Flying within Europe still cheaper than train in most cases
Flying between European destinations remains cheaper than taking the train in more than half of cases, according to a new Greenpeace study published on Thursday. Belgium is among the worst performers, with 60 per cent of the routes examined being cheaper by plane than by train.
Greenpeace compared 109 international routes in 31 European countries and found that flights were cheaper in 54 per cent of cases. On domestic routes, trains were more competitive: in 70 per cent of the 33 routes studied, the train was the cheaper option. The starkest contrast was on the Barcelona–London route, where a train ticket cost 26 times more than a flight.
Train trends
Only 29 routes were always or almost always cheaper by train, mostly in Central and Eastern Europe, particularly the Baltic States and Poland.
For Belgium, only Brussels connections were considered. Trains to Hamburg, Zurich and Berlin are usually cheaper, but routes to Vienna, Bratislava, Madrid, Copenhagen and Budapest almost always cost more, as does the connection to Prague. The greatest difference was found on the Brussels–Madrid line, where the train is more than eleven times as expensive as flying.
Belgium ranks joint sixth worst, alongside Romania and Norway, with 60 per cent of routes more expensive by train. France (95 per cent), Spain (92 per cent), the United Kingdom (90 per cent), Italy (88 per cent) and Hungary (71 per cent) perform even worse, while Luxembourg (40 per cent) and the Netherlands (22 per cent) fare better. Lithuania leads the way, with all routes from Vilnius cheaper by train; in Poland, the figure is 89 per cent and in Slovenia, 80 per cent.
Despite aviation’s heavy climate impact, flying often remains the cheapest option. Greenpeace points out that aviation fuel is untaxed and international airfares are VAT-exempt, while rail operators must pay full VAT along with rising energy and infrastructure costs.
Signs of progress
There has, however, been some improvement compared to 2023: the number of routes where trains are cheapest has risen by 14 percentage points to 41 per cent, thanks to fewer ultra-cheap flight connections and slower growth in rail ticket prices.
Greenpeace is urging the EU and national governments to end aviation subsidies, simplify international train ticketing, and increase investment in public transport. The group also calls for the introduction of "climate tickets", affordable, simple passes valid across all public transport in a country or region.
"Any route where flying is cheaper than the train is a political failure," concludes Joeri Thijs of Greenpeace Belgium. "In the coalition agreement, the Arizona government promises to focus on 'more and better European train connections' and 'healthy price competition on international routes.' It's high time to make this concrete: train travel must become the cheapest and easiest option, not the last resort."
© PHOTO IMAGEBROKER
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