there is a big traffic jam from Krakow to Zakopane
Bus is faster even in traffic jam conditions, trains are just terribly slow on this route. The tracks condition is not good, the railway line winds much and the train has to change the direction a few times, which in case of long-distance trains means waiting until the locomotive will be transported to the other end of the train.
By train it takes 3-4 hours, while by bus - around 2 hours. Even if it will be 3 hours because of a traffic jam, it will be worth that.
I can recommend a train only in three cases:
- you are a fan of trains
- it's better for you to take a train for health reasons (motion sickness)
- you are going on a night long-distance train