Do more people travel by plane or train?

Airlines carry more travelers — United States carriers transported 777.9 million passengers on domestic flights in 2018 — but Amtrak is particularly strong in the Northeast Corridor between hubs such as New York City and Washington, D.C. Amtrak recently announced the launch of Acela Nonstop service between the two ...



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The survey showed that, in 2022, 44 percent of Americans flew commercially, and almost 90 percent had taken a commercial flight in their lifetime.

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Trains consume less energy and produce less harmful pollutants than either car or air travel. Hopping on an Amtrak train will save you gas and daily wear and tear on your car. It also reduces the ever-increasing traffic congestion on the roads and in the skies.

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Americans as a whole took an average 1.4 air trips in the past 12 months, which is down from 2.1 in 2015. This decline partly reflects the increase in people making no trips, from 55% to 62%.

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And—the closest thing we've seen to the number we're after—18 percent of Americans said they had never flown in their life, meaning that 82 percent had.

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Not to mention, Amtrak seats are comfortable! Even in coach, they recline, offer more legroom and space than standard cramped airline economy seats, and come with decent fold-down trays. Additionally, if you travel overnight, your chances of actually getting a good night's rest are far higher than on a plane.

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To accommodate the money-losing routes, Amtrak uses profits from its popular lines, such as the Northeast Corridor. Since this is one of the most popular routes, Amtrak can charge higher prices and send those profits to other, less profitable lines. Additionally, the USA is a very big country.

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HOW SAFE ARE TRAINS? Trains are statistically much safer than driving. In 2020, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics recorded 40,867 total deaths from travel, including in planes, in cars on highways and on trains.

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On shorter train journeys, Amtrak's Coach Class seats provide a comfortable place to relax and enjoy the view. On long-distance journeys, you will find extra-spacious Coach Class seating with leg rests designed to enhance your comfort for long or overnight trips.

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The air travel boom in the US appears to be fading. Purchases by US consumers directly from major domestic airlines declined across the board in the second quarter, marking the first drop in more than two years, according to Bloomberg Second Measure.

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“Generally speaking, traveling by plane is faster and more convenient, but can be more expensive and stressful. On the other hand, traveling by train is usually cheaper and more comfortable, but can take much longer.”

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Trains are Reliable and Stress Free With high-speed rail, train travel is always faster than driving. In many cases, it's even faster than flying, once you factor in the whole air travel song-and-dance.

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  1. Airplane Safety. Airplanes are by far the safest mode of transportation when the number of transported passengers are measured against personal injuries and fatality totals, even though all plane crashes generally receive some form of media attention. ...
  2. Train Safety. ...
  3. Bus Travel. ...
  4. Boat Travel.


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While fatalities from train derailments are rare, derailments themselves are actually quite common. From 1990, the first year the BTS began tracking derailments and injuries on a yearly basis, to 2022, there have been 55,741 accidents in which a train derailed. That's an average of 1,689 derailments per year.

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There is a train collision or derailment every 1.5 hours in the U.S. Trains carrying hazardous chemicals derail every 2 weeks. The FRA reports that 80% of railroad crossings do not provide adequate warnings. Most train accidents are caused by human factors, track causes, or equipment.

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