Is Eurostar a better option than flying?
Written by Karen Bryan
Taking the decision to travel to Europe by rail on Eurostar really depends on where you live in the UK and your final destination.
If you want to travel from the south of England to northern France, Holland or Belgium it may be quicker and less hassle to take Eurostar from Waterloo, London, than to fly. You can just arrive a few minutes before the train is due to depart, no getting out to the airport to check in hours before your flight. You can arrive directly in the city centre of your destination, no waiting for luggage at the airport and then getting in the city centre of your destination. It could also be cheaper, you don’t have to pay Air Passenger Duty etc and it is a much greener way to travel than all the CO2 emissions caused by flying.
Well that’s the theory but is it true in reality?
[...] Have you consciously chosen to make any trips by Eurostar rather than flying? For me it’s back to the old story that it depends where you live in the UK. If you live in the south east of England, Eurostar is a option even for short breaks. [...]
Things have moved on since this post was penned. Eurostar now operates from St Pancras, making it an easy connection for passengers travelling from the North. The post by Andy Hayes on here makes the case for rail. http://www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog/2010/01/29/5-reasons-why-rather-travel-europe-by-train/
I do not enjoy air travel as much as rail travel. I usually travel between the North of the UK and Brussels by train. It is slightly slower but if booked in advance compares well in cost terms.
Carbon dioxide emissions are only half of the story. Oil is a finite resource, which is very close to peak production. Once production can no longer keep up with demand, prices will rise exponentially. This is market economics. Air travel will once again be the preserve of the super rich.
It is probably the real reason the Heathrow third runway has been cancelled. It was predicted that the numbers of passengers using Heathrow by 2030 would double. That would require a doubling of oil production.
John – thanks for your comment. My goodness this is an old post dating from 2006, soon after the blog was launched. However it still pretty pertinent. I don’t think I’d consider taking the train from Berwick upon Tweed, in north eastern corner of England, to mainland Europe with current pricing and the longer journey time, although the Eurostar terminal now being at St Pancras would make the overall rail journey a bit simpler, as I’d arrive in Kings Cross on the East Coast mainline from Berwick.