Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The experts were asked to assess whether certain aspects of travel for tourism
purposes would become less or more important in 2030. The author concluded
that environmental motivations would be far more important than now, and
especially in relation to the use of the train as a replacement for air travel. There
will, however, be increasing consumer expectations regarding flexibility of
travel, but equally regarding the environmental consequence of each mode. The
implication for railways is that they will have to become more integrated with
other forms of access at destinations and within the tourism sector to meet the
needs of future travellers. The German train company Deutsche Bahn, for exam-
ple, established a project, Fahrtziel Nature (Destination Nature), to encourage
travel by rail and bus, and to walk and cycle, to national parks, nature reserves,
and so on in 2001. There are now 18 locations served in this way.
The other dimension to consider is the impact of climatic change and
changing weather on railway operation and networks, which is currently lim-
ited, across Europe (Koetse and Rietveld, 2009). However, rising sea levels
and increasing frequency of extreme weather events have greater potential to
disrupt rail transport. For example, flash floods and landslides have damaged
railways across many parts of Latin America in recent decades. Given the lack
of capital to rebuild railways, these events have effectively jeopardized future
development of many lines which remain in disuse. For example, the
Tacuarembó to Rivera route in Uruguay, which has potential to attract tourist
markets, has not been reinstated since falling into disuse. Similarly, extensive
sections of railway in Africa are inoperable as a result of damage inflicted in
civil wars or by extreme weather events. These are unlikely to be reopened in
the foreseeable future.
The following case study, Tread Lightly, explores the environmental con-
siderations of Eurostar operating high-speed train services from London to
Paris and Brussels. This illustrates the carbon efficiency of train travel and the
mechanisms being employed by the railway industry to improve efficiency in
coming years. Train travel is often synonymous with slow travel, and assum-
ing that railway companies retain or even develop entire networks, and not
just high-speed lines, the future looks good.
Case study: Tread Lightly
Whilst the train is considered less environmentally damaging than the car and
aeroplane, there are still opportunities to make this form of transport more
sustainable (Russell, 2007). This case study aims to illustrate ways in which
companies can lessen their environmental impact. It focuses on the train oper-
ating company, Eurostar, which operates services from London to Brussels
and Paris and to the Alps. These services operate on a frequent daily basis,
with the exception of the routes to the Alps and Avignon which are weekly,
seasonal services.
In 2006, the company commissioned a study of CO
2
emissions per pas-
senger on Eurostar in comparison to air travel to the cities which it serves. The
report undertaken by an environmental consultancy, Paul Watkiss Associates,
concluded that air travel accounted for ten times more CO
2
emissions. The
