If given a choice, which of the following options would be most prudent for you and your current situation when taking a medium- or long-distance trip?

🚗 Driving (23%) – "Even if we introduce the medium to long range trains, most cities have no real public transportation setup. Arriving to someplace I can drive to without a car means I still need to arrange a way around. It may be ok in major cities, but not anywhere you want to go outside of urban areas. For very long range (places I would fly today) I could see rail being an option."

• "Once you get to your destination, don't you need transportation? Miami to Orlando by car is about $27 in gas (one way). A family of 4 makes the trip for $27 and it only takes 30 more minutes. And you have a means to move around in Orlando. Take the one-way train and that family of 4 costs $316. A bus costs about $100. A cheap airline: $316. By taking my car, I can enjoy the journey and have more dollars in my pocket."

🚄 High-speed rail (43%) – "I believe that travelling via high speed rail is more affordable for a plethora of people. I also believe that using this kind of public transportation more often could decrease the amount of air pollution that comes from everyone driving their own personal vehicles. Not only that, but a train ride could be a good time to get work done, relax with a view, or maybe take a well-needed nap."

• "I have traveled extensively in Europe, and the convenience and flexibility of train travel is fantastic. It is nice to be able to sit back and read a book or chat with your friends while having a meal, instead of white-knuckling it through traffic. With rising gas prices, it makes sense to pay for a train ticket instead of refilling your gas tank."

"Living in Europe, we take the train vs driving. But taking the train is cheaper for our family of 4 than driving is. In the US with the costs of plane tickets and gas, it would be cheaper to drive. If the industry really wants to compete it’s going to have to level the playing field by bringing prices down."

• "I would love to see high-speed rail available everywhere it's feasible. Trains are more cost-effective, safer, and in many cases, quicker door to door than trying to fly. If we can have high-speed (mag-lev or similar tech) trains consistently going between regional destinations or major cities, we can get millions of cars off the road. It's past time to get off the old tracks and bring our rail transportation into the 21st century."

✈️ Airplane (22%) – "Even with the cost of plane tickets, it's worth it to fly and get where I'm going quickly, especially when traveling with 2 young children. Statistically, planes are the safest method of travel and I'm a fan of getting to our destination the fastest so we can minimize time taken off school/daycare/work and maximize time spent actually doing the things we've planned like relaxing or visiting family. Any train or rail system would have to provide pretty cheap tickets for me to consider the time tradeoff, even for work purposes."

• "Rail is a foolish substitute for auto or air. Communities that lock themselves into rail/light rail are prevailing upon the taxpayers to unwillingly pay for a seldom-used transportation “solution.” The vast majority of the USA is not the big cities (New York, Chicago, etc.) and must not be forced to becom 15-minute cities."

🤷 Unsure/other (12%) – "While I think having high speed trains would be cool, those tracks would likely be built through small farmers’ and ranchers’ lands (such as my grandparents), making it even harder for them to survive. It would be a bit better if riding a train didn’t cost quite as much, so that more people had access to it. With the costs for tickets that are being predicted right now, it only gives access to single, environmentally conscious, fairly well -off single people, or upper-middle to upper class families. It’s not a good option for those people who can’t even afford car payments."