Brits priced out of green travel: Flying is cheap as chips–but new report says train is up to 26 TIMES more expensive

Greenpeace slams “rigged system” as Brussels lets budget airlines keep fares rock-bottom while rail passengers foot the bill

British families hoping to do their bit for the planet by taking the train instead of flying are being priced out by a “rigged system” that makes the most polluting travel option the cheapest, a damning new Greenpeace report has revealed.

Flights cheaper on 95% of routes

The Europe-wide study, covering 142 international routes across 31 countries, found that flying is cheaper than taking the train on more than half of all cross-border journeys. And when it comes to the UK, the situation is among the worst in Europe: trains are more expensive than flights on a staggering 95% of routes to and from Britain.

Low-cost carriers like Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz Air dominate the skies with fares that often come in at less than the price of the bus to the airport. Greenpeace points out that this is only possible because aviation fuel is tax-free and airline tickets escape VAT—while rail operators are clobbered with full VAT, rocketing energy costs and sky-high track access charges.

The result? Families hoping to make climate-friendly choices are effectively punished for trying. As the report highlights, a flight from Barcelona to London can cost just €15—while the train on the same route is an eye-watering €389.

“Even as the climate crisis worsens, Europe’s tax system continues to favour the most polluting way to travel. It is absurd that a flight from Barcelona to London can cost just €15 while the train on the same route is up to 26 times more expensive”, said Herwig Schuster, transport campaigner at Greenpeace Central and Eastern Europe.

Low cost for flights is high cost for climate

The environmental stakes could not be higher. Flights emit on average five times more CO₂ per passenger kilometre than trains, and up to 80 times more compared to railways running on 100% renewable electricity. Yet passengers are funnelled towards cheap flights, regardless of the climate cost.

Greenpeace says that while there has been some progress since 2023, with a small rise in routes where trains are cheaper, the system remains fundamentally broken. Night trains, which could offer a greener alternative to short-haul flights, remain priced out of reach for many.

Political failure

The group is demanding radical action from Brussels and national governments: scrapping aviation subsidies, investing in public rail, and introducing simple, affordable cross-border “climate tickets” so that ordinary people can make the greener choice without being penalised at the checkout.

“Every route where a plane is cheaper than a train is a political failure. We can’t keep rewarding the most polluting form of transport. Europe must make trains the cheapest and easiest option—not the last resort”, said Schuster.