We rail on and on again (get it?) about rail. It is the past, present and future of travel. Especially the future. As automobiles continue to clog up the roads, polluting all the while, carrying – maybe – five persons in the vehicle, it becomes more and more apparent that this is not the future. And, in this day and age, it shouldn’t even be the present. We’re smarter than that, aren’t we?
So why is it that some countries just refuse to do their part and catch the train? It’s not like it’s new technology. Wikipedia informs us that almost 10,000 billion freight tonne-kilometres are travelled around the world. Roughly one quarter of these are travelled in the United States, another quarter in China, and a third in India. Of the 3,000bn passenger-kilometres travelled across the world, 1,346bn and 1,150bn of these are travelled in China and India alone. Thus China and India contribute almost half of world’s passenger travels. The average Swiss person travels 2,430 km by train each year, almost 500 more than the average Japanese person (the Japanese having the second-highest average kilometres travelled per passenger in the world). You’ll notice that some developed countries are missing on this list.
But let’s go one step further, beyond the statistics, because rail travel can be so much more than sheer numbers. Rail can be comfortable, efficient and even glamorous if your budget goes that far. Even more beguiling is enjoying how rail is not only used, but celebrated around the globe. Tale a look at the Luxury sightseeing train on Kochi’s natural country roads. This train is used everyday in everyday rail travel in Japan – this is no special service. But, as you can see, this is special.
“The train is a small world moving through a larger world.” — Elisha Cooper
Rail is everywhere for you. And so is OMIO. Book your next train journey. Click here.
Tripadvisor have lots to do in Kochi, Japan. Click here to explore your fun.