Can you guess the top 10 routes for British and French workers?

There’s a common theme among the most popular journeys for business train travel across Europe. And the clue is in the name.

Pssst: it’s capitals.

Trainline Business booking data shines a light on the importance of London and Paris in powering economic activity.

In the UK, the top 10 routes all begin or end in England's capital city, with four London stations featuring: Euston, King’s Cross, Paddington and St Pancras International.

Manchester was our customers’ most popular destination, followed by work trips to Leeds, Liverpool, Birmingham, Newcastle, Stockport, Bristol and Sheffield. The capitals of Scotland and Wales appeared 8th and 9th in the list.

It’s a similar picture across the Channel.

There are six major railway stations in Paris – Gare du Nord, de l'Est, de Lyon, Montparnasse, d'Austerlitz and Saint-Lazare – with the first four featuring in our list.

Cross-border business travel was a theme, with French workers taking the train to London and Brussels in large numbers.

Lyon topped the list, with Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes, Rennes, Marseille, Strasborg and Toulouse also proving popular.

Surprisingly, despite its status as France’s second biggest city, Marseille only showed up as the 7th most common work trip.