Is it time to change the plane by train while traveling in Europe?

photo: DB/Is it time to change the plane by train while traveling in Europe?

A renewed railway line between Vienna and Paris with sleeper trains will be launched in 2022.

The European Union has set extremely ambitious climate targets and wants to become carbon neutral by 2050. Much of the effort will have to focus on Europe's transport methods, and in particular incentives to get people to choose rail over air transport, especially over short distances. Some European governments, such as Austria and France, have already taken steps to limit short flights while making train travel more attractive to business travelers and tourists. Take, for example, the hype surrounding the launch of the railway connection between the Czech Republic and Croatia. A huge number of Italians enjoy the super comfortable service of Frecciarossa. ICE 4 in Germany is a real miracle. Increasingly, many of us are happy to plan our trips to the beach by train.

Why not?

In 2022, a renewed sleeping train line between Vienna and Paris will be launched. And although these 1,000 kilometers will take 8 hours more than by plane, traveling on them will generate only 10% of the flight's emissions. In 2028, a 44-kilometer tunnel under the Alps is expected to be completed. The project will be worth about 8.4 billion euros and will reduce travel time from Innsbruck in Austria to Bolzano in Italy from 2 hours to 50 minutes.