5 reasons why we should take the train instead of the plane for business travel

As I sit watching the rain batter against my window, I’m reminiscing about how I was in the Spanish sunshine just a couple of weeks ago. I travelled to Valencia for the ECAC/EU Dialogue on sustainable flying – and in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint, I took the train.

Of course, getting to Valencia by train isn’t as straightforward as reaching destinations like Brussels or Paris, but it was a great experience. So I’ve put together my top five reasons why we should take the train instead of a flight for short-haul business trips into Europe.

1. The obvious one – fewer emissions

TravelSmart launches its Rail First for Business campaign today. Travel Smart is a global campaign aiming to reduce corporate air travel emissions by 50% or more from 2019 levels by 2025 or sooner.

Companies have a unique opportunity to lead the campaign to reduce aviation emissions. TravelSmart estimates that business travellers make up some 12% of passengers, but they also account for up to 75% of revenues on certain flights, so their choices have important leverage on the aviation industry.

Its latest campaign finds that traveling by rail over plane on some common routes, like London to Amsterdam, will reduce an employee’s carbon footprint by a staggering 93%.

I’m in a unique position in that I could spare the time for the travel, and a more senior employee may not have the time, but the reduction in emissions is so worth it. Here’s a table of information for a round trip from London to Valencia.

In the above table, calculations from the train operators, CO2 Connect and EcoPassenger were used. See here for more info on the non-CO2 aviation emission multiplier.

2. Better sightseeing and culture

I got to see the (very top of the) Eiffel Tower, swerve through the Pyrenees and see the Hemisfèric of Valencia – all in the space of three days. These are all such different places, and it felt odd to see them all without getting on a plane. I believe that travelling is a privilege and allows me to understand different cultures – European Café culture being one of my favourites!

Additionally, while I didn’t have time to visit a museum, my travels prompted me to do some research. Did you know the Pyrenees are older than the Alps, that Barcelona has 68 parks, or that the world’s first psychiatric hospital in the world was founded in 1410 in Valencia? These are things I wouldn’t have seen or learned about if I took a plane.

Just a few of the views from my train journey.

3. Save time and money travelling into the city centre

If we compare short-haul travel times, flights are of course shorter. However, when you account for travelling outside of city centres into airports, security and immigration, it all adds extra time.

When you get the train, you don’t have to worry about an expensive cab or long train to the city centre as you’re already there! See below for a comparison of duration between flight and train for a few example routes:

For all these journeys, once you factor in the time getting to and from airports, security and immigration, the flight and train time could work out very similar.

4. Trains offer comfortable travel conditions

Have a look at my video below, which shows the conditions during some of my journey. On the train, I had so much leg space, there was no turbulence, I had good Wi-Fi and a really comfy seat, and a great cabin on the sleeper train. It’s a great alternative for those who are scared of flying, and planes dry out your skin. (“At 30,000 feet, humidity in an aircraft cabin drops to around 20%, while the humidity our skin feels comfortable in should be around 40-70%, says aesthetician Shane Cooper.)

5. Improve your image

Lastly, train travel is a great icebreaker and a nice segway into networking! I told some delegates at the conference that I travelled there by train and they wanted to find out more.

It can also demonstrate that your organisation is making small changes to reduce emissions, and can make your organisation look ambitious, like these (as highlighted by TravelPerk):

And finally… three points to make short-haul train travel easier

1. Make sure you follow Travel Smart campaign and use these five steps to motivate you to take the train…

2. Not sure how much time difference it will make to travel by train? Visit TravelTime and use some of their handy tools.

3. A massive shoutout to The Man in Seat Sixty-One – without his amazing website, I would not have been able to plan my journey. He has advice and guidance on booking trains to and from just about anywhere.

To find out more about TravelSmart’s latest campaign visit Rail First for Business.