Europe by train, a blessing or a curse?

Companies are increasingly looking for a sustainable alternative to their CO2-consuming air travel. It is a noble pursuit, but there are still some obstacles to overcome. ‘Today, booking a group train ticket is more difficult than your average maths test,’ says an incentive trip organiser.

For employees of the University of Groningen, the rules are clear-cut. Travel to destinations up to 800 kilometres, or with a travel time of nine hours, is done by train. And that is already 100 kilometres further than the limit set by the university a few years ago.

The CO2 emissions this avoids are respectable, as a map on their site shows. If we single out London, the 592-kilometre train journey from the Central Netherlands produces one kilo of CO2 compared to 304 kilos for a flight. You could wonder where we would be without the train.

'Overall, we ultimately aim to increase awareness and engagement on sustainability topics to promote behavioural change'

The need to emit less CO2 is well known and concerns the entire world. The Dutch government is insisting on 2030, the year in which it must have achieved a reduction of at least 55 percent CO2 in order to be climate neutral by 2050. Most people see train travel, in particular, as a sustainable alternative to short-distance flights.

Businesses are doing their best. In the Netherlands, more than 70 large companies, accounting for 550,000 employees, united in the Coalitie Anders Reizen (CAR) have signed an agreement to no longer take the plane for business meetings less than 700 kilometres and less than three hours away.

Quality time

Professor Boudewijn de Bruin, linked to the Faculty of Economics and Business at the University of Groningen, usually travels by train. “I go to Gothenburg regularly, which is easily accessible by train and night boat, so I can work undisturbed and comfortably on board. That’s quality time business that you don’t easily have when checking in at the airport.”

Is the train a piece of cake? Well, according to De Bruin, there is still some room for improvement. “It’s a very nice way to get around, provided you know how. It can be done, but there are obstacles, such as price and service, when booking and transferring.”

According to a report published in October 2023, the Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis (KiM) expects that trains will replace some 5,600 to 16,000 flights a year until 2030. With an average occupancy of 150 passengers in the air, this would replace between 0.8 and 2.4 million air travel tickets. By 2040, that number could be even greater. If the railways between the Netherlands and different European cities are sufficiently improved, this would account for between 6 and 22 percent of all flights to the 13 locations that were evaluated, according to KiM. However, trains need to actually run on time.

High demand

However, a lot still has to change, says Rob van Helvoort, owner of Travel Legends, an incentive specialist in ‘s-Hertogenbosch. “For a few years now, we’ve seen a lot of demand for train travel from our clients. Many large companies abide by the policy that they fly as little as possible or not at all.

Some trips, such as the annual ski trip, are jeopardised. It’s almost impossible to arrange trips for a few days by train. First, tickets are extremely expensive in comparison, and second, travelling is often complicated. Then, there’s also the fact that train companies do not cater to groups at all.

“Some trips, such as the annual ski trip, are jeopardised”

For example, Dutch Railways (NS) has not accepted new contracts for the group department for a year. Moreover, their accessibility is limited. If they cooperated a bit more, a lot more could be achieved.

Today, booking a train ticket is more difficult than your average maths test. The fact that you can only book international tickets three months in advance doesn’t make it any easier. How can you adjust your plans? All of this is frustrating.”

Van Helvoort has noticed that his clients are looking for solutions closer to home. “Last year, we organised trips to Friesland and Maastricht. Belgium is also a favourite. We’ve adapted our offer accordingly.”

Total package

According to Janneke van Aartrijk, Program Manager Sustainability at ATPI, it is not easy to trade one flight for one train trip. “We regularly take our clients by train for short trips, but sustainability is a much broader story that goes step by step. How have companies structured their sustainability goals? The next step is how to deal with suppliers and others. That’s where we come in.

When discussing sustainability with our clients, we usually include it in the various options we present to them. One client wants a very cool weekend somewhere far away with all the bells and whistles, while another makes a more conscious choice and combines their event with other meetings. How you design an event also makes a difference: the hotel, transport on site, the food, whether or not to use water bottles—there are so many elements that can impact it.

It’s a total package in which ATPI opts for the approach of measuring, reducing and, where possible, compensating. ATPI uses a measuring tool with a CO2 report that provides the option to compensate through certified offset projects. We see that it works because the numbers tell the tale.

I expect there will be more conscious flying. People can choose better airlines and invest in sustainable aviation fuel, which are all factors that help.”

Major obstacles

Professor De Bruin also has some tips. “In the 1990s, you could buy a ticket to Yugoslavia at the ticket office in Almelo. Today, you can’t do that because there’s no website to book this in one go.

'They’re such depressing rubbish that oozes incompetence and lack of enthusiasm'

I’m familiar with all the sites, and none of them work properly. They’re such depressing rubbish that oozes incompetence and lack of enthusiasm, transfer problems aren’t taken into account, etc. Without prior knowledge, it will take you hours. The second issue is the cost, which can be ten times higher. And then there’s the connection. On the way to Hamburg, there’s a piece of track missing somewhere, and on a stretch to Austria, the train has to go very slowly. Once I arrived in Munich, I was about two hours late, and my connection to Italy had left. Those kinds of serious obstacles immediately chase business travellers back onto planes.”

 

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Maarten Dansen, Corporate Sustainability Manager at PwC

‘The number of international train kilometres has already tripled’

“As an organisation that has high mobility and takes its social responsibility very seriously, PwC has been working for years on how things can be done differently,” says Maarten Dansen, Corporate Sustainability Manager.

“Since 2018, we’ve restricted our flight policy. We investigate alternatives and sign external partnerships to take joint steps. PwC is affiliated with the Coalitie Anders Reizen and chairs the Anders Vliegen committee. Mobility represents about 90 percent of our emissions.

And since PwC has clients around the world, client contact is important to us. We figure out what they really need: which trips are necessary, can they meet with fewer people, is the train an option, if not, is there a direct flight, and so on. And when we opt for flying, we try to do so with 100 percent sustainable aviation fuel and fully offset our CO2 emissions.

PwC has developed a tool that helps every employee monitor their environmental impact of travelling, which we also use for projects. Drawing up a plan in advance shows exactly how often we have to visit a client, what this means in terms of CO2 emissions, how many euros it costs, and how much time is involved. Based on this, we look together to see how we can work together more efficiently.

Our efforts have led to a 51 percent reduction in the environmental impact of flying while maintaining good client contact. Since 2015, the number of international train kilometres has tripled, and we expect this number to increase in the coming years.

PwC has made train travel mandatory for some destinations and always questions whether travelling is actually required. For our events, we look for locations that are easily accessible by train.

Within Coalitie Anders Reizen, rather than only within PwC, it’s important that we talk with train operators. How can we make sure that there are more trains earlier and later in the day and that last-minute tickets are easy to book? Every year, we look at what else could be done by continuously monitoring and improving.”

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