A Barcelona-London train ticket 26 times more expensive than a plane ticket: Belgium bad student in terms of attractiveness of rail, how to explain it?

A study published by Greenpeace reveals that Belgium is one of the least efficient countries in terms of attractiveness of the train. Meanwhile, with 60 % of the journeys studied still cheaper in plane than in train. &#13. Furthermore,

Placing a European destination to another remains cheaper than traveling the same train distance in more than half of the cases, it emerges from a study published Thursday by Greenpeace. Therefore, Belgium is among the least efficient countries, with 60 % of the route cheaper in plane than in train. However. Moreover, recently, the Belgians said they were ready to take the train more often, but the cost differences continue to cool them.

For its research, the environmental defense organization has examined 109 international links in 31 European countries. Similarly, In 54 % of cases, going through the air proved to be cheaper. However, Of the 33 national links studied, a cheaper railroad route was available in 70 % of cases.

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The biggest price difference was found on the Barcelona-London line, where a train ticket cost 26 times more than a plane ticket. Similarly, Only 29 trips were always, or almost always, cheaper by train. These were mainly journeys in central and eastern Europe, especially towards the Baltic states and Poland.

For Belgium, only the bonds from Brussels were studied. If the correspondence to Hamburg. Zurich and Berlin are generally cheaper by train, on the other hand, those towards Vienna, Bratislava, Madrid, Copenhagen and Budapest are almost always more expensive, just like that towards Prague. The biggest difference has been observed on the Brussels-Madrid route. where rail is more than eleven times more expensive than by the air.

France worse pupil in the matter

With 60 % of more expensive train journeys than in plane. Belgium ranks sixth in the classification of the least efficient countries and shares this place with Romania and Norway. Only France (95 %), Spain (92 %), the United Kingdom (90 %), Italy (88 barcelona-london train ticket 26 times %) and Hungary (71 %) are doing less well. Note that Belgium also obtains significantly lower results than Luxembourg (40 %) and the Netherlands (22 %).

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At the other end of the spectrum, we find Lithuania, where all the journeys from Vilnius are cheaper by train. In Poland, this is the case in 89 % of situations, and in Slovenia in 80 % of cases.

The plane therefore often remains the most economical option, despite its significant impact on the climate. Greenpeace notably recalls that aviation fuel is not taxed and that international air rates are also exempt from VAT. This while railway companies often have to pay VAT. in addition to the increase in energy costs and high infrastructure costs.

Greenpeace, however, notes a certain improvement compared to 2023. The number of trips where the train is the cheapest option has thus increased by 14 percentage points, reaching 41 %. According to the NGO. this increase is due to the decrease in aerial links at very low prices via hubs like London or Dublin. In addition, the price of train tickets has progressed less than inflation and rail links have improved on certain journeys.

To make the train more attractive. Greenpeace calls for the European Union and the national authorities to end the aviation subsidies, to introduce a simple ticket system for trains and to invest more in public transport. The organization also pleads for the introduction of “climate tickets”. affordable and simple transport barcelona-london train ticket 26 times titles, valid on all the public transport methods of a country or a region.

“Any route where the plane is cheaper than the train is a political failure. ” concludes Jeri Thijs de Greenpeace Belgium. “In the coalition agreement. the Arizona government promises to focus on ‘more numerous European rail links and of better quality’ and on healthy price competition on international lines’. It is high time to materialize this commitment: the train must become the most economical. simplest option, not the last resort. »»