European railways thrive during air travel crisis

Most Europeans unaffected

Steve Hawley, Apr 23, 10.

With most European air travel grounded for over a week due to a volcanic ash plume coming from Iceland, passenger rail operated at full capacity with few disruptions, according to Progressive Fix.

In fact, says the article:

Since trains handle a large portion of commercial traffic between many cities, the average European has not been hurt by the “transportation tsunami” breathlessly described by CNN and other media outlets.

Travelers most affected by the air ban have been international flyers, such as British tourists coming back from Easter vacations in the Mediterranean and passengers on transatlantic flights, who couldn’t land in northern Europe, Scandinavia or the British Isles.

However, trains have been jam-packed as stranded air travelers sought alternative methods of transportation. Many trains, especially into England, were sold out days in advance, and extra trains were put into service. In Switzerland, trains operated with twice as many cars as usual.

European airports have been re-opened, but aviation officials say it could be a week before normal operations are reestablished.

Progressive Fix concludes:

The volcano’s unexpected activity — leading to the biggest flight ban in aviation history — is a stark reminder of the vulnerability of air travel and the necessity of having solid transportation alternatives in a crisis.

Air travel was also halted across the entire United States for several days in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Since the US does not yet have an extensive rail network, and since American cities are farther apart than those in Europe, many passengers were stranded without any means of alternative transportation.

The Obama administration hopes to jump-start high-speed rail construction in the United States, awarding $8 billion in January to projects in several states - primarily California, Florida, and Illinois. Texas officials hope to build a high-speed “T-Bone” route connecting the Texas Triangle Megaregion, but due to a lack of a common vision and political support, the state received just $4 million in federal funding for high-speed rail.