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Originally Posted by shun  My reply: I am afraid this is not realistic. As the late grammarian Otto Jespersen pointed out, the earth is rotating around the sun, but we say only "The earth rotates around the sun". He sensed there must be some reason to use Present Progressive. He theorized Present Progressive is used because of a contrast with other tenses. I have accepted this theory and applies it also to all kinds of tenses. I have furthered that tenses are used to tell the time relations between actions. On one-sentence basis such as your example "I go to work by train", you cannot explain any tense.
As I am living in Hong Kong, I can say I live in Hong Kong, "while in Hong Kong".
If someone asks you why you are on the train, you may of course tell him "I go to work by train", while on the train.
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I'm afraid you've misunderstood me.
I said you would not expect to say "I go to work by train" while on the train.
By this I mean, you would expect to say "I go to work by train" at a party, or when answering a questionnaire; but on the whole, people don't ask you how you get to work when you're sitting on a train.
(Trust me. I've gone to work by train very nearly since the age of steam. No one has ever asked me such a question.)
MrP