Intercity rail travel in Australia is slightly faster and significantly more comfortable than a bus, at roughly the same price. Rail travel in the US somehow manages to be slower than Greyhound and more expensive than flying.

I usually avoid flying when equivalent land transport is available and will take less than 8 hours, since it seems like a waste of fuel, but trains are absolutely not exciting when you're sitting in a 40 year old carriage lumbering along uncambered track at the same speed as freight.