Data story

Train vs plane in Europe

Name: Train vs plane: door-to-door times and CO₂e on European city pairs
Creator: TrainRouter
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Door-to-door times and CO₂e on 105 busy city pairs — real sampled rail times against a transparent flight model, no cherry-picking.

Open the interactive railway map →

Airport time is the flight's hidden fare: getting out to the airport, security, boarding, and getting back into town at the other end add close to three hours that never appear on the ticket. Count them, and on 26 of these 105 routes the train is simply faster — before the CO₂e math, which the train wins everywhere.

Pairs compared: 105
Train faster on: 26 (25%)
By over an hour: 11
CO₂e gap: ≥ 3.2× (conservative)

The train wins one city pair in four

On 26 of the 105 pairs compared, the typical train beats a typical flight door to door — 11 of them by more than an hour. The biggest gap is Paris–Rennes: the train saves about 2h on the day.

Under 3h 45m of rail, the plane never wins

Every compared pair the train covers in under 3h 45m goes to rail once airport time is counted. The advantage stretches as far as Marseille–Paris — 663 km apart, 3h 52m by train, and still ~10 min quicker than flying door to door.

The CO₂e gap never closes

Flying emits ≈3.2× the train's CO₂e on every pair — and that is on deliberately conservative official factors (DESNZ 2025, UK part-diesel rail mix). On typical electric intercity rail the EEA's figures put the real gap at 10–30×. London–Paris alone: ~15 kg by train against ~47 kg by plane, per passenger.

Where the train saves the most time

Door-to-door time saved by taking the train instead of a typical flight — all 26 pairs where the train wins, biggest saving first.

How we compute it

The train side is real data: typical (median) station-to-station times sampled from public European schedule feeds — the same figures as our city-to-city guides — plus 20 min of station overhead. The plane side is openly a model, not airline schedules: flight time ≈ 40 min taxi/climb/descent + straight-line distance at 750 km/h cruise, plus 2h 50m door-to-door overhead (25 min city→airport, 90 min check-in/security/boarding, 30 min deplaning, 25 min airport→city). Where no direct flight exists on a pair, the estimate is what a direct one would take — generous to the plane. Pairs under 300 km apart are not compared at all.

Emissions use the UK government's DESNZ/DEFRA 2025 conversion factors: 125.76 g CO₂e per passenger-km for short-haul flying (including radiative forcing, distance +8% for routing) against 35.46 g for rail (distance ×1.2 for the winding track). That rail figure is a deliberate ceiling — it reflects the UK's part-diesel mix; the EEA puts electric intercity rail at 12–33 g and Eurostar reports ~4 g, so the real gap on most of these corridors is 10–30×, not 3.2×. Rail times come from the same open data as the rest of the site — the TrainRouter Atlas (CC BY 4.0, archived at DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21322030) — free to check or reuse.

All 105 pairs, ranked by the train's advantage

#	City pair	Train door-to-door	Flight door-to-door (est.)	Faster door-to-door	CO₂e saved (kg)
1	Paris – Rennes309 km apart · direct trains	1h 55m	3h 55m	Train +2h	29
2	Strasbourg – Paris396 km apart · direct trains	2h 10m	4h	Train +1h 55m	37
3	Paris – Lyon395 km apart · direct trains	2h 25m	4h	Train +1h 40m	37
4	Bordeaux – Paris502 km apart · direct trains	2h 35m	4h 10m	Train +1h 35m	47
5	London – Brussels322 km apart · direct trains	2h 20m	3h 55m	Train +1h 35m	30
6	Rome – Bologna305 km apart · direct trains	2h 25m	3h 55m	Train +1h 25m	28
7	Nantes – Paris343 km apart · direct trains	2h 40m	3h 55m	Train +1h 15m	32
8	Madrid – Valencia301 km apart · direct trains	2h 40m	3h 55m	Train +1h 15m	28
9	London – Paris343 km apart · direct trains	2h 45m	3h 55m	Train +1h 15m	32
10	Avignon – Paris580 km apart · direct trains	3h 10m	4h 15m	Train +1h 05m	54
11	Seville – Madrid390 km apart · direct trains	3h	4h	Train +1h	36
12	Berlin – Nuremberg377 km apart · direct trains	3h 05m	4h	Train +55 min	35
13	London – Newcastle395 km apart · direct trains	3h 20m	4h	Train +45 min	37
14	Madrid – Alicante359 km apart	3h 15m	4h	Train +45 min	34
15	Florence – Naples410 km apart · direct trains	3h 20m	4h 05m	Train +45 min	38
16	Madrid – Málaga416 km apart · direct trains	3h 25m	4h 05m	Train +40 min	39
17	Rome – Milan479 km apart · direct trains	3h 35m	4h 10m	Train +30 min	45
18	Madrid – Barcelona502 km apart · direct trains	3h 45m	4h 10m	Train +25 min	47
19	Basel – Paris415 km apart	3h 40m	4h 05m	Train +20 min	39
20	Munich – Leipzig362 km apart · direct trains	3h 40m	4h	Train +20 min	34
21	Santiago de Compostela – Madrid487 km apart	3h 50m	4h 10m	Train +15 min	45
22	Amsterdam – Paris429 km apart · direct trains	3h 50m	4h 05m	Train +15 min	40
23	Marseille – Paris663 km apart	4h 10m	4h 25m	Train +10 min	62
24	Frankfurt – Munich304 km apart · direct trains	3h 45m	3h 55m	Train +10 min	28
25	Paris – Montpellier599 km apart · direct trains	4h 10m	4h 20m	Train +5 min	56
26	London – Rotterdam320 km apart · direct trains	3h 50m	3h 55m	Train +5 min	30
27	Geneva – Paris411 km apart · direct trains	4h 05m	4h 05m	Flight +0 min	38
28	Paris – Frankfurt476 km apart · direct trains	4h 10m	4h 10m	Flight +5 min	44
29	Grenoble – Paris483 km apart · direct trains	4h 20m	4h 10m	Flight +10 min	45
30	Venice – Rome394 km apart · direct trains	4h 15m	4h	Flight +15 min	37
31	Munich – Berlin504 km apart · direct trains	4h 25m	4h 10m	Flight +15 min	47
32	Hamburg – Cologne357 km apart · direct trains	4h 25m	4h	Flight +25 min	33
33	London – Edinburgh531 km apart · direct trains	4h 50m	4h 10m	Flight +40 min	50
34	Rome – Turin525 km apart · direct trains	4h 50m	4h 10m	Flight +40 min	49
35	London – Glasgow553 km apart · direct trains	4h 55m	4h 15m	Flight +40 min	52
36	Paris – Cologne402 km apart · direct trains	4h 40m	4h	Flight +40 min	37
37	Malmö – Stockholm512 km apart · direct trains	4h 55m	4h 10m	Flight +40 min	48
38	Naples – Milan659 km apart · direct trains	5h 05m	4h 25m	Flight +40 min	62
39	Gothenburg – Stockholm397 km apart · direct trains	4h 45m	4h	Flight +45 min	37
40	Frankfurt – Zurich304 km apart · direct trains	4h 40m	3h 55m	Flight +45 min	28
41	Warsaw – Wrocław301 km apart · direct trains	4h 40m	3h 55m	Flight +45 min	28
42	Brussels – Frankfurt315 km apart · direct trains	4h 45m	3h 55m	Flight +50 min	29
43	Edinburgh – Birmingham395 km apart · direct trains	4h 55m	4h	Flight +50 min	37
44	Munich – Vienna357 km apart · direct trains	4h 50m	4h	Flight +50 min	33
45	Bari – Rome374 km apart · direct trains	5h	4h	Flight +1h	35
46	Hamburg – Frankfurt394 km apart · direct trains	5h	4h	Flight +1h	37
47	Vienna – Innsbruck387 km apart · direct trains	5h 05m	4h	Flight +1h	36
48	Berlin – Cologne475 km apart · direct trains	5h 10m	4h 10m	Flight +1h 05m	44
49	Paris – Toulouse590 km apart · direct trains	5h 20m	4h 15m	Flight +1h 05m	55
50	Valencia – Barcelona301 km apart	5h	3h 55m	Flight +1h 05m	28
51	Seville – Valencia540 km apart · direct trains	5h 20m	4h 15m	Flight +1h 10m	50
52	Amsterdam – Frankfurt364 km apart · direct trains	5h 10m	4h	Flight +1h 10m	34
53	Amsterdam – London357 km apart · direct trains	5h 10m	4h	Flight +1h 10m	33
54	Perpignan – Paris688 km apart · direct trains	5h 40m	4h 25m	Flight +1h 15m	64
55	Vigo – Madrid466 km apart	5h 20m	4h 05m	Flight +1h 15m	43
56	Madrid – Granada359 km apart · direct trains	5h 15m	4h	Flight +1h 15m	34
57	Lyon – Bordeaux436 km apart	5h 25m	4h 05m	Flight +1h 20m	41
58	Berlin – Frankfurt423 km apart · direct trains	5h 25m	4h 05m	Flight +1h 25m	39
59	Zurich – Paris489 km apart	5h 30m	4h 10m	Flight +1h 25m	46
60	Zagreb – Budapest303 km apart	5h 20m	3h 55m	Flight +1h 30m	28
61	Copenhagen – Stockholm522 km apart	5h 45m	4h 10m	Flight +1h 35m	49
62	Thessaloniki – Athens302 km apart · direct trains	5h 30m	3h 55m	Flight +1h 35m	28
63	Amsterdam – Hamburg366 km apart	5h 35m	4h	Flight +1h 35m	34
64	Munich – Prague301 km apart · direct trains	5h 35m	3h 55m	Flight +1h 40m	28
65	Paris – Munich683 km apart	6h 10m	4h 25m	Flight +1h 45m	64
66	Bilbao – Madrid323 km apart	5h 45m	3h 55m	Flight +1h 50m	30
67	Paris – Nice688 km apart · direct trains	6h 20m	4h 25m	Flight +1h 55m	64
68	Munich – Hamburg611 km apart · direct trains	6h 20m	4h 20m	Flight +2h 05m	57
69	Oslo – Stockholm416 km apart · direct trains	6h 10m	4h 05m	Flight +2h 05m	39
70	Seville – Barcelona826 km apart · direct trains	6h 45m	4h 35m	Flight +2h 10m	77
71	Bratislava – Košice312 km apart · direct trains	6h 10m	3h 55m	Flight +2h 15m	29
72	Verona – Munich305 km apart · direct trains	6h 35m	3h 55m	Flight +2h 40m	28
73	Berlin – Warsaw519 km apart	6h 55m	4h 10m	Flight +2h 45m	48
74	Amsterdam – Berlin574 km apart · direct trains	7h	4h 15m	Flight +2h 45m	54
75	Barcelona – Lyon534 km apart · direct trains	7h	4h 15m	Flight +2h 45m	50
76	Belgrade – Budapest318 km apart	6h 55m	3h 55m	Flight +3h	30
77	Barcelona – Marseille341 km apart	7h	3h 55m	Flight +3h 05m	32
78	Oslo – Trondheim393 km apart · direct trains	7h 05m	4h	Flight +3h 05m	37
79	Kraków – Prague393 km apart · direct trains	7h 05m	4h	Flight +3h 05m	37
80	Bergen – Oslo305 km apart · direct trains	7h 10m	3h 55m	Flight +3h 15m	28
81	Budapest – Prague445 km apart	7h 50m	4h 05m	Flight +3h 40m	41
82	Paris – Turin585 km apart	8h	4h 15m	Flight +3h 45m	55
83	Barcelona – Paris834 km apart · direct trains	8h 30m	4h 35m	Flight +3h 55m	78
84	Berlin – Brussels648 km apart	8h 15m	4h 20m	Flight +3h 55m	60
85	Amsterdam – Munich668 km apart · direct trains	8h 35m	4h 25m	Flight +4h 10m	62
86	Venice – Munich306 km apart · direct trains	8h 05m	3h 55m	Flight +4h 10m	29
87	Madrid – Lisbon504 km apart	8h 25m	4h 10m	Flight +4h 15m	47
88	Vienna – Warsaw556 km apart	8h 35m	4h 15m	Flight +4h 20m	52
89	Prague – Warsaw516 km apart	8h 35m	4h 10m	Flight +4h 25m	48
90	Venice – Vienna435 km apart · direct trains	8h 30m	4h 05m	Flight +4h 25m	41
91	Copenhagen – Oslo484 km apart	8h 35m	4h 10m	Flight +4h 25m	45
92	Copenhagen – Berlin354 km apart	8h 30m	4h	Flight +4h 35m	33
93	Vienna – Zurich592 km apart	8h 55m	4h 15m	Flight +4h 35m	55
94	Milan – Paris640 km apart	9h	4h 20m	Flight +4h 40m	60
95	Berlin – Zurich668 km apart · direct trains	9h 05m	4h 25m	Flight +4h 45m	62
96	Vienna – Berlin527 km apart	9h 15m	4h 10m	Flight +5h 05m	49
97	Berlin – Paris874 km apart	9h 45m	4h 40m	Flight +5h 05m	82
98	Florence – Paris887 km apart	10h 35m	4h 40m	Flight +5h 55m	83
99	Venice – Paris844 km apart	11h 25m	4h 40m	Flight +6h 50m	79
100	Rome – Paris1,108 km apart	11h 50m	5h	Flight +6h 55m	103
101	Paris – Vienna1,034 km apart	12h 10m	4h 55m	Flight +7h 20m	96
102	Madrid – Paris1,055 km apart	12h 15m	4h 55m	Flight +7h 25m	98
103	Rovaniemi – Helsinki705 km apart	11h 55m	4h 25m	Flight +7h 30m	66
104	Budapest – Bucharest638 km apart	15h 35m	4h 20m	Flight +11h 15m	60
105	Sofia – Belgrade327 km apart	17h 35m	3h 55m	Flight +13h 35m	30

Each pair links to its full journey guide — typical times, direct-train availability and operators. CO₂e saved is per passenger, on the conservative factors above.