Business travellers and travel policy decision makers expect rail to grow in importance in the coming years but more needs to be done to support corporate train travel, according to a survey from Trainline Partner Solutions (TPS).
The research, conducted in the UK by the business arm of rail booking specialist Trainline, found that 80 per cent of travellers thought that rail would be become a more attractive proposition over the next year, while 65 per cent of policy decision makers said that it was important to make more rail options available.
The main reasons for corporates providing more rail options revolve around environmental factors (61 per cent), followed by sustainability reporting (51 per cent) and increased productivity for travellers compared to air and road travel (49 per cent) including the reduction in “travel dead time” by taking the train.
Currently 45 per cent of travellers think their employer could do more to promote rail options, and this percentage rose to 68 per cent among policy decision makers.
The biggest barriers to delivering rail travel for companies include not having access to extensive rail options from current travel providers (30 per cent) and switching to rail not being deemed to be a business priority by organisations (21 per cent).
Champa Magesh, president of Trainline Partner Solutions, said: “The pandemic has irreversibly changed approaches to work, with people increasingly prioritising staying productive wherever they are and wherever they need to go.
“While sustainability factors will always be central to the growing shift to rail, the push to eliminate ‘travel dead time’ is clearly impacting transport choices too.
“Not only does rail help business travellers stay connected and better able to manage their work-life balance, it also encourages more sustainable, greener travel choices.”
The research also revealed that travellers were not just looking to use trains for domestic trips but also for cross-border travel, with 64 per cent now willing to consider rail for international journeys.
One-third of those surveyed said they had travelled on business from the UK to mainland Europe by train in the past 12 months. This number almost doubled to 59 per cent for employees aged between 18 and 24.