Module 6: Practice 2
Document 1
The Advantages and Disadvantages of Train Travel
When travel comes into your mind, you'll probably hesitate to decide the forms of your transport. Should you choose train or airplane? The best way to help you eliminate the indecisiveness is to make a round-up of the advantages and disadvantages of train travel. (1)
There are many advantages to train travel. Let's talk about the most important ones. (2)
Some people are afraid of flying and cruising. Travel on the ground may be a preferred way for them. Train travel is rarely delayed by bad weather and won't make you suffer from jet lag and bumpy flights. Hence, it could be safer than driving and flying. (3)
Train travel can also bring you much convenience and comfort that you can't enjoy on other more mundane means of transportation. You cannot talk on cellphones on planes, but you definitely can on trains. Moreover, on a train you can have a comfortable seat with enough legroom and corridors to stretch your legs and move about randomly. You can even walk to the vestibules to take a breath of fresh air. In the night, it is quite inconvenient to sleep in planes and cars. You can't even lie down. Sleepers in train cars, however, can at least let you have a normal sleep. Sometimes the possibility of making friends in train cabins could be an attraction. The train could be good to consider for families with babies and elderly people because it is not bumpy. (4)
One of the greatest advantages is the reality of relishing scenic spots alongside the well-designed routes. Take Rocky Mountaineer as an example, its routes with attentive service and commentary will ensure you travel through areas which are not accessible by foot or automobile and make you believe that you are really on vacation. Besides, some of the sight-seeing trains with wide viewing windows can slow down at the most scenic spots to let you enjoy the scene and take pictures. (5)
Air travel is frequently seen as the only option for international transportation for its fast speed (excess of 300kmh). This is one of the disadvantages of train travel. (6)
There are other drawbacks. Train travel can be very long, especially when compared to air travel. And trains not always punctual. Sometimes, there are lengthy delays. Moreover, in some countries like Spain, train travel is not as cheap as taking buses, especially the sleeper trains. (7)
In most cases, the advantages of train travel outweigh its disadvantages, especially when you choose a train hotel or sight-seeing train. Those who do need fast train transportation are seeing more and more high-speed railway services nowadays, in a world filled with fierce competition. For example, the TGV and ICE rail networks in France and Germany are providing various route opportunities, reduced check-in, security and boarding formalities, fewer delays and direct connections between city centers. (8)
Source: Retrieved May 16, 2011 from http://www.luggageguides.com/articles/1783/train-travel-advantages-disadvantages.html