THE BENEFITS OF TRAVELLING BY TRAIN: SEE MORE, SAVE MORE CO2!

Topic	Air Travel vs Train Travel
Read Time	5 Minutes
Author	Paul Tavener, Owner Marvellous Escapes

THE BENEFITS OF TRAVELLING BY TRAIN ON YOUR EUROPEAN HOLIDAYS

Travelling by rail is a wonderful way to explore the local sites comfortably and luxuriously. There are many benefits of travelling by train around Europe including comfortable seats with scenic window views of the rolling countryside outside, on-board sleeping quarters for overnight travel and your own private bathroom if you choose to book a cabin for your journey. 

When we examine air travel vs train travel, we’re mostly talking about the comfort and ease of the journey, ultimately finding more benefits of travelling by train. Plus, that’s not even taking into consideration the CO2 emissions of trains vs planes which we will touch upon more later in this blog.

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF AIR TRAVEL VS TRAIN TRAVEL

One of the biggest advantages of deciding to travel by train is the benefit to the environment that it has. While it is common knowledge that trains have less of a damaging environmental impact than planes, it’s not widely understood how much they differ and how much you could be helping the planet by being more conscious of your transportation methods. 

This is not saying you need to give up travel altogether, but by opting for an alternative method of travel you could be saving more emissions whilst also seeing more of your desired destinations along the way as well. 

A DEEPER LOOK AT CO2 EMISSIONS: TRAIN VS PLANE

We are hugely passionate about sustainable transport methods which was what led us to begin this research. The main purpose of this project is to display the positive impact that opting for train tours can have on the environment. In our data, we compared the two forms of travel detailing the time it takes, the distance which is covered and the CO2 emissions of trains vs planes.

THIS CO2 EMISSIONS TRAIN VS PLANE DATA WAS CALCULATED USING THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES:

• A one-way trip for both modes of transport 
• Only calculating 1 passenger’s CO2 emissions for train vs plane
• All trips departed after 6 am
• The flight’s distance was calculated as the crow flies from Heathrow airport to the closest commercial airport for the city using data from Distance.to. Whereas the train distance was calculated using the entire track route travelled
• The fastest route was selected for this data (alternative routes and times can differ depending on seasonality, transfer times and environmental factors such as seasonal winds or storms)
• Layover times are included in the total time travelled for air travel vs train travel

Below are some of our most popular European rail tours from London and their alternative plane routes detailing the CO2 emissions for train vs plane. The below data collected from our team looks at CO2 emissions released when a person opts to travel on a train or plane from London to Europe. 

On average, we found that travelling by train within Europe saves around 85.85% of CO2 emissions compared to flying. 

In this study, it was found that Brussels emerged as the most environmentally friendly destination in Europe to travel to from London by train, seeing a staggering 87.35% difference in the CO2 emissions released from train travel vs air travel. Whilst Madrid came out as the weakest destination seeing 80.39% kg of CO2e saved by travellers opting for a train journey. Even still, a more than 80% saving is nothing to be sniffed at!  

Travel routes and mileage covered to reach a specific destination can alter the total CO2 emissions released by each transport option. Based on the data we found when travelling from London, Budapest was the top European train destination for the total amount of CO2 emissions saved. When comparing it to its air travel alternative, a total of 320 kg of CO2e is saved per trip. 

Vienna was a close second reaching a height of 278 kg of CO2e saved via train travel. Whilst, Amsterdam came bottom with a total of 72 kg of CO2 emissions saved per train trip. 

DATA COLLECTED FROM:

• Rail distance and times taken from Rail Europe 
• Travel Emissions calculated using Go Climate 

OPTING FOR RAIL TRAVEL

Choosing train travel not only reduces individual carbon footprints but also supports broader sustainable tourism initiatives. With city centres often directly accessible by rail, train travel minimises the need for additional transportation, further reducing environmental impact.

Rail holidays offer convenience and efficiency that cut down the transit methods required for travel, but are also a more comfortable and scenic option for exploring the continent. 

You can tailor-make your rail journey to discover as many destinations as you want, making train travel not only greener but also a potentially more pleasant and practical choice. With on-board dining, sleeping facilities and route selection, you can design a bespoke train journey that suits you.

Ready to book your European rail from London? Get in touch with our travel specialists today.