# Australian trains vs Europe's vs US's



## rpcarnell (Jul 3, 2011)

I am a fan of trains. A true fan, and I'd like to know if Australia has a train transportation system as developed as France's or Germany's. 

When I lived in Orlando, Florida, I was truly disappointed with the system there, as I rarely saw Amtrak trains in the area, but in other states, Amtrak is a lot better.


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## dan (May 16, 2011)

australia's train network is not as good as anywhere in europe. it is better than the USA however.

you can take a train from cairns in the north down to brisbane, sydney and melbourne in the south, and across from melbourne to adelaide, perth and darwin.

the problem is the distances are so long. it is 3,000km from melbourne to perth and takes 3 days to travel by train, but it only takes 5hrs by plane. so there aren't many people using the trains. even with a 400kph mag-lev it would still be quicker to fly. so our long distance trains are mostly for niche markets and not that well developed.

this is an excellent resource for all things train

A guide to train travel in Australia | Train routes, times, fares & information


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## rpcarnell (Jul 3, 2011)

That doesn't look bad at all. Better than the US's, like you said.


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## Alio (May 3, 2011)

I've only travelled by train around Brisbane and Sydney, but found it great for getting around the city. The trains were also good for getting out a little further - Gold Coast way or to the Blue Mountains

Just don't be like me and get on the train going in the wrong direction lol


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