‘Train beats plane on key domestic routes’

New research commissioned by Rail Partners reveals how competition among train companies is delivering results across Britain and Europe

 
Campaign for Better Transport says that switching just a quarter of the domestic flights featured in its report to rail would save 171,377 tonnes of carbon

 
The majority of the most popular domestic and near Europe flights can be completed more quickly and cheaply by rail, a new report from Campaign for Better Transport has found.

Plane speaking: moving journeys from air to rail, compared the top 23 domestic and UK to Europe flights which all have a direct rail equivalent on cost, journey time and carbon emissions, and revealed that 70% were quicker or the same by rail once airport processing times were added to flight times. Furthermore, over half (57%) of routes were cheaper or no more expensive by rail.

Aviation makes a significant contribution to the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions. The government’s strategy for achieving net zero aviation hinges on technological advancements, which are unlikely to make a difference soon enough. But Campaign for Better Transport says that switching just a quarter of the domestic flights featured in the report to rail would save 171,377 tonnes of carbon: the equivalent of taking 117,900 cars off the road.

Traveling by rail within the UK and to the near continent is much more environmentally friendly than flying but also, as our report proves, in many cases cheaper, faster and more economically productive

Silviya Barrett, from Campaign for Better Transport, said: “Traveling by rail within the UK and to the near continent is much more environmentally friendly than flying but also, as our report proves, in many cases cheaper, faster and more economically productive. Yet people simply aren’t aware that this is the case. To help incentivise train travel more and reduce carbon emissions from transport, we need to see government policies which ensure rail is always the easier and cheaper option so that more people can choose the train over the plane.”

Norman Baker: Flights of fancy are fanning the flames

 
The full story appears inside the latest issue of Passenger Transport.

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The post ‘Train beats plane on key domestic routes’ first appeared on Passenger Transport.

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