With air travel becoming increasingly tedious, costly and frustrating, it is no surprise that travelers are looking for an alternative. Though high-speed rail is enormously popular in Europe and Asia, receiving more than $200 billion of investment worldwide, and $53 billion from the Obama administration, the question remains:
• Will high-speed rail replace flying on short trip routes?

In a recent poll of global travelers by SilverRail Technologies, the world’s first global rail ticket technology platform, the answer is a resounding ‘YES’ with 90% of respondents saying they would like to see rail options displayed alongside flights when searching for travel.
• 79% would choose train over plane if high-speed rail options existed
• 61% would choose rail over air if the cost was the same or better

This poll concluded that time, cost and comfort are the 3 key factors considered by consumers when booking travel and flying is coming in second increasingly often.

TIME:
The results reveal that travellers are considering total travel time – getting from door to door – and the full travel experience when choosing mode of transport.
• 86% of people would accept having the entire time from door-to-door be longer to avoid the process of checking in, security and boarding
• 66% would willingly add an hour or more of total travel to their trips to avoid the hassles of long lines, airport security and baggage fees

COST:
• 89% of people take action to avoid paying bag fees, strategizing packing days in advance and stuffing carry-ons to maximum capacity to avoid checking bags
• 19% of people surveyed say they pack underwear in a laptop bag to avoid checking bags
• 61% are frustrated with extra costs added to airline ticket prices and wanted to be secure that the ticket price they paid is the total price

COMFORT:
• Waiting in line is the #1 air travel hassle, according to 72% of people
• While waiting in line for a pat down, 47 % dream about the easy travel of yesteryear
• 36% wanted family and friends to be able to accompany them to the gate, an impossibility with air travel

“This eye-opening poll tells us that the public is eager to make the switch to high-speed rail travel, and the significant investments being made in high speed rail will clearly enable this,” says SilverRail CEO and co-founder of SilverRail Technologies, Aaron Gowell. “Our goal is to give consumers more choice by providing the technology that enables travel websites to sell high-speed rail alongside air, making train travel anywhere in the world as easy or easier, to book as air travel.”