A new report from Greenpeace has revealed that train travel in Europe can cost up to 30 times more than flying, with the UK performing worse than average. Passengers pay four times as much for train journeys to and from the country compared to flights, according to the study of 112 routes between 27 major European cities.
The report highlights that on 70% of routes, flights are cheaper, with trains twice as expensive on average. On the Barcelona-London route, flights can be as cheap as £11.10, while rail fares are up to 30 times higher. Greenpeace estimates that shifting the 3.36 million annual flights between London and Barcelona to rail would save approximately 461,000 tons of greenhouse gases, equivalent to the annual emissions of all cars in Glasgow.
Greenpeace blames the price disparity on an “uneven regulatory playing field” that benefits low-cost airlines. Airlines pay no fuel tax or VAT and have received a reduction in Air Passenger Duty in the UK, while train operators face energy taxes, VAT, and high rail tolls. The report notes that countries with the most expensive train tickets relative to flights include the UK, Spain, Belgium, France, and Italy.
Despite some efficient rail routes like Amsterdam-London and London-Edinburgh, they remain among the most popular short-haul flight routes in Europe and are still cheaper by air. Only 23 of the 112 routes analysed had trains that were “almost always cheaper,” with just 12 meeting Greenpeace’s criteria for “great train routes,” including Berlin-Prague, Zurich-Vienna, and Madrid-Barcelona.
Dr Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s director of policy, said: “As millions of Brits head off on their European breaks – many to areas that are being scorched by this historic heatwave – the twisted economics of the transport industry means they are being encouraged to keep throwing fuel on the climate inferno.” He added that flying only appears cheap because the cost of pollution is low, and low-cost airlines pay negligible tax while imposing poor conditions on staff.
Consumer group Which? noted that swapping air for rail can still save money for larger groups, with a family of four saving nearly £100 on a sleeper train. However, solo travellers typically find flights cheaper. The report comes as new proposals could cut the window to buy discount rail fares from three months to just eight weeks, making it harder to plan affordable train travel.
