Comment by mk_stjames

> speed when accounting for loading/unloading and security

Try to book a train trip from Brest, Bretagne, France to Vienna, Austria. Just halfway across western Europe. You'll wind up having to take four trains and likely change stations in a way that involves a metro or a bus, book on two or three different websites, if it goes perfectly it will take anywhere from 15-18 hours of travel time and if any single part gets delayed you will be staying in a very expensive overnight hotel and be out hundreds of extra euros.

Or you can take an Air France booking for literally half the cost, with a single plane change that is guaranteed, and it will take about 6 hours including the airport security and loading time.

Seriously, people constantly talk about train travel (in europe) like it is amazing and it's only true for very short distances. Otherwise it is a travel nightmare. And I hate airports too, but, things have gotten worse train wise in the last 20 years, I swear.