In
our latest feature, Peter Yeung explores a new generation of sleeper
cars and short-haul routes that are helping
European railways compete against discount
airlines.
In the 1920s and 30s,
long-distance train rides were the norm across
Europe, according to Mark Smith, also known as
the Man in Seat 61. The luxurious
Orient Express, gliding its way along a
picturesque route from London to Istanbul, is just
one example of how journeys by rail were “both
pleasurable and practical,” he says.
But
with the emergence of low-cost, short-haul
flights, that all began to change. Since 1950,
global air traffic has increased
300-fold and, until the pandemic, aviation
was one of the world’s fastest growing sources of
CO2 emissions.
“At
some point, it became completely normal to fly to
a different country just for the weekend,” says
Smith, whose legendary website has grown since
2001 to become the leading resource for train
travel across the world. “But that’s beginning to
change and people are realising that it’s not so
normal.”
As
the reality of climate change becomes ever more
stark and the simple comfort and ease of rail
travel becomes more attractive, there is growing
evidence that citizens, companies and governments
in Europe are getting on board with trains as a
better way to travel.
In
April, the French government voted to
ban short-haul domestic flights where alternatives
by train exist. Research by French
consumer group UFC-Que Choisir had found that
planes emit 77 times more CO2 per passenger than
trains on journeys lasting under four hours.
Experts
say the combination of climate change and the
pandemic has also caused a significant shift in
consumer demand. A study by Cardiff
University found that 47% of UK travellers, now
more appreciative of nature and attuned to a
slower pace of life, plan to fly less after the
pandemic.
“It’s not just climate
change,” says Smith, citing increased airport
restrictions after 9/11. “Travellers also want to
change the experience. They are fed up with the
airport and airline experience and they want to
cut carbon emissions. Many are finding that you
don’t have to suffer to save the planet – it’s
pleasurable to take the
train.” | 
