Europe is currently exploring the possibility of reducing carbon emissions by shifting from domestic flights to rail travel, and newly revealed data show that such a thing is possible by replacing short-distance flights with trains.
As revealed by a recent study from Mbarian, a company specialising in Tourist Intelligence, there is potential for an annual reduction of one million tonnes of CO2 emissions by replacing short-haul flights covering distances of less than 2.5 hours or up to 500 km, with high-speed trains, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
The same also examined the possibility of preventing the further release of CO2 emissions if the regulation, already in the process of implementation in France, were to be adopted in various European countries.
Based on the report’s findings, which analysed the entire air schedule for 2023 concerning domestic routes with ground distances less than 500km, there are a total of 554 such routes in Europe estimated to serve over 44 million passengers and contribute to around 2.3 million tonnes of CO2 emissions in the current year.
According to Mabrian’s study, if high-speed trains were used instead of short domestic flights, the environmental impact in terms of emissions could be reduced by an average of 48 per cent. This significant reduction would result in preventing the release of over one million tonnes of CO2 in just one year across Europe.
Mabrian also said that to put this in perspective, it is equivalent to taking more than 200,000 cars off the road, assuming they were running continuously for 12 months.
In this regard, it compared the emissions from both high-speed trains and domestic flights by considering the type of electrical energy used and its sources to power the railway systems in each EU country.
The study also shows that implementing this transition could lead to significant CO2 savings for five European countries. At the forefront is Spain, expected to save 360,000 tonnes of CO2 annually by replacing current routes with high-speed trains.
Following closely behind is Germany, projected to achieve a saving of 238,000 tonnes. France ranks third with a potential reduction of 193,000 tonnes, while Italy and Sweden demonstrate their commitment to sustainability with anticipated savings of 189,000 tonnes and 159,000 tonnes per year, respectively.
On the other hand, the study reveals the relative potential CO2 savings for three countries from the transition to rail compared to aircraft. Sweden leads the way, with the possibility of saving 97.13 per cent of the total CO2 produced by aircraft per year on domestic air routes. Austria follows closely with 92.79 per cent, and France is also positioned with 89.73 per cent of potential CO2 savings.
“While this analysis may seem unrealistic or unachievable, at Mabrian, we believe in demonstrating the efficiency of decisions through data. With this analysis, we have quantified the potential savings from taking steps in that direction,” Marketing Director at Mabrian Carlos Cendra pointed out.
As Mabrian explains, if all air routes of 500km or less connecting different European countries were considered, the potential savings would be even greater.
Nevertheless, the study also highlights some aspects that might not entirely favour this transition. One significant challenge is the cost of implementing the necessary rail infrastructure to cover all these routes, which would require substantial investment.
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