Switching planes for trains to decarbonise the great British getaway

Up to 41% of Britons holidaying abroad could travel by rail instead of air to cut down on carbon emissions, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Leeds.

The team at the Institute for Transport Studies analysed data from the Civil Aviation Authority to build up a picture of the number of passengers, air miles and emissions from the UK aviation sector over the last three decades and looked at the potential for trains to be a substitute for aeroplanes. 

They discovered that most British people do not travel very far for their holidays, with more than half of all passengers going to five of the closest European neighbours - Spain, Germany, France, Italy, and the Netherlands - meaning that rail could often offer a viable alternative to short-haul flights.

Their research which was funded by UKRI’s Centre for Research in Energy Demand Solutions is published today in the journal Transportation Research Part D.

Lead author Dr Malcolm Morgan, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Transport Studies, explained: “Many people booking a holiday don’t have a fixed destination in mind; they are just looking for a good time.

“So, perhaps the question we should ask is not ‘How do we move millions of people thousands of miles without any emissions?’ But ‘can you have a good holiday without getting on a plane?’”

Trains versus planes

80% of passengers travelling to and from the UK are doing so for leisure, and, as a nation, we send far more tourists out into the world than the rest of the world sends to the UK.

The researchers believe there is a need to reframe the debate around flight emissions from that of a technical problem of decarbonising planes, to a social problem of how to have a good holiday without needing to fly. They argue that a combination of using rail and switching destinations could reduce emissions.

Their analysis shows that in the year 2019 alone, UK passengers taking short haul holiday flights were responsible for emitting the equivalent of 22 metric tons of carbon dioxide (22 MtCO2e) - about the same as 3.3 million UK residents’ total carbon footprint for an entire year.

The researchers recognize that in most cases the current rail alternative is slower and more expensive, but they believe that with anticipated improvements to the rail network and international rail links, there is a real opportunity for a shift from planes to trains for a sizable share of passengers.

Destination switching

The researchers looked at destination switching as a means of boosting the potential for emissions savings. They found that 5.4% of all aviation emissions were from flights to parts of Spain which do not have train links, including the Spanish Islands. 

While some of those passengers will need to visit those specific locations, the researchers argue that the majority would be travelling for a beach holiday and so could potentially switch from a flight to Mallorca to a train to Malaga. 

They believe there are now opportunities for the UK Government to develop a decarbonisation strategy for international holidays by promoting domestic and near-Europe destinations with package holidays that include rail tickets rather than flights.

Dr Morgan added: “Our paper proposes some carrots rather than the usual sticks of ‘you can’t go on holiday because you can’t fly’. We want to frame the debate in a more positive light about what people and government can do to make holidays guilt free.

“Take the Spanish islands, for instance. Almost two million people a year fly there as they are a popular destination for a cheap beach holiday. You can’t get a train to Majorca, but you can get a train to the Spanish mainland. 

“It is already possible to have breakfast in London, lunch in Paris, and dinner in Barcelona by train today. Sleeper trains could also comfortably make the journey from British cities to many Mediterranean destinations in a single night.

“So, while a low-carbon trip to the Canary Islands probably remains a pipe dream, it is not hard to imagine a world of low-carbon beach holidays if you are prepared to be flexible with destinations and travel itineraries.”

Long-haul holidays

The research shows that short haul flights are only one part of the problem, with the 41% of passengers that might be shifted to rail only accounting for 14% of aviation emissions.

Dr Zia Wadud, an Associate Professor in Mobility and Energy Futures at the University, explained: “This is a pattern we are beginning to understand better – few very long-distance trips are responsible for a large share of travel emissions.

“A vast majority of emissions are associated with long-haul flights and are beyond the practical range of rail networks. As such innovative solutions such as destination switching offer much potential.”

The rapid growth in flights to Dubai, which has already overtaken popular destinations such as Barcelona and Rome in terms of passengers per year, is far more concerning say the researchers, because it comprises long-haul, high-emissions flights, particularly when it is part of a connecting journey.

Quantifying the effect of connecting journeys from the data used in the paper is not possible, they say, but it is likely to be substantial.  For example, a passenger that flies from London to Sydney via Dubai hides 68% of their passenger air miles from the researchers’ current analysis.

Co-author of the study, Dr Sally Cairns, added: “Flying is partly so environmentally damaging because people use it to go vast distances. For example, the emissions from taking just one round trip from London to Sydney equate to more than a whole year's worth of road and rail emissions from the average UK citizen.

“People can make a big difference to their personal carbon footprint by choosing closer holiday destinations. And the Government needs to start taxing aviation fairly, to make alternative travel options like rail more attractive.”

Ends

Further information

For media enquiries, please contact Kersti Mitchell in the University of Leeds press office via k.mitchell@leeds.co.uk

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