible without breaking the bank, then it's time to look to the Bering Straits.
#TrainTwitter
But there are overnight buses in Japan. And still semi viable overnight trains in parts of Europe.
Overnight buses in Japan compete by price--they are *way* cheaper than equivalent trips by train (and occasionally faster bc of route!)
So do many cheap airlines. But I believe there would be a market for overnight trains (even in Japan). It depends on politics partially.
But if they are implemented well they also can offer some advantage in comfort. No airline queues, get up later, get off in city center, ...
I think the comfort factor is a gimme, where they routinely fail to compete is cost
I don't know, they still have overnight buses
They are cheaper... were the overnight trains more expensive?
yes, the buses are much cheaper and can compete on price--the trains cost as much as (or more than) their faster counterparts
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