The Growing Appeal of Train Travel in Europe
Traveling across Europe by train is becoming an increasingly attractive option, not just for its environmental benefits but also for the unique experiences it offers. Trains emit significantly less CO2 per passenger-km compared to planes, and when powered by renewable energy sources, their eco-friendly advantage becomes even more pronounced. Overland holidays are on the rise, driven not only by sustainability concerns but also by a desire for adventure, the pleasure of the journey, and the convenience of avoiding airports.
Companies like Byway, which specialize in flight-free travel, have seen a remarkable increase in bookings, doubling their numbers from 2024 to 2025. They are now collaborating with Tui, one of the largest holiday companies, to help customers transition from flying to trains, ferries, and coaches. Similarly, Co-op Holidays has reported a 26% year-on-year growth in bookings for rail trips, highlighting the growing interest in this mode of travel.
Extensive Rail Networks Make Train Travel Competitive
Europe boasts over 8,000km of high-speed rail lines, primarily in Western Europe, making routes such as Paris-Barcelona, Brussels-Frankfurt, or Innsbruck-Rome time-competitive with flying. In Central Europe, the dense network of night trains provides an alternative to hotel stays, allowing travelers to save time while sleeping. These options make train travel not only environmentally responsible but also practical and efficient.
However, despite these advantages, booking a European rail holiday independently can be a frustrating experience. Travelers often find themselves juggling multiple browser tabs to plan routes and purchase tickets, along with several apps to monitor delays or changes during the journey. This complexity is especially surprising given the popularity of train travel, and it highlights a major issue: the ticketing system for cross-border rail travel remains outdated and cumbersome.
A Report Highlights the Challenges of Cross-Border Ticketing
A recent report by the Brussels-based pressure group Transport & Environment (T&E) sheds light on the scale of the problem. According to the research, booking an international train ticket takes 70% longer than booking a flight. The study also found that on almost half of the international routes analyzed, tickets could not be purchased from the most-used rail websites in each country. Additionally, 61% of long-distance rail passengers have avoided journeys due to the complicated booking process.
Independent platforms like Trainline and Omio offer some relief by selling tickets for routes not available on national railway sites. However, they introduce another challenge: wildly varying prices depending on the platform used. Surcharges may apply, and ticket prices can spike if a platform lacks access to the right data. For instance, a Munich-Budapest booking might result in a higher price if MÁV (Hungarian) data isn’t accessible.
Outdated Systems and Commercial Interests Hinder Progress
T&E attributes these issues to outdated ticketing systems within railway companies. However, the current system also has commercial benefits. For example, France’s state-owned SNCF could sell tickets for Italy’s Trenitalia, and vice versa, if either company chose to. The technology exists, but both companies prefer to protect their national monopoly positions rather than improve the customer experience.
Booking the best price for a Paris-Milan train journey, let alone a trip with multiple changes like Lille-Milan or Paris-Naples, becomes extremely difficult. And this is before considering the additional challenge that trains are often more expensive than flights, as documented by Greenpeace.
Regulatory Changes May Improve the Situation
Despite these challenges, change may be on the horizon. The European Commission, frustrated by the railway industry’s inability to resolve these issues independently, is set to introduce new regulations aimed at streamlining the booking process.
“Cross-border train travel is still too difficult for many citizens,” the report from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen explained. “To this end, we will propose a single digital booking and ticketing regulation, to ensure that Europeans can buy one single ticket on one single platform and get passengers’ rights for their whole trip.”
Before this regulation becomes law, the European Parliament and EU countries in the Council will need to weigh in. How this negotiation unfolds will shape how rail tickets are planned and booked for years to come. Key debates include the platforms customers will use to purchase international tickets and whether these should be tools from state railways or independent alternatives with better data access. Additionally, rules regarding compensation, emergency accommodation, and re-routing during disruptions must be clarified.
Transport & Environment has done rail passengers a service by outlining the scale of the problem and why these issues need to be addressed. Now, the responsibility falls on EU institutions to determine how to implement these changes effectively.
