Best intercity transport: bus or train?

[buritobr]

For the ones who don't have a car and don't want to pay for an airplane ticket, which is the best way to travel to other cities: bus or train?

Advantages of the train:
Safer
More comfortable
Predictable time, not affected by traffic jam

Advantages of the bus:
Low economy of scale (trains are profitable only if the number of passengers is enough)
More choices of time. Each train carriage has the size of a bus. A train with six carriage is like six buses. One train can departure only on a certain time. Six buses can departure on six different times.

[136or142]

For the ones who don't have a car and don't want to pay for an airplane ticket, which is the best way to travel to other cities: bus or train?

Advantages of the train:
Safer
More comfortable
Predictable time, not affected by traffic jam

Advantages of the bus:
Low economy of scale (trains are profitable only if the number of passengers is enough)
More choices of time. Each train carriage has the size of a bus. A train with six carriage is like six buses. One train can departure only on a certain time. Six buses can departure on six different times.

Another advantage of the train, if it matters to you: trains are faster, so it's not just predictable time.

However, as you hinted at in your advantages of the bus, trains only go to certain areas while there are buses probably to all major and medium size cities with feeder buses going out from there.

[Santander]

I love intercity trains. I don't know anyone who likes intercity buses, but they're not nearly as awful as they used to be.

[Ebsy]

I occasionally ride the Lincoln Service between St. Louis and Chicago, and it really is so much better than driving the same distance.

[Ban my account ffs!]

Amtrak is a neglected, underfunded, under maintained disgrace.  And it's as expensive as flying.

In the US you should avoid long distance train travel outside the NE corridor.  You might be days late if you take the train.

[The Dowager Mod]

I used to take Amtrak's Texas Eagle between Chicago and Ft Worth a few times a year, Never had a complaint, Except when getting stuck behind a slow freight that had priority.
When I was much younger I took Greyhound from Ft Lewis WA to Dallas TX, not fun.

[Mr. Smith]

WI: Ferry

Admittedly this isn't an option for landlocked folks not nearby big rivers, but this is easily cooler than buses or trains.

[buritobr]

Maybe, the declining costs of the air travel is making the trains less important.

[ag]

There is no such thing as "best" intercity transport: the question is too generally posed. The right answer is that under some circusmstances and for certain purposes trains could be better than buses; in other cases and for other purposes buses could be better than trains; and in still other cases reasonable people could disagree: it would be a matter of subjective preference.

[Hatman 🍁]

Trains are much more enjoyable. However, they are more expensive. So, just like any choice with life, it comes down to cost vs. comfort.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Train (normal/sane).

Buses are the worst form of public transportation. Still better than cars of course, but that's a low bar.