US EditionIn Europe, Train Travel Remains Significantly More Expensive than Flying
Greenpeace Europe found train travel cost two to three times more than flying on 80% of over 100 routes due to taxes and high access fees, affecting competitiveness despite lower emissions.
- On August 21, Herwig Schuster said Greenpeace Europe’s study of more than 100 European routes found trains cost more in four out of five cases, with low-cost flights up to 26 times cheaper on some routes.
- Because airlines pay no VAT and no kerosene tax, campaigners say this tax system tilts costs toward airlines and away from railways, which face VAT and energy taxes, Joeri Thijs said on August 22, 2025.
- Data from the International Union of Railways indicate track charges make up about a quarter of high-speed rail costs, while UK access fees can reach �5,000 per Eurostar trip; Eurocontrol reports an Airbus A320 runs at about 3.6 US cents per seat-kilometre.
- As demand rises, campaigners say the European Commission's unified ticketing plan this autumn and Italy's Trenitalia-Italo competition are reducing fares on busy routes.
- Surveys indicate millions of rail passengers prefer train travel, but Schuster noted affordability and availability hinder the European rail network's growth despite lower emissions.
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In Europe, however, travelling by train is more expensive than travelling by plane for 54% of the journeys, Greenpeace points out in a study. - Travel in Europe: these many journeys for which the train costs more than the aircraft (Environment).
It is one of the key levers identified by the European Union to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and to curb global warming and its waves of disasters: to encourage Europeans to take the train rather than the plane.But for the moment, alert the NGO Greenpeace, which has compared about 100 international journeys on the Old Continent, the train remains more expensive than the plane in most cases, even if things improve.
Better by train or plane? Greenpeace has compared the prices for travel across Europe and demands more favorable conditions for train drivers.
Greenpeace's report: 'Enough tax privileges, yes to climate tickets' (ANSA)
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