The train is cheaper than the plane for direct connections within France; air travel remains unbeatable for journeys within Europe.

Traveling by train in France is on average cheaper than traveling by plane, unless there is a connection, and air travel remains unbeatable for travel within Europe: all arguments for rebalancing measures in the name of climate, according to reports published Thursday, July 3.

The French consumer protection association UFC-Que Choisir looked at the prices of rail, air and road travel in France, taking as a basis the 48 busiest air routes in the country and following two typical scenarios: "A summer holiday for a couple or a family with two teenagers, and a weekend for two adults." "The train is competitive when there are direct rail links, particularly on radial routes (from or to Paris). In the summer scenario, 60% of journeys are cheaper by train than by plane. On these routes, the train is on average half the price of the plane," according to UFC-Que Choisir.

"Conversely, in both the first and second scenarios, many cross-country journeys (province to province), especially when a change of train is necessary, turn out to be cheaper by plane, by 37% on average ," the consumer association specifies. "As for the car, it is especially attractive in the family scenario: a third of journeys are the cheapest, compared to the train and the plane, by 30% on average compared to the train and 44% compared to the plane."

"To make the train a truly accessible and universal alternative (option) , UFC-Que Choisir recommends, among other things , "strengthening the rail offer" , particularly across the board, increasing the threshold for banning domestic flights to four hours when an alternative rail route exists, compared to two and a half hours currently, or even "establishing advantageous fares for families" .

In the midst of the climate emergency, UFC-Que Choisir points out that "over [a] long distance, the train is by far the most virtuous mode of transport" , quoting the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME): "A TGV journey emits on average only 2.9 grams of CO2 _per passenger-kilometer, compared to around 331 grams for a short-distance plane and up to 256 grams for a car used alone (128 grams for two passengers and 64 grams for four passengers)."

The Climate Action Network (RAC), citing a Greenpeace report expected this summer, has extended the issue to European routes, where "the train is on average 2.5 times more expensive than the plane ," a "total aberration" according to the group. "On the Paris-Rome route, which carries more than 2 million air passengers each year, the cheapest plane ticket is around 70 euros on average, compared to 210 euros for a train ticket," notes the RAC.

To rebalance competition, the latter advocates for "the end of air tax loopholes" by increasing the tax on airline tickets to a level that would compensate for the absence of a tax on kerosene. The RAC would thus like to finance the subsidy of one train ticket per year at a reduced rate (29 euros return) for "all French people" , "really" relaunch night trains, in particular connections between regions, and lower rail tolls for the TGV.