Europe’s push for train travel but questions why it is often complicated and costly.
How flights are much cheaper than train tickets in Europe, making it difficult for people who want to travel sustainably. It raises the question of why this discrepancy exists.
Tess Longfield planned a sustainable family holiday to Brittany, intending to travel by train. She easily bought Eurostar tickets but struggled with booking the internal French rail tickets, which weren’t available until closer to the trip. When the tickets sold out immediately, she had to cancel her train plans and book a flight instead.
Tess Longfield, focused on sustainable travel, planned a family holiday to Brittany with train travel in mind. She easily booked Eurostar tickets but struggled with the internal French train tickets, which sold out immediately when available. This forced her to cancel her train plans and fly instead, feeling embarrassed about abandoning her sustainable travel goal. Similarly, sustainability consultant Jo Geneen, who regularly travels across Europe by train, also feels frustrated by the challenges of train travel compared to the easier, less sustainable option of flying.
Jo Geneen faced frustration when booking a non-refundable, more expensive train ticket to Hamburg, only to cancel it and choose a cheaper, flexible flight instead. She expressed the difficulty of making sustainable travel choices when flights are significantly cheaper, making it hard for consumers to do the right thing.
Despite the challenges, train travel in Europe is growing. Night train routes are expanding, and demand for flight-free train itineraries increased by 25% from 2022 to 2023. Governments are also prioritizing rail, with France banning short-haul flights if a rail alternative is available within 2.5 hours, and Spain considering a similar ban as part of its 2050 climate plan. People are eager to travel by train, despite higher costs and occasional inconveniences.
Despite the growing interest in train travel, high prices and complex booking systems remain barriers to sustainable travel in Europe. Justin Francis, CEO of Responsible Travel, highlights several issues: the lack of aviation fuel taxes, which makes flying cheaper, and the need for better-connected, more efficient train routes. He also points out that restrictions on booking train tickets more than 180 days in advance hinder travel planning, and that EU regulations require tour operators to refund customers for train delays, unlike airlines, further discouraging rail travel.
For travelers, booking a train-based holiday is often less seamless, with longer waits for connections, higher costs, and the need for self-booking. Tour operators face difficulties in booking train travel, reducing the chances of group rates or discounts. In response, the EU launched an Action Plan to improve the sustainability, efficiency, and connectivity of rail travel. While this is a step toward better rail networks, the lack of taxation reform to level prices between trains and flights may limit the plan’s effectiveness.
If you want to travel by train, Byway is a UK travel agent that specializes in 100% flight-free trips across Europe. Using its custom JourneyAI program, it plans the best routes, handling logistical challenges like different currencies, languages, and timetables. Customers also have access to a WhatsApp support number for delays or reroutes. According to concierge James Hill, if time and money weren’t factors, everyone would prefer to travel by train in Europe.
Christine Pedersen of Busbud explains that ground transportation is the last area of travel to be digitized, but there is a growing demand for alternatives to flying. Train and bus travel offer a more relaxed experience, with the ability to enjoy the journey, move around, and avoid the hassles of long check-ins and security lines. However, Justin Francis argues that significant changes are needed for train travel to compete with air travel, stressing the need for a level playing field and addressing fundamental issues before rail can truly replace air travel.
Byway highlights the joys of train travel that planes can’t offer, such as slow travel, scenic views from restaurant cars, and the charm of Italy’s diverse train options, from regional routes through vineyards to modern high-speed and sleeper trains. They also advocate for addressing the price disparity between trains and flights, suggesting levies on frequent flyers and flight taxes. Similarly, Busbud aims to simplify flight-free travel by offering a platform to book buses, coaches, and trains across the US, Canada, and Europe, reducing the hassle of coordinating multiple operators.
In conclusion, the growing interest in sustainable, flight-free travel across Europe, with train travel being a key alternative. Despite this demand, challenges such as high prices, complicated booking systems, and inefficient rail networks continue to make train travel less accessible and competitive compared to flying. While companies like Byway and Busbud are working to simplify and promote flight-free travel experiences, industry experts argue that significant changes—such as better integration of train routes, fairer pricing, and addressing taxation issues—are essential for rail to become a viable and popular alternative to air travel. Without these reforms, the shift toward sustainable rail travel may remain limited.
