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Train vs. plane: which is faster?
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (CNN) -- Getting from A to B always involves a lot of waiting around and wasting time, but is often necessary in today's business world. Frequent flyers and train travellers all experience delays, cancellations and missed connections, adding hours onto their travel time. Millions of business travellers fly every day, but when it comes to short haul journeys, the high-speed train offers an alternative that can be faster, more convenient and more productive. To attend a business meeting in Cologne from Amsterdam, business travellers can either fly or take the train.
With a meeting scheduled for 3 p.m. in Amsterdam, 130 miles from Cologne, CNN's Richard Quest took the train, departing at 1105 GMT and arriving 2 hours 40 minutes later at 1342 GMT. From city centre to city centre, he took 3-1/2 hours at a cost of $130. To race the train, CNN's Sonia Sequeira opted for a plane. She took off at 1250 GMT and arrived about one hour later, but failed to beat Quest to the final destination in the centre of Cologne. Her total journey time was four hours and twice as expensive as the train. Schiphol Airport is nine miles from Amsterdam city centre, whereas the train station is right in the middle. As Quest's train left shortly after his morning coffee, he already had a headstart from Sequeira, whose flight was a couple of hours later. One way the train companies are targeting frequent flyers is by changing the perception of the train station. They are making them more like airports, some are even bringing in lounges where you can relax or do some work. But the reality for business travellers is that they are usually in too much of a rush to catch the train. The German intercity express is one of the three fastest trains in the world, reaching an average speed of 180 miles per hour. Train companies are trying to cash in on the facilities they offer the business traveller. "The train is an excellent working place. We have power outlets, we have real tables, we have repeaters on the roof to enhance the reception of mobile phones, so we are doing a lot to make the business traveller's time he spends with us, really useful," said Martin Brandenbusch of Deutsche Bahn. At Schiphol airport there is an Internet centre, allowing business travellers to keep in touch with the office. This is particularly useful on a short-haul flight where you often spend more time at the airport than you do on the plane. Sequeira was supposed to board at 1205, but did not take her seat until 1220 and took off at 1250. Once the seatbelt sign has been switched off, passengers can switch on their laptops, but cannot work online as there are no facilities. Sequeira arrived in Cologne shortly after Quest, and was half an hour later getting to the 3 p.m. meeting. She found the progress of getting a taxi, a bus, then a plane, then a bus and taxi to her destination exhausting.
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