The first Barcelona-Lyon train, operated by Renfe Operadora SC, at Lyon Part-Dieu railway station. Bloomberg
The first Barcelona-Lyon train, operated by Renfe Operadora SC, at Lyon Part-Dieu railway station. Bloomberg
The first Barcelona-Lyon train, operated by Renfe Operadora SC, at Lyon Part-Dieu railway station. Bloomberg
The first Barcelona-Lyon train, operated by Renfe Operadora SC, at Lyon Part-Dieu railway station. Bloomberg

Train travel in Europe 'four times more expensive than flying'


Soraya Ebrahimi
  • English
  • Arabic

The cost of travelling by train around Europe is four times more expensive on average than flying, according to Greenpeace.

The price differences stem from an uneven regulatory playing field at the expense of the climate and workers’ rights, the environmental group said.

Greenpeace compared ticket prices on more than 100 routes between major cities in European countries including the UK.

Many rail journeys on the continent were found to be twice as expensive as flying, despite there being direct routes between cities.

Flying was cheaper on all of the 12 routes from the UK that the team looked at, including between London and Edinburgh.

Travelling to Barcelona from London by train was found to be 10 times more expensive on average than flying, and up to 30 times more expensive if booked at the last minute – the biggest price difference in the analysis.

Greenpeace said travelling by train creates five times less pollution than flying, but on 79 of the 112 routes they looked at between 27 European countries, flying was cheaper.

“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," Dr Doug Parr, Greenpeace UK’s director of policy, said.

“Flying only looks like a bargain because the cost of pollution is so cheap. Low-cost airlines are paying negligible tax while imposing low wages and poor conditions on staff.”

Top 20 airlines in the world in 2023 - in pictures

Greenpeace called the UK’s 12 routes the “dirty dozen” and said train journeys cannot compete when a ticket to Barcelona from London costs as little as €12.99 ($14.53).

Swapping the 3.36 million annual flights on this route for train journeys would save approximately 461,000 tons (about 418,000 tonnes) of greenhouse gases, the group said.

They also said 3.4 million passengers fly between London and Edinburgh every year despite there being dozens of train connections every day.

Greenpeace wants the government to ban short-haul flights where there are viable rail alternatives, end subsidies for airlines and airports, phase out tax exemptions for kerosene and introduce a frequent flyer levy.

It is also calling for the introduction of “climate tickets”, which would allow travel on low-carbon forms of public transport in a country or region.

A separate analysis by the clean transport campaign group Transport and Environment recently found that the UK was missing out on £4.7 billion ($6.06 billion) in tax that it could be taking from the aviation sector.

“We’re committed to decarbonising air travel without the need to limit demand," a government spokesperson said.

“Our Jet Zero Strategy sets out our approach for net zero aviation by 2050, and recent reforms to air passenger tax means those who fly furthest, and have the greatest impact on emissions, incur a greater cost.”

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 630bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh810,000

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Canada

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Saudi Arabia

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South Korea

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THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic

Power: 169bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Price: Dh54,500

On sale: now

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


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Haemoglobin disorders explained

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

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Ahmed Raza

UAE cricket captain

Age: 31

Born: Sharjah

Role: Left-arm spinner

One-day internationals: 31 matches, 35 wickets, average 31.4, economy rate 3.95

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter

1. Dubai silk road

2.  A geo-economic map for Dubai

3. First virtual commercial city

4. A central education file for every citizen

5. A doctor to every citizen

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7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes

8. Co-operative companies in various sectors

­9: Annual growth in philanthropy

The Cairo Statement

 1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations

2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred

3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC  

4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.

5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.

6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security

Updated: July 19, 2023, 11:01 PM`