Knowledge Hub / TOP 5 REASONS YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO INCLUDE RAIL AS A TRAVEL OPTION

TOP 5 REASONS YOUR COMPANY NEEDS TO INCLUDE RAIL AS A TRAVEL OPTION

The author: Frederic Kalinke

02/12/2015

Written by Frederic Kalinke

Do you want to travel by rail for your next work trip? In recent surveys, as many as 86% of people express a preference for traveling by rail over flying. Thankfully, more companies are offering rail for corporate travel. Here’s why:

Comfort

Some claim that an economy seat on a train is equivalent to a business class seat on a plane. However, traveling by train offers even more comforts over flying. In advance of traveling by train, you don’t have to carefully manage your carry-on liquids, you don’t have to arrive at your departure point a couple of hours before your journey, and you don’t have to deal with airport security lines. And when traveling, trains offer more personal space, more freedom to get up and walk around, and more space when you are walking around.

Productivity

When you travel by train, not only do you have enough space in which to be productive, you also have up to 90% more time available for productive work. Complimentary Wi-Fi at many train stations and on many trains further boost the opportunities for increased productivity. Finally, on a train, you can use your phone and therefore do not have to miss any work-related meetings.

Flexibility

There is typically a higher frequency of train departures than flights, so finding the train that meets your schedule is often easier. Additionally, in some countries you can purchase ‘open return’ tickets so you have flexibility to take the next train after your meeting finishes.

Cost

For shorter routes, the cost of traveling by train is typically competitive with the cost of flying, especially when you count local transportation costs at the origin and destination. This is the case on popular routes like Berlin-Frankfurt, Madrid-Barcelona, London-Paris, and Rome-Milan. And if you need to travel at short notice, flights are typically expensive, while you can often get reasonably priced train journeys even when turning up at the station without a ticket.

Environment

On a per passenger basis, taking the train over a plane can cut harmful carbon dioxide emissions by up to 90%. If having an impact on the environment and climate change is important to you, taking the train is the only option that makes sense. For more information, see CO2 Emissions & Climate Change: Trains Versus Planes….

Does your company offer rail for work trips? In many cases its simply a case of getting your company’s Online Booking Tool (OBT) or Travel Management Company (TMC) to enable the option to offer rail. Your encouragement can make this happen.

PS. Have you seen this video where Aaron Gowell – the CEO of SilverRail – flies from London to Paris, and takes the train back. You might be surprised by his experiences.

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