A study has found that when comparing major intra-European routes travelling by rail saved more than hour compared to flying.
The research from GoEuro, the search engine for comparing and booking coach, rail and flight travel, studied popular European routes and claims that when including wait time and airport transits the train gets travellers to their destination faster every time.
From | To | Duration Train | Duration Flight Incl. waits
& transits | Time
difference |
Brussels | Paris | 1:22:00 | 5:30:00 | 4:08:00 |
Brussels | London | 2:18:00 | 5:36:00 | 3:18:00 |
Brussels | Amsterdam | 1:50:00 | 5:05:00 | 3:15:00 |
Brussels | Lyon | 3:29:00 | 5:50:00 | 2:21:00 |
Brussels | Frankfurt | 3:05:00 | 5:15:00 | 2:10:00 |
London | Paris | 2:16:00 | 3:57:00 | 1:41:00 |
Barcelona | Madrid | 2:30:00 | 3:35:00 | 1:05:00 |
Madrid | Sevilla | 2:20:00 | 3:25:00 | 1:05:00 |
Rome | Milan | 2:51:00 | 3:50:00 | 0:59:00 |
Dusseldorf | Amsterdam | 2:13:00 | 3:10:00 | 0:57:00 |
| | | | | |
On all 10 routes travelling by train saved about an hour or more compared to flying. The five routes from Brussels saved between two and five hours against flying.
Naren Shaam, CEO and founder of GoEuro said, “Perhaps it’s that US travellers are more used to booking air travel thanks to the proliferation of airline online booking engines or just because distances are significantly longer in the US but with the expected worsening of airport security delays this summer, looking at rail options for travelling in Europe would be a smart move.
“Train travel in Europe is not only faster, it’s often more comfortable and time-efficient in that you don’t need to turn off your electronic devices aboard the train. Many trains even have Wifi onboard and plugs to keep your devices charged,” she added.