Trains often have a poor reputation but they remain a practical and efficient way to travel. When they work – on time and not over-crowded – train travel can be a delight. As an alternative to a flight or a long car journey, trains can be infinitely more pleasurable. Of course, when they are late or over-full it’s a different story. On the plus side, trains have a much lower carbon footprint than planes and cars, so well organised train travel clearly has a place in our low-carbon future.
Trains often seem expensive, and not just in the UK. However, this is not always the case, so if you’re planning on travelling to Europe in the next few months it’s worth investigating rail options as well as flights.
Try and take a balanced view about train travel
We are very sensitive to the price of train tickets. All the more so because we are used to cheap flights to many European destinations. So we feel even more indignant when, having bought a rail ticket, the train is overcrowded, lacks proper refreshments, and is running late. To take a balanced view, though, airports are not always so great either. They can be busy, the shops and cafés are expensive, and delayed flights can cause chaos.
So, how are we to make informed choices about whether to fly or go by train? This article looks at some of the key considerations.
Price comparisons for train travel and planes
The first thing to point out is that price comparisons can be difficult to interpret. They depend on context and the purpose for which they employed. So, although I hope to demonstrate that trains represent good value, each comparison is only as good as the specific enquiry to which it is attached. Add to that the fluid nature of pricing for flights, and the examples here can be indicative only – but they do a tell a useful story. These prices are based on an enquiry made in mid November 2024, ie planning ahead and not last minute.
Paris and Barcelona – train or plane?
Take these two destinations and pick a date. For Paris that’s mid-March 2025 for 7 nights, and for Barcelona, the same 14th March departure date, for 14 nights.
For Eurostar going to Paris departing from St Pancras Station in London, a single return seat will be £83. A flight with EasyJet from Gatwick on the same days will be from £77.91. These are comparable, so the final cost will probably be based on how far you need to travel to get to your departure point, and then your hotel at the other end. Remember that trains usually go to city centres, whereas airports usually require a longer transfer but are frequently served by inexpensive urban rail networks.
Barcelona presents a few more options. First, flying by EasyJet from Gatwick (other carriers are available) a 14 night return flight will cost £89.98. By train, regular (2nd class) tickets will cost £140 , and 1st Class £186. The outbound rail journey could be completed in 10 hours, and the return in 17 hours. Flying wins here, by quite a long way. However, price might not be your only consideration.
Carbon footprint
Trains are significantly more environmentally friendly than most other forms of long distance transport. Their carbon footprint is much smaller than that of aeroplanes. And provided the electricity they run on is generated from sustainable sources, other harmful bi-products are likewise very limited in comparison.
Train travel can offer up to 96.5% fewer CO2 emissions per passenger-kilometre than flying. According to the UK government, and measuring CO2 equivalents (“CO2eq”, to include non-CO2 greenhouse gases) electric trains in the UK (their continental counterparts will be similar) produce about 35g of CO2 eq per kilometre. Eurostar produces 4g per kilometre. For flights, the figures for domestic, short haul (eg Gatwick to Paris or Barcelona) and long haul are 246g, 151g, and 148g respectively. While technical specifications for motors and engines will vary, the balance is clearly in favour of trains. Deciding on your mode of transport, however, may not be that simple, especially if you have a long way to go and are short of time.
Train Travel changes the type of holiday you have
Available time and how you use it is probably as important as price when deciding whether to travel by train or plane. For some journeys the train seems obviously better, but it might depend of how many people are with you. For example, one person can go by train from Edinburgh to London in little more than four hours for the cost of a tank of petrol and in less than half the time it might take to drive. However, the cost balance switches back to the car once the number of people increases.
But for holidays, train travel takes on a different dimension. Where planes get you from A to B, trains can take you via points C, D and E along the way. In fact – and this is the important bit – the train journey becomes part of the holiday itself, and not just transport stuck on at the beginning and end.
So if we take Barcelona in March 2025, the standard rail fare was going to start at £140. That’s for a straight-through journey. If we broaden our horizons and consider a Euro Rail pass or Interrail ticket, then a pass which allows for 4 days of travelling within the holiday starts at £170. While this is obviously more expensive than flying, it means you can journey though France and Spain on your own itinerary. There are limitations, the chief or which is that seats won’t be bookable on all routes, so you’ll need to check availability and turn up early – but that’s part of the appeal of travelling in the (relatively) slow lane.
Train or Plane – what sort of traveller will you be on your next holiday?
Choosing how you travel is very personal. For cost, convenience and speed, planes often win. However, for sustainability and a more varied style of holiday, the argument in favour of trains can be compelling. Importantly, any price difference when compared with planes is often misunderstood. A long train journey is a substantial part of the holiday, so the comparison is not like for like. And if you enjoy a slightly gentler approach, why not get to know somewhere other than an airport? So, next time you plan a trip abroad, why not check out the trains, if only to see what you might be missing?
By Declan Morton, writer and editor at Essiell Ltd and Money4Travel.
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For reference: Train vs Plane, Flightright, 16th August 2024 ; Our World in Data: Which form of transport has the smallest carbon footprint? (2023) ;
