Train Travel Information
Travel by train is significantly more efficient than travel by air or auto contributing on the average 1/2 the level of CO2 emission than air travel. However, this varies significantly by country and train operator. If there is a train on the route you need to take for your business trip, you can work en route. Rather than being cooped up in coach, you can take calls and work remotely while traveling. PLUS the scenary is usually better
In the US Amtrak is the predominant carrier and running on electric or diesel, it produces approximately 20% of the carbon per passenger mile of air travel. According to U.S. Department of Energy data, Amtrak is 17 percent more efficient than domestic airline travel and 21 percent more efficient than auto travel on a per-passenger-mile basis. When combined with all modes of transportation, passenger railroads in the US emit only 0.2 percent of the travel industry's total greenhouse gases.
Eurostar has done its homework and commissioned independent research to assess the CO2 per passenger produced by a London-Paris Eurostar journey versus that emitted by a passenger on a London-Paris flight. The research looked at actual Eurostar passenger loadings, actual Eurostar power consumption, the way Eurostar's electricity is generated, actual aircraft loadings, actual aircraft fuel consumption, and so on. The conclusion was remarkable: Taking the train to Paris instead of flying cuts CO2 emissions per passenger not just by a measly 10% or 20% or even 50%, but by a staggering 90%...If one looks at Eurostar's emissions it is 1/10th the level of air travel at approximately .04 kg/passenger/km.
