I’ve ridden Brightline in Florida, same company as is planning to do rail to Vegas. Clean trains, good service. What kills it for me is the fucking security theater — they have airport-style boarding where you have to pay more money to board early, and either way, you have to wait in line and have some dumb mouthbreather riffle through your bag before you’re allowed into the station waiting area.

Part of the benefit of taking the train is that you can literally arrive 5 minutes before the train leaves — their system is literally combines the worst aspects of rail and air travel. The Coaster trains in CA and Boston-DC Amtrak basically get it right. Walk onto the platform from the street or station, board, pick a seat, and take the trip. No nonsense designed to make cowards feel better that they’re “protected.”

NYC has boarding lines for some trains, but at least there’s no security theater and the lines themselves are easily circumvented (use the lower level for boarding at Penn if you’re ever there).