In a new report, the association rreveals that un third of the 150 busiest medium-haul air links in Europe already have a rail alternative of less than six hours.
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She also wants you to prefer the train. In a new study published Wednesday, October 27, the association Greenpeace calls on the European Union to ban flights for which a train journey in less than six hours is available.
The association also reveals that un third of the 150 busiest medium-haul air links in Europe (51 out of 150 lines) already have a rail alternative of less than six hours. The three busiest routes in the EU (Paris-Toulouse, Paris-Nice and Athens-Thessaloniki) are even part of it. In detail, 21 connections even have a rail alternative in less than four hours, including some international connections such as Amsterdam-Paris, Amsterdam-Frankfurt, Brussels-Frankfurt and Paris-Frankfurt (the full list is here).
Faced with this observation, Greenpeace asks the European Union to “radically change the way we travel” and improve access to the train and invest in the development of railway lines. Judging “necessary” a reduction in air traffic, to limit global warming to 1.5 ° C, the NGO calls for “revitalize rail transport”, “poor relation of European public policies”.
Flights of less than 1,500 kilometers represent a quarter of emissions from the European aviation sector, notes the NGO in this study commissioned from the think tank OBC Transeuropa. “We emit 10 times more CO2 equivalent when traveling from Paris to Amsterdam by plane rather than by train, whereas this journey can be done in less than 3h30 by train”, notes Sarah Fayolle, Transport campaigner at Greenpeace France.