Travelling by Train

Travel is extremely important nowadays. Two hundred years ago most people never traveled further than a few kilometres. Whenever they traveled they walked, or went by carriage, or on horseback. But in the last quarter of the twentieth century people traveled a lot. Many people travel 50 or 100 kilometres daily by public transport, or private car. Millions of people travel long distances abroad on business trips or for holidays every year. Even a housewife who is going shopping may travel twenty kilometres.

For most people speed is a very important factor when they are traveling. They want to reach their destination as quickly as possible. There are now planes that can cross the Atlantic in just over three hours.

Other people prefer comfort to speed. They like to relax during the journey and enjoy themselves as much as possible.

For almost everyone safety is the most important factor. For example, a lot of people never fly because they believe it is dangerous. In fact, it is probably much more dangerous to travel by car or to walk across a street.

Modern life is impossible without traveling. Thousands of people travel every day either on business or for pleasure. They can travel by air, by rail, by sea, or by road.

Of course, traveling by air is the fastest and the most convenient way, but it is the most expensive too. Traveling by train is slower than by plane, but it has its advantages. You can see much more interesting places of the country you are traveling through. Modern trains have very comfortable seats in all passenger carriages. There are also sleeping cars and dining cars, which make even the longest journey enjoyable. Speed, comfort and safety are the main advantages of trains and planes. That is why many people prefer them to all other means. With a train you have speed, comfort and safety combined.

From the comfortable corner seat of a railway carriage you have a splendid view of the whole countryside. If you are hungry, you can have a meal in the dining-car; and if the journey is a long one you can have a wonderful bed in a sleeper. Besides, do you know any place that is more interesting than a big railway-station? There is the movement, the excitement, the gaiety of people going away or waiting to meet friends. You can see a lot of notices: Entrance and Exit, or perhaps Way In and Way Out, Arrivals and Departures, Refreshment Room and Waiting Room, Left-Luggage Office and so on. There are the shouts of the porters as they pull luggage along the platforms to the waiting trains, the crowds at the booking-office getting tickets, the hungry and thirsty ones hurrying to the refreshment rooms, before the train starts. At bookstalls the passengers choose books, magazines or newspapers to while away the time during the journey.

But sometimes service leaves much to be desired. You have to queue up for your tickets. Travelling for long distances is very tiresome even boring, especially if your fellow-passengers are unsociable or boring people.

So, people choose means of travel according to their plans and destinations.

Suppose you travel by train. On arriving to the station you manage your way through the crowd and get out on to the platform. There are many tracks and trains there. But if you are helped by the porter there is no need for you to look round and read all the signs which tell you what train you must take. You follow your porter and here you are – Car № 6, train 52.

You show your ticket to the guard, standing at the carriage entrance. You find your compartment and arrange the luggage on the rack. Soon the train slowly pulls out. You stand at the window waving a farewell to our friends who came to see you off.

You are on your way. You start up a conversation with your fellow-passengers (people take to each other quickly when traveling), and soon you get to know who and what. Now when the excitement of the day is over you begin to feel hungry and go to the dining-car or order meal when the attendant comes along.

After a hearty meal you feel tired. You get into your upper berth and begin to absorb the beauty of the changing scenes that fly past you.

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