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What is your preferred mode of transportation for a trip of 500 km (~300 mi)?
Most of the comments are, "I want to want to take the train, but I don't."
I'm train by default. This distance is also pretty tractable by our electric car. It's not great by plane.
Many people in the US responded that the train system there isn't good, so they wouldn't use it.
I am mixed about the results, as before.
The question doesn't ask about travelling in any particular place, nor about travelling from your home.
I may specify that in the future.
I also find the idea of what your preference would be in counterfactual universes a little hard to grasp.
A lot of the responses said things about how if the train system near them were faster, more frequent, more convenient, etc. they would prefer it.
It is a strange kind of discussion.
We could come up with counterfactuals on any mode of transportation that would eventually make it preferred.
Why would it be worthwhile to talk about preferences for imaginary transportation systems, then?
I think there might be some cognitive dissonance at work.
People are trying to resolve the two conflicting frames "cool people like trains" and "I don't take trains", and the result is expressing a preference for a non-existent ideal train system.
@evan Certainly if there is a train that is 20 minutes from you home that goes to Paris at 200 MPH and leaves every hour you are more likely to take a train than say if the train goes 60 MPH leaves once a day and you have to transfer to a bus for part of the ride and takes you to Los Angeles.