With sustainability taking centre stage, an increasing number of travellers, particularly those employed, are making conscious choices in favour of eco-friendly transportation options like rail travel.
According to Eurostat, in the European Union in 2022, out of the 197 million employees aged 15-64, over 12.5 million of them, equivalent to 6.4 per cent of the total employed population, chose to commute to their workplace from a different region within their own country.
In comparison to 2021, when the number of intra-country commuters totalled 12 million, 2022 witnessed a notable increase of 4.4 per cent in this trend.
The biggest group of commuters within their region for work compared to the total workforce was found in the Belgian province of Brabant Wallon (45 per cent), followed by another Belgian province, Vlaams-Brabant (42 per cent), Pest in Hungary (41 per cent), the province of Namur in Belgium (38 per cent), and the Austrian regions of Burgenland (36 per cent) and Niederösterreich (29 per cent).
This shift in commuting behaviour is significant not only for its potential to reduce congestion in metropolitan areas but also for its positive implications for the environment.
Furthermore, train bookings on Trip.com Group have been on the rise in Europe as an increasing number of travellers seek sustainable travel options. The CEO of International Train Ticket at Trip.com Group, Dennis Li, noted that their customer base is global, with 50 per cent of users under the age of 35.
More than 16 million platform users have embraced sustainable travel choices, and it’s evident that Gen Z, in particular, exhibits a strong inclination towards eco-friendly alternatives, with train travel being their preferred mode of transportation.
In addition, to promote sustainable choices features like PalGreen Energy have been introduced to TrainPal, a money-saving rail flight ticketing platform for Europeans, allowing travellers to track the reduction of carbon emissions attributed to train travel.
Within the EU, Germany has taken a substantial step towards nurturing eco-friendly travel by introducing the €49 nationwide ticket, more commonly known as the Deutschlandticket.
This initiative not only eases the financial burden on travellers but also actively promotes more significant use of buses and trains, emphasising the nation’s steadfast dedication to sustainable transportation.
The transition towards sustainability aligns with Europe’s ambitious plan to replace short-haul flights with higher-speed trains, ultimately aiming to reduce annual CO2 emissions by a million tons.
As more individuals choose trains for their daily commutes, they not only shrink their carbon footprint but also play a pivotal role in forging a greener and more eco-conscious future.
