Traveling by train in Europe is on average twice as expensive as by plane, according to Greenpeace

In a report published Thursday, July 20, Greenpeace denounces the price difference between the train and the plane, after comparing the prices of 112 air and rail connections of less than 1,500 kilometers in 27 European countries. As a result, train tickets are on average twice as expensive as plane tickets for the same journey in Europe. A “abyssal difference” according to the NGO, which “goes against the climate emergency and the need to reduce air traffic and develop the rail network“.

The situation is even more pronounced in France, where train tickets are on average 2.6 times more expensive than plane tickets. France is thus placed in third position (tied with Belgium and behind the United Kingdom and Spain) “of the most inconsequential European countries in terms of pricing, thus going against the grain of the climate emergency and the need to reduce emissions“.

“The end of tax advantages” for the airline sector

The gap is particularly widening on certain journeys, one of the most notable being the journey between Barcelona and London, which can cost up to 30 times more by train than by plane, the report points out. A trip between Paris and Valencia (Spain) is invoiced on average 8 times more expensive by train than by plane. Faced with these figures, Greenpeace asks the French government to put in place certain measures, starting with “the end of the tax advantages enjoyed by the airline sector, and the increase in the solidarity tax on tickets in order to finance low-carbon alternatives.“

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The NGO also claims “the accessibility of the train for everyone, via the establishment of a ‘climate ticket’, which allows unlimited use of the train (excluding TGV) and at an affordable price, the relaunch of the night train and the reinforcement of reduced fares on long-distance trains for people on low incomes”.