The case for replacing air travel with high-speed sleeper trains

One of the best work trips I ever took was the overnight train from London King's Cross to Edinburgh: I had a comfortable berth, went from city centre to city centre, arrived rested and refreshed, and did not have to endure the indignities and discomforts of air travel.

University of Westminster Senior Lecturer in Transport Planning Enrica Papa's editorial on the glories and possibilities of overnight rail as an alternative for many air journeys describes how the phenomenon of flygskam (Swedish: "flight shame") is giving rise to an overnight rail renaissance, with many European rail services reinstating and improving their overnight rail service -- for example, in 2022 you'll be able to take a sleeper car from Malmo to London, departing after dinner and arriving before lunch.

A recent study from the Netherlands found that passengers who travel for leisure purposes seem to be most attracted to the option of night trains. Its possible that night train services could simply generate new demand from these customers instead of substituting existing airline passengers. The researchers found that 40% of business travellers still opted to fly the day before and stay in a hotel instead, though many thought the relative comfort of sleeper trains was appealing.

Could sleeper trains replace international air travel? [Enrica Papa/The Conversation]

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