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THE CYCLE – REDUCE
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they can often be a good alternative, capable of competing on time for distances
of up to 800 kilometres or so once you include the time spent getting to and
In most cases, trains are the preferred option for travelling in the most climate-
friendly way. How much they actually save depends on how many people are on
the train and what energy source it uses. Trains in Switzerland for example run on
electricity from a mix of hydroelectric and nuclear power. In Norway they use 95
per cent hydroelectric power. In France, trains run on nuclear power, as most of the
country’s electricity is nuclear-based.
Europe has probably the most elaborate transnational train network in the
world, but also a wide range of low-cost airlines offering cheap fares and frequent
departures to numerous destinations. Apart from the price of a ticket, complicated
connections and sometimes unfavourable timetables often put planes ahead in
competing for customers.
To improve their services seven European high-speed rail operators have founded
Railteam with the aim of offering integrated high-speed rail travel between major
European cities and competing with airlines on punctuality, pricing and speed. The
launch of a consistent ticketing system on a single website is planned for 2009.
1980
1970
1990
2000
1985
1975
2004
1995
0
200
400
600
800
1 000
1 200
1 400
1 600
1 800
2 000
The boom in air travel
Other countries
United States
Number of air transport passengers per year (millions)
?
Sources: World Development Indicators, World Bank online database, 2007;
International Civil Aviation Organization, 2006.