Why taking the train is the best option

Plane VS train

Flying from one destination to another in Europe can be quite cheap nowadays, with prices sometimes starting as low as €30 one way. Great deal right?! However, the planet pays the price for these cheap tickets... and it's not looking good.

Flying emits on average 6 times more greenhouse gases than a high speed train. Short flights especially, are big polluters. Considering that European capitals are quite close to each other, there are a lot of shorter flights within Europe. Taking the train on these short routes, instead of flying, can really help in reducing the emissions of airplanes.

Car VS train

Renting a car is also something that people like to do, to drive to their next destination. However, unless you're planning to hire a fully electric car, this is a lot more damaging than taking the train.

Besides it emitting more CO2, cars are the biggest contributers to summer smog (Nitrogen oxides and nonmethane hydrocarbons). Driving is also more tiring and it often takes longer than the train, especially if you get stuck in traffic.  

Where did we get this data from?

The amounts of emitted greenhouse gases were obtained by using the calculator of EcoPassenger. We used the following settings for our search queries:

• Middle class car, conventional gasoline and 2 passengers in the car
• Average load factor for train and flight and CO2-emissions with climate factor
• National production mix

Of course you're welcome to try other search queries with different settings. Compare the emissions from trains with your own car, for example! You'll see that there will be big differences per route and between emissions for trains, cars and planes. 

How the European railways boost the economy

Railway transport is not only a core means of passenger and freight transport but also has extensive impacts on the EU economy. 

The EU railway sector, so including both train operation and railway infrastructure management, directly employs 1.06 million people and directly generates € 66 billion in gross value added. Its direct contribution to EU GDP is higher than that of air or water transport.