Compare train and flight costs.
Rail beats short-haul flying more often than the fares suggest, because a flight's advertised price and its advertised duration both understate the real journey. Bags, seat selection and priority boarding are routinely a third of a budget fare, and the door-to-door time includes getting to an out-of-town airport, security, boarding and a transfer at the far end — commonly three hours of overhead against a train's twenty minutes. On a 400 mile route that overhead frequently eliminates the flight's speed advantage entirely. This calculator prices both on the same basis: total cash outlay plus door-to-door time valued at your own rate.
Train vs Flight Cost
Train all-in = fare + door-to-door hours x value of time; flight all-in = fare + bag and seat fees + door-to-door hours x value of time
Typically beyond 500-600 miles, where the flight's cruise speed finally outweighs three hours of airport overhead. Below 300 miles rail usually wins on door-to-door time alone.
Airport access, bag fees, security queues and the transfer at the destination. Together they routinely add two to three hours and 30-50% to a headline fare.