[some_other_dave]

Originally Posted by GenKreton

I'm surprised at how bad cruise ships are since cargo ships are so efficient. I'm also surprised amtrack loses that badly to buses. Is there a specific reason?

My guess is that they are assuming a "typical number of passengers" in each case. And since each passenger (particularly on a cruise ship!) needs a lot of "extra" room--the cabins, the entertainment facilities, the extra staff required to deal with them, etc.--you wind up with lots of "wasted" space compared to cargo ships.

I assume something similar is going on with the passenger versus cargo trains.

-soD