Research by the environmental organization Greenpeace shows that 29 percent of short-haul flights have rail connections with less than six hours of travel time. For the other 15 percent, there are direct train connections with sleeper cars.
A study commissioned by Greenpeace compared the 150 most frequently used short-haul flights in the European Union with the top 250 in the European Union as well as Switzerland, Norway and the United Kingdom with existing railways.
Flying does more harm to the climate than rail travel
According to Greenpeace, short-haul flights damage the climate about twelve times more than comparable train journeys. Transportation expert Lena Donat said road trips that can be covered in just a few hours by train run counter to climate protection. She noted that “flights on these short routes should no longer be allowed.” According to Donut, the new federal government should expand rail services and put an end to climate-damaging short journeys.
Greenpeace notes that every third trip to and from Germany could be replaced by a climate-friendly train journey that takes less than six hours. Eliminating these particularly climate-damaging air routes, net of emissions associated with increased train traffic, would save about 1.5 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Primarily, Greenpeace advocates canceling frequent flights, such as from Frankfurt to Brussels, Munich, Berlin or Hamburg, as rail already provides high-speed connections on these routes.
(ARD / jar)
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