There are some great trains in Europe, but if you are not travelling between major cities you may not be so happy with them. To go from Lisbon to Paris by train involves a rough 2nd class overnight from Lisbon to Irun, followed by a fantastic TGV from Hendaye to Paris. A recent trip from Den Helder in the Netherlands to De Pinte in Belgium was long, slow, crowded and very uncomfortable. I like trains and used to tour Europe on a EurailPass regularly, but even with better infrastructure it ain't that great.
And unfortunately it is expensive. I dodn't know the current fare from Madrid to Seville, but the last time I flew non-stop from Barcelona to Seville the round trip ticket prices started at 36 euros, around $45 (although I opted for a $60 ticket on a later flight). A recent direct flight from Faro to Palma de Mallorca ran around $100. Air fares can be very low compared to train fare. Bill Silvert ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Schweich" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU> Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 5:35 AM Subject: Ecology of Passenger Train Investment Dollars, was: Re: Skipping meetings > I've ridden trains > in Europe, including commuter trains in the Netherlands, and the Madrid > Metro, Talgo, Altaria, and AVE trains in Spain. They're wonderful, > especially the AVE. However, the Spanish have made a tremendous > investment in infrastructure for the AVE (it has its own tracks) and the > fare is still high. The cheapest fare on the AVE is about $200 from > Madrid to Sevilla, roundtrip. You can fly for $226, roundtrip.
