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It might be true on mainland Europe but it's still quicker and easier to fly from over here, especially from up north. It's 3hrs on the train just to get out of the country if everything runs smoothly and then you aren't guaranteed a seat due to season ticket holders hogging the seats reserving them day in day out. at least on a plane you get a seat and most of Europe is reachable in under 4 hrs. Either that or I'll drive, be in control of my journey and have better access to anywhere I want to go, when I want and not be at the mercy of train routes and timetables. I get superb mileage out of the car on a long steady run, knocking on 70mpg if i'm not too heavy on the throttle. I get over 700miles on a £50 tank of diesel. Throw in a cheap ferry crossing in the middle of the night and I can be midway through France for around £100.
Think it depends what suits your budget and lifestyle. Public transport only really works if you commute into major cities but if you want to travel the rest of the country, you could waste literally years of your life waiting for connections and walking from station to station just to get from A to B on trips you can do in a fraction of the tiime in a car. I've just driven home from work in 25 mins. Wouldn't have even set off towards home on public transport in that time since its a 30 min walk to the train station and then wait for the train to start a 2 train plus a bus journey home which usually runs to just over 2 hrs.