Having ridden the French hi-speed rail (TVE), I would far rather take the train than have to deal with the airports and then get put in a cramped plane seat that is more like a cattle car. I have also sampled the trains in Italy, Spain, and England. There is next to no reason not to take the train for a 2 1/2 hour ride even if you got to fly first class. It probably will not save time and the train ride is much more pleasant. If I had nothing else to do, I would rather take a 10 or 12 hour train trip than fly unless I was the pilot in my own plane.