You can't beat the Shinkansen for service frequency. For example, there are 11 departing from Tokyo heading to Nagoya and further between 7 and 8 am alone. Yes, a few are slower Kodama service but the rest are Nozomi/Hikari.

I like the fact you can just show up at the train station, buy a ticket and be on your way in minutes (barring the few holiday times of the year when they get very busy).

High speed train comparsion
 

Sapsan in Russia - Moscow/St Pete. Only done in business where they serve you an airline meal for breakfast.
Acela in the US, obviously Boston/Washington. Gross under-utilization of speed potential. Still better than the alternatives though.

Between Tokyo and Osaka, Shinkansen all the way.

The HND-ITM air trip is only a hassle. Making my way to HND, riding that crowded Tokyo Monorail, going through security, boarding, waiting for pushback, take off, only for what, less than 30 min in the air, only to land at ITM, taxi to gate, deplaning, collecting luggage, then taking transit to Osaka city center...ugh.

Shinkasen is more straightforward: board, off you go, fire up laptop, arrive at Shin-Osaka station.

I'd say the same for others like Tokyo-Kyoto, Tokyo-Nagoya, Tokyo-Sendai, or Kagoshima-Fukuoka; Shinkansen beats air travel hands down on such distances.

OTOH, on certain places where rail doesn't make sense (yet), I'd fly. For example, Tokyo to Kanazawa. Until the Shinkansen gets there, HND-KMQ is still my preferred route. Others like HND-CTS or HND-OKA, the only option is to fly.

Shinkansen First, then Thalys!
 

We've used a few of these HSTs at different times, and as others have pointed out, Japan's Shinkansens are best by far for space, comfort and convenience and reliability.

Only problem with the Shinkansens is that the fastest and most convenient Nozomis cannot be used by JR Pass holders - and there is no flexi-pass option. In some cases only the Nozomis have a through train option, Tokyo to Hiroshima for example.

The Thalys (the "Red Train") from Paris through Brussels to Aachen and Cologne was excellent for comfort, quiet and speed.

The German ICE trainis were generally very good. We rode from Cologne to Berlin at a fast 250kmh and hardly seemed to be moving. Travelling from Dresden to Brussels via FRA was more comfortable as there was no overcrowding. Language can be a big problem in Germany at intermediate stations as train configurations are sometimes reversed and we don't understand announcements!

Eurostar is fast and comfortable but feels a bit cramped. But what takes away from the Eurostar and made us say "never again" was baggage handling. Their security handling acts like an airline but offers no checked baggage. Passengers have to lift their heavy baggage onto high conveyor belts to be examined by security.

Have ridden TGV (both the duplex and Atlantique), Thalys, ICE and Acela (DC to NY). All are dependable and nice. I admit I like First Class Acela the best. Though it hardly reaches its high speed potential due to track conditions, it is the easiest way to get from downtown DC to NYC, is on time much more than the airlines or other trains), and getting an upgrade to First is very easy. The First Class car and service are good, as is, surprisingly, the food quite often.

Think KMQ will ever see LCC service?

For my first visit to Japan, I was in Kanazawa for a homestay program. We left from Tokyo station to Nagaoka, where we transferred to a Kanazawa-bound train. It seemed to take all day, and that was thirteen years ago; similar deal these days?

Even if LCC comes around, it'll be too little, too late to draw any big revenues because next year is when the Hokuriku Shinkansen sector opens up allowing us to go Tokyo-Kanazawa on the Shinkansen. YAY!!! ^^^^^^^

Currently the Hokuriku Shinkansen only goes up to Nagano, which was built in time for the Nagano Winter Olympics. Next year, the sector to Kanazawa opens up! Yay! ^

http://www.pref.ishikawa.jp/shink/ho...sen/about.html

Can't wait until next year so I can say goodbye to my HND-KMQ air travels. What a hassle!

When the Hokuriku Shinkansen sector opens up, it'll only be 2.5 hours from Tokyo to Kanazawa!

Punctuality wise, it's the Shinkansen then the AVE (both waaaaaaaaaaay above 99%). If I have to choose between a high-speed train (up to 3-4 hours) and a plane (same distance in ~1 hr), I'll choose the train assuming the price is comparable. The convenience can't be beat, and you have much more time to work on the train.

It's an upgraded corridor, there's only so much you can do with it. In some places (around NYC) it has little capacity to spare. What's needed is a new dedicated high-speed line. The demand is there.

The demand is there, unfortunately NIMBYs stall everything from getting anything done.

Just look at the CAHSR project - dead in the water before a shovel is put to ground, all the millions wasted in endless meetings and studies and appeasing to NIMBYs who just want the project killed.

On the related subject, Singapore and Malaysia planning to build HSR by 2020 and travel time between KL and Singapore should be no more than 90 minutes.

Absolutely. For the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Tokyo and Osaka, train beats plane. I totally agree, the frequency, convenience and reliability of the Shinkansen is first-rate. Alot better than dealing with the hassles of airport check-in and flight delays.

It doesn't help that the taxi driver often don't know how to get to the station from downtown as well as the lack of English (well, there are some English pronouncement on the train, but good luck trying to understand it).

Although, like one of the previous poster said, Shenzhen North and Guangzhou South (and probably Beijing West as well) are exceptions in that those stations are somewhat easier to get to as those are a bit closer to town, unlike the majority of other stations.

I rate it below Shinkansen (the best) and TGV, but I don't mind taking the CRH every now and then (given how chronic the flight delays are in China). I've sat enough on the CRH trains to get the hang of it, and it's not too bad once you figure out the "how-it-works" part. Yeah, the questionable "habits" and "manners" of some Chinese train travelers take getting used to, but the same applies to Chinese air travelers I guess.

"Let's see".... been discussed over and over for the last two decades...
This time there's more gov support though.

Coolest train of all is the Maglev in Shanghai (to the airport). At 430 KPH, it is the fastest train alive. And when they pass, it sounds like a gunshot (so beware).