But the politics of the 1950s and the power of the auto industry ushered out the age of the train in North America while in Europe it soldiered on. The 200-mph barrier will fall soon, perhaps broken by the Spanish even before the French get to it. Contrast that with the 40,000-plus killed on American roads every year. Better yet, speedy trains turn out to provide a service no other vehicle can manage. When it takes you that long just to make it to the airport, you wonder just what the Happy Days crowd was thinking when they turned away from trains.
Trains serve city centers.
Airports don't, and highways gut them. As a traveler, you have made the decision to travel Europe by train, and it is a richly rewarding one. You have in store unparalleled scenery, contact with local cultures, and romantic arrivals and departures from glorious urban epicenters. In daylight you can travel fast. Overnight you can curl up in a bed and sleep away the trip to make the most of your time at the endpoints.