Germany Encourages Travellers to Use Train Travel Over Flights for Domestic Routes
Germany has decided to encourage more travellers to switch from plane to train transport for domestic routes in a bid to reduce carbon emissions created by air travel.
The German Aviation Association, together with Deutsche Bahn, a railway company, have reached an agreement to provide faster rail connections on routes where short-distance flights are currently used.
If the plan proves to be successful, the association and Deutsche Bahn expect that around 4.3 million people a year will choose train travel over air travel for domestic flights.
Additionally, the plan of the association for Climate Protection in Aviation, known as the Master Plan, revealed that the aviation companies in Germany are determined to have carbon neutral airports.
In relation to this, Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn, two transport companies, have revealed their joint initiative to put into use extra-fast DB “Sprinter” trains, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reports.
The Lufthansa Express Rail network will expand its services to five additional cities. Starting in December 2021, the high-speed trains will travel to Frankfurt Airport for the first time. Direct trains to Frankfurt Airport will operate two times a day with no additional stops in the way, and the timetable will be arranged following the flights’ departures and arrivals.
“With this joint initiative, we are strengthening the offer of mobility in Germany, thus bolstering the local economy. By intelligently linking rail and air transport, we offer our customers a seamless and convenient travel network, benefiting consumers and the environment,” Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG Harry Hohmeister said.
To encourage travellers even more to use the trail system, Lufthansa Group has decided to keep available for their passengers all its features such as reserving seats, connections guarantee, as well as first-class travel.
The train service from Hamburg to Munich is expected to begin in July, while the service from Berlin, Bremen, and Münster will start in December. Additionally, the train ride between Munich and Cologne will be shortened under four hours.
Domestic flights in Germany dropped by 12 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019, with the train companies registering record passenger numbers after the German citizens started following the example of Sweden to keep their feet on the ground and encourage sustainable travel.
Based on the data published by the German Aviation Association, the aviation sector accounts for 2.8 per cent of dioxide carbon emissions (CO2) all over the world.
Previously, France put forward a plan to suspend all short domestic flights within the country if they can be substituted by a train ride for two and a half hours or less to reduce the carbon emissions.