Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-4141313-20181215021300/@comment-4010415-20181224051754

73.Anon.52 wrote:

that's actually what I meant though, straight north to that inlet then to the NW along the mountain range, it's not how the Qrow flies maybe, but it's hardly the long way. Compared to flying directly across Lake Matsu, though... Flying straight across the lake would be a much shorter route, but it would also be risky, due to things like Lancers and gravity Dust.

Going up and around the curve of the land isn't a particularly massive journey, but it's still a bit of a journey.

And like DAWP proposed, the Argus Limited may take a path that winds through a mountain range to cut down on issues with the Grimm. With the steep mountainsides, they really only have to worry about flying Grimm, and even then, there are long tunnels straight through parts of some of the mountains, which can provide any Huntsmen aboard time to strategize and prepare if the Grimm decide to continue their pursuit on the other side of the tunnel.

It may not be the quickest way to get from A to B, but if a winding path through a mountain range and through mountains themselves helps keep the train safe from Grimm, of course they would do it that way.