Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.Vienna – European cities are much better connected by air than by rail, according to an analysis by the environmental organization Greenpeace.
With existing infrastructure alone, it would be possible to create 305 new direct train connections between cities in Europe, according to a new Greenpeace study.
The environmental NGO points out that flying is the most climate-damaging mode of transport.
On the same route, travelling by plane in Europe is around five times as harmful as travelling by train – with an even greater difference if the train is fuelled by electricity from renewable sources.
Greenpeace compared train and air connections between 45 major European cities and analysed the potential for better direct trains.
According to the study, only 12% of all 990 routes between cities can be covered by direct trains. The number of direct flights is much higher.
Potential for better train infrastructure
There is a lack of direct train connections on well-travelled routes such as Paris-Rome, Madrid-Paris or London-Berlin. With more than 1 million passengers a year on each of these routes, they are among the most travelled routes in Europe. These three routes could be travelled within 10 hours and 30 minutes by direct train, it said.
Currently, travellers could leave Paris by train at 8 am and arrive in Copenhagen at 9:30 pm. “But you have to change trains twice in Cologne and Hamburg and risk missing your connecting train twice.”
Greenpeace is calling for a new EU rail strategy that prioritizes trains over flights and promotes direct train connections between European cities. Tolls for trains should be reduced and a paraffin tax introduced to reduce air travel. (July 2)
The editorial responsibility for the publication lies with dpa.