2023-07-20 04:05:24
Flying is cheaper than taking the train, criticizes Greenpeace. Air tickets were cheaper than train tickets on 79 out of 112 European routes examined by the environmental organization. On average, rail travel is twice as expensive as flights. Despite its dense rail network, Austria does not fare any better. “Austria is one of the countries where booking flights is significantly cheaper than booking train journeys,” says Greenpeace.
The environmental organization analyzed flight and rail fares on nine different days. Of the 112 routes studied, only 23 were typically cheaper by train than by plane. “The largest price difference was found on the Barcelona – London route, where the train ticket costs up to 30 times the plane ticket for a journey on the same day,” Greenpeace said. The most expensive train connection for Austria is London – Vienna, the train journey is on average almost five times as expensive as the flight.
According to the study, the routes from Vienna to Berlin and from Zurich to Vienna were the only ones of the twelve examined routes from or to Austria on which the train journey was cheaper than the flight on all the days examined. “These two routes are not served by low-cost airlines,” Greenpeace admitted. On the route from Berlin to Graz, the train journey was cheaper on five out of nine days. On the routes examined between Austria and Italy, Romania or Poland, the train connection was occasionally cheaper than the flight.
“Why would anyone take the train from London to Barcelona and pay up to 384 euros when you can get plane tickets for 12.99 euros,” asks the environmental organization. Greenpeace is calling for air ticket taxes to be increased and tax breaks such as the kerosene tax exemption to be abolished. At the same time, the rail network must be expanded and train tickets reduced. The NGO is in favor of an inexpensive, Europe-wide climate ticket.
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