Around a third (31%) of business travellers choose to travel by train due to it being a more sustainable transport option, a new study by BCD Travel has found.
The survey of 681 business travellers in Europe and Asia Pacific found that rail is the ‘preferred option’ if the cost and travel time are comparable to air travel, with two thirds saying that they would choose trains over planes, due to considerations such as convenience (46%), the ability to work during their journey (41%) and the easy accessibility of railway stations (49%).
Emissions reduction
“Taking the train as opposed to flying can reduce carbon emissions of a journey by as much as 95%,” commented Olivia Ruggles-Brise, vice president of sustainability at BCD Travel. “It’s encouraging to see that travellers are starting to build this into their decision-making process.”
Some six in ten respondents said that they expected to take the same number of rail trips in the coming year, while 18% anticipated even more.
Company policy
However, company policy when it comes to rail travel can be somewhat mixed – around a third of employers would encourage train travel over air for short distances, while six in ten have no policy in place to encourage rail travel. Just 6% of employers enforce rail travel for short distances.
“Enforcing rail bookings in place of short-haul flights can help lower travel emissions,” Ruggles-Brise added. “However, travellers must be aware of such policy changes in order to make an impact, which is why communicating with your travellers is so important. They need to understand when it’s appropriate to book rail instead of a flight and how to do that within the travel policy.”
Half of the respondents said that they were either ‘somewhat’ or ‘extremely’ satisfied with their company’s policy when it comes to rail travel, with one in seven answering that their employer offers corporate rates for rail tickets, and half utilising business class on trains, at least on some occasions.
The survey also explored booking behaviour by business travellers, with more than half of respondents booking train tickets directly through provider websites, while just a third used corporate booking tools. Read more here.
