Almost half of the EU’s busiest flight routes are “hard or impossible” to book with rail operators, a new report has said.
Research from the Transport and Environment (T&E), Europe’s clean transport and energy advocacy group, found that almost 50 per cent of rail journeys equivalent to the busiest aviation routes are inaccessible to travellers.
Of 30 of Europe’s busiest aviation routes, 20 per cent were “impossible” to book in one go from major rail platforms, said T&E.
Another 27 per cent of routes were only bookable from one of the two booking engines tested for either the departing or arriving city.
The report added that more than half of the journeys above 900km studied can not be made as a single booking.
According to the report, it’s impossible to book a single rail journey from Barcelona to Paris on Renfe, Spain's state-owned national railway company, website, even though more than 15,000 flights operate annually between the two cities.
The Youth on Track Coalition, a partnership of youth NGOs and environmental groups, stated that young people face a climate dilemma whenever they attempt to travel long distances within the EU.
A T&E Commissioned YouGov survey found 61 per cent of long distance rail passengers have “at least once” avoided journeys because the booking process is perceived as a hassle.
“The barriers that young people face when considering travelling by rail in the EU are huge: ranging from high prices, insecure passenger rights and highly complex ticketing,” said Youth on Track Coalition.
“It shouldn’t be so hard to book a ticket in one place from the beginning to the end of your journey.”
T&E are calling for new EU regulations to maximise rail travel and reduce transport emissions with a Single Ticketing Package.
The report advised that the package should mandate commercial negotiations between rail operators and booking platforms to ensure passengers can buy a single train ticket “from the beginning to the end of their journey across Europe with full passenger rights”.
It also recommended that the EU mandate commercial negotiations between rail operators and booking platforms to ensure tickets are displayed and sold across platforms.
The EU Commission is expected to scrutinise the Single Ticketing Package proposal in the coming months, said the report.
Read more: UK travellers turn to the Mediterranean as Middle East conflict disrupts travel
Revealed: The most popular destinations for UK cruise passengers
British pet owners warned of new EU travel rules from Wednesday
Passengers miss Milan to Manchester flight after passport control chaos
Disney visitors see rare price decrease on key park feature
All the airlines cancelling flights and adding extra charges amid jet fuel crisis
How to save money and reduce stress as Iran war impacts flights
