At first, I expected my train journey to offer a clear benefit over other modes of transportation, such as lower cost or faster travel times.
Instead, the train ride — which made nine stops between Tampa and Miami — took longer than it would take me to drive or, obviously, fly between the same two points. In fact, my almost-six-hour train ride was 1 ½ hours longer than an average drive starting at the same time of day.
While the train reached a top speed of about 80 miles per hour, which would be a bit faster than driving on the highway, it also faced a fair amount of train traffic, and our average speed during the trip was closer to 45 miles per hour, which is slower than the speed limits on Florida highways, which usually have a minimum speed of 50 miles per hour.
Of course, I reaped some benefits by traveling by train rather than driving the route. I didn’t have to deal with road traffic, and I had the chance to sleep, eat, and relax on the journey.
I was also surprised that the ticket cost wasn’t much cheaper than driving or flying. An ultra-economy flight between Tampa and Miami on a carrier like the now-defunct Spirit Airlines or its peer, Frontier Airlines, could’ve cost between $35 and $150 at the time of my trip, depending on when I booked.
Today, flights between the two cities can go for as low as $40, with an average of $80 to $140 round-trip, depending on booking timing.
Driving the trip would have cost an average of $34.16 at the time of my trip, as calculated using The Zebra’s fuel cost calculator and AAA’s state average fuel prices.
I paid $60 for a single coach ticket (and $230 for the first-class ticket), so both driving and flying could’ve been faster and cheaper.
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