While there’s nothing faster than air travel point-to-point, it seems there’s nothing slower than airports to grind those time savings to a halt. The congested roadways, shopping mall-sized terminals, the interminable lines to check in and pass through security, and baggage claim delays upon arrival all accumulate to make what should be a quick trip a very slow affair. Now with heightened security at Europe’s airports, the increasing delays are driving more European travelers to seek alternatives to flying.
GoEuro, the three-year-old search engine for comparing and booking rail, coach and flight travel across Europe, has studied ten major intra-Europe travel routes and has found that – when including wait time and airport transits – the train gets travelers to their destination faster every time.
On all 10 routes, train travel saved about an hour or more compared to flying. The five routes from Brussels however saved between two and more than four hours against flying. From Brussels to Paris, for example, the train was 4 hours and 8 minutes faster than flying between the capitals, the most time saved on the list. Similarly, London to Paris was one hour and 41 minutes quicker by train, and travel from Madrid to both Barcelona and Seville were each an hour and 5 minutes faster by rail.
GoEuro, the three-year-old search engine for comparing and booking rail, coach and flight travel across Europe, has studied ten major intra-Europe travel routes and has found that – when including wait time and airport transits – the train gets travelers to their destination faster every time.
On all 10 routes, train travel saved about an hour or more compared to flying. The five routes from Brussels however saved between two and more than four hours against flying. From Brussels to Paris, for example, the train was 4 hours and 8 minutes faster than flying between the capitals, the most time saved on the list. Similarly, London to Paris was one hour and 41 minutes quicker by train, and travel from Madrid to both Barcelona and Seville were each an hour and 5 minutes faster by rail.
| From | To | Duration Train | Duration Flight Incl. waits & transits | Time difference | |
| 1 | Brussels | Paris | 1:22:00 | 5:30:00 | 4:08:00 |
| 2 | Brussels | London | 2:18:00 | 5:36:00 | 3:18:00 |
| 3 | Brussels | Amsterdam | 1:50:00 | 5:05:00 | 3:15:00 |
| 4 | Brussels | Lyon | 3:29:00 | 5:50:00 | 2:21:00 |
| 5 | Brussels | Frankfurt | 3:05:00 | 5:15:00 | 2:10:00 |
| 6 | London | Paris | 2:16:00 | 3:57:00 | 1:41:00 |
| 7 | Barcelona | Madrid | 2:30:00 | 3:35:00 | 1:05:00 |
| 8 | Madrid | Sevilla | 2:20:00 | 3:25:00 | 1:05:00 |
| 9 | Rome | Milan | 2:51:00 | 3:50:00 | 0:59:00 |
| 10 | Dusseldorf | Amsterdam | 2:13:00 | 3:10:00 | 0:57:00 |
Naren Shaam, CEO and founder of GoEuro said, “Perhaps it’s that U.S. travelers are more used to booking air travel thanks to the proliferation of airline online booking engines or just because distances are significantly longer in the U.S., but with the expected worsening of airport security delays this summer, looking at rail options for traveling in Europe would be a smart move. Train travel in Europe is not only faster, it’s often more comfortable and time-efficient in that you don’t need to turn off your electronic devices aboard the train. Many trains even have Wifi onboard and plugs to keep your devices charged.”
GoEuro covers rail, coach and air travel in 11 countries and offers passengers the best possible transport options and combinations based on price, duration, and convenience – all in the user’s native language and currency.
Travelers may use GoEuro to plan trips to more than 30,000 destinations all over Europe, not just to major cities and airports like many sites. GoEuro compares rail, coach and air travel options in a single search, eliminating the need to visit multiple websites to plan the entire journey.
