Related How & Why Has Southwest Airlines Lobbied Against High-Speed Rail Over The Years?
The Texas railway project would cut into Southwest Airlines’ profits.
The railroad industry has also matched the competitive challenges posed by budget airlines in many different ways, but primarily through the advent of low-cost, high-speed rail operators that are set to challenge Ryanair and easyJet on the most important factor of all: price.
Spanish low-cost rail operator Ouigo has a unique plan to challenge budget airlines and traditional railways, launching budget-friendly train services on routes that slot into the 2-5 hour range, like Madrid to Alicante.
At the end of the day, the nature of the European transportation market offers both advantages and disadvantages to railway and airline operators.
Let’s take a deeper look at these markets and determine which mode of transportation has the largest presence in the market today.
Trains certainly have a stronger market position in the long run
Flights between Madrid and Barcelona are operated upwards of 10 times per day, and each only takes a little over 70 minutes, according to Business Traveler.
Trains between the two cities, however, are around two and a half hours long, making the total journey time roughly the same between the two.
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However, for business travelers, the convenience of riding the train has become difficult to ignore.
For starters, a passenger taking a flight between Madrid and Barcelona must first exit the city center (where their office would likely be if they are traveling for work), then go to Madrid Barajas Airport (MAD) before flying to Barcelona Airport (BCN) and taking another form of transportation back into the city center.
Overwhelmingly, business travelers have begun to prefer the convenience of jumping on a train in the city center, sitting at their laptop for around two and a half hours, and working until they arrive at their destination.
Between all the different modes of transportation involved in flying between the two cities, significant productivity will certainly be lost.
Across Europe, business travelers continue to prefer high-speed rail until journey times begin to exceed air travel times by a significant margin.
But when all things are equal (or maybe an hour or two from equal), it’s difficult to consistently turn down the convenience of high-speed Wi-Fi, comfy seating, and never having to move.
Sustainability has become an increasing concern for European regulators
While specific figures depend on flight load factors and train configurations, it is widely agreed that rail travel decreases per-person carbon emissions by over 95%.
At the end of the day, jet travel is the most carbon-intense form of passenger transportation, and massive all-electric trains that can transport thousands of passengers at once will consistently prove more efficient than aircraft.
Photo: London’s Finest Eye | Shutterstock
Many European countries have begun to take matters into their own hands when it comes to restricting short-haul air travel.
Environmentalist-supported short-haul travel bans in France have been instated over the past five years that severely limit what kinds of tickets airlines are allowed to sell on short-haul routes.
According to Forbes, Spanish authorities were considering a short-haul flight ban on connections that would take less than 2.5 hours by train, which could include all the following routes:
Madrid to Barcelona Valencia to Madrid Alicante to Madrid
Ultra-low-cost carriers are some of the industry’s most profitable.
So what’s the bottom line?
At the end of the day, rail travel is more comfortable and sustainable, and due to the rise of low-cost railways, it is increasingly more affordable.
With European regulators on the hunt to begin banning flights that are environmentally dubious at best, railroads could be set for a golden age in Europe. Nonetheless, budget airlines will continue to dominate on routes where rail travel is infeasible or impractical due to the long distances involved.
Source link : https://simpleflying.com/europe-high-speed-rail-vs-regional-aviation/
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Publish date : 2024-10-23 11:00:00
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