Help us make rail famous as the sustainable choice for travellers

In a bid to combat this issue we commissioned a study to find out how government and industry can work together to help raise awareness.

We want to highlight how sustainable train travel actually is and we’ll continue to campaign until it becomes cheaper and more accessible so people can make the switch.

 

 

Cars and planes create 58% of the UK’s transport CO2 emissions, whereas the entire rail network (with all the trains to everywhere) adds up to just 1.5%. Travelling by train instead of car creates 70% less CO2. So, switching to rail is one of the biggest ways to lower your carbon impact.

A stand-out from our research showed that almost half of the population (47%) feel a sense of guilt and eco-anxiety about their negative impact on the environment. However, they don’t know just how big of an impact their travel choices can make. We hope this paper is the starting point for empowering people to make more sustainable changes in their lives.

“The climate emergency is a race we are losing but it’s a race we can win.” - UN Secretary General António Guterres

Cost can often be the deciding factor in travel choices, so we used the study to drill down into ways that train travel can become more affordable.

  • 75% of train journeys are cheaper or faster if travellers book in advance.
  • Railcard discounts help passengers save on 64% of trips.
  • These are some of the routes that stood out as both quicker and cheaper if you take the train over driving:
    • London to Manchester. Over 1 hour quicker than flying. £15 cheaper with a Railcard.*
    • Manchester to Glasgow. 1 hour quicker than driving. £10 cheaper – or £24 with a Railcard.*
    • Edinburgh to Newcastle, 1.5 hours quicker than driving. £15 cheaper with a Railcard.*
    • Bradford to London. 1.5 hours quicker than driving. £13 cheaper.*

*Save 1/3 with a Railcard on eligible tickets. Terms of individual Railcards apply.