Train travel is making a comeback.

President Barack Obama kicked off his inaugural celebration with a rail trip, retracing the path Abraham Lincoln took to his swearing-in ceremony in 1861. Obama and his family boarded a 1939-vintage railcar in Philadelphia for the 137-mile journey to Washington DC. The trip included a stop in Delaware, where Vice President and longtime Amtrak-rider Joe Biden came aboard.

Although this journey put train travel in the news, for many, it has become a way of life in light of the state of the airline industry. Cuts in flights, sometimes drastic fare increases, and a la carte fees that apply to luggage, meals, even pillows and blankets are new insults. Delays are an older one. As a result, many are searching for alternative modes of travel, and for some, train travel fits the bill perfectly.

There were 28.7 million Amtrak passengers in 2008, an 11 percent increase over 2007, according to Amtrak's Cliff Cole, a spokesperson. "Roughly 6 percent of this increase can be attributed to the increased cost of fuel and the eroding conditions at the airports," adds Cole. Amtrak's Acela Express between Boston and Washington is its most successful train, extremely popular with business travelers along the Northeast Corridor.

And as society becomes more eco-conscious, train travel is being selected as an energy-efficient alternative to air travel. The U.S. Department of Energy found that Amtrak, on an energy-consumed-per-passenger-mile basis, is 18 percent more energy-efficient than commercial airlines. By "training it," the carbon footprint of your trip is reduced.

Ocean-View Seats

For some groups, trains are not only a viable mode of transportation, but a great way to get a group together. HelmsBriscoe, a global provider of independent site selection and RFP services, held its West Coast team meeting in Santa Barbara, CA, last April. Many of the attendees were coming from San Diego and Los Angeles counties, so the group decided to take the train.

"Gas was just so expensive, and there was a group of about 20 of us who were going to Santa Barbara. We decided to try the train," explains San Diego-based Kim Davidson, regional manager of HelmsBriscoe. "We had such a great time all sitting together, and it was a wonderful chance for everyone to catch up. The view was incredible, as most of the time we were looking out at the Pacific. On the way home, we were served wine and snacks. The train got stuck for an hour right before coming in to the last stop in San Diego, but even though we were sitting still for that hour, we had a wonderful time. Sure beats L.A. traffic and the cost of gas!"

Training It in Canada

There are many trains to choose from in Canada. For multiple-destination meetings, VIA Rail Canada offers scheduled train service throughout the country. VIA Rail's new Priva services let companies reserve a deluxe private car, or the entire train, with a personalized itinerary, for customized meetings, receptions, and tours.

For other touring and train meeting options in Canada, there are Rocky Mountaineer Railtours and Algoma Central Railway.

Sandy Biback, president of Toronto-based Imagination+Meeting Planners, was recently part of a teambuilding exercise on a VIA Rail train. "The Canadian Society of Professional Event Planners was having its annual meeting in Windsor, Ontario. A first-class VIA train was outfitted with audiovisual equipment and food and beverage. We picked people up in Toronto, Oakville, Hamilton, and London, and did a teambuilding exercise on the train. What a great way to start a conference," she says. "We hadn't even arrived in our destination city and we were already bonding and developing a group dynamic."

Riding the Rails in Europe

The convenience of hopping on a train downtown and the speed of high- performance lines have made traveling by rail extremely popular in Europe. As high-speed routes continue to open across Europe, and new rail relationships are forged across borders, trains increasingly scoop travelers away from airlines.

Railteam is an alliance of seven European high-speed rail operators collaborating to integrate high-speed rail travel between major European cities, and working to compete with airlines on punctuality, environmental impact, pricing, and speed. By coordinating departure times among cities, the Railteam high-speed train network will be able to offer consistent and efficient travel for its users.

Trials are under way in Europe and Japan for hybrid high-speed train systems, which will cut emission levels by half and fuel costs by a fifth. Virgin Trains in the UK recently launched Britain's first biodiesel passenger train, fueled by 20 percent biodiesel. Plans are in the making to convert to 100 percent biodiesel—the equivalent of taking 100,000 vehicles off the road.

Some planners give their participants the option of taking the train. Sue Walton, an independent planner based in Evanston, IL, always arranges an Amtrak discount for the meetings she plans and markets the promotion prominently. "It's also one of the first questions I ask of a location. I have a lot of eastern attendees at my conferences who do not drive. I never gave up on trains," says Walton.

Originally published Feb. 1, 2009

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