Air travel in Europe is often cheaper than train travel, according to a study by Greenpeace. The study compared flight and train prices for 112 European routes on nine different days and found that flights were cheaper than trains on 79 of them. On average, train travel was twice as expensive as corresponding flights. Within, from, and to Germany, train journeys were on average 51% more expensive than flights. The route with the highest price difference was Barcelona-London, where the train ticket cost up to 30 times the airfare for the same day journey. The most expensive train route in Germany was found to be Manchester-Cologne, with the train costing five times as much as the flight on average.
Greenpeace also identified several attractive train routes in terms of frequency, speed, and price. These included Berlin-Prague, Zurich-Berlin, Warsaw-Berlin, and Hamburg-Munich. However, Deutsche Bahn (DB) contradicted the findings of the study and stated that train travel is usually cheaper than flying on “top routes” within Germany, such as Hamburg-Munich and Berlin-Stuttgart. The DB spokesman highlighted the availability of super saver prices starting at €17.90 and affordable travel options to foreign destinations. The spokesman also mentioned the advantages of traveling by train, such as the ability to carry children and luggage for free, direct access to city centers, and the absence of additional costs for airport transfers.
Greenpeace called for changes in the political framework to promote climate-friendly rail travel. They demanded the removal of the kerosene tax exemption and an increase in airline ticket duties. Expanding the rail network and reducing train ticket prices were also among their recommendations. Greenpeace noted that DB tickets are generally cheaper than comparable tickets in other European countries and attributed this to DB savings prices and the limited presence of low-cost airlines at German airports. However, air travel was consistently cheaper on routes to and from Spain, Italy, the UK, the Nordic countries, and France.
The study pointed out that, on certain days, the price comparison between train and air travel differed on longer routes to and from Central and Eastern European countries, depending on the availability of low-cost airlines. However, on shorter routes like Berlin-Prague and Warsaw-Berlin, as well as for domestic travel from Hamburg to Munich, the train was consistently cheaper. Greenpeace attributed this to Germany being one of the few European countries where domestic flights are subjected to a significantly higher VAT rate than trains. Overall, Greenpeace emphasized the need for fair political conditions to facilitate the transition towards climate-friendly rail travel.
