Today, the train is the least polluting mode of transport. The TGV emits 75 times less CO2 than the plane. According to an Ipsos poll, 65% of young French people prefer the plane, and its often attractive prices, to go on vacation. But, for those who want to be green, the choice of train is not easy, because of the high price of tickets.
In the hall of the Gare de l’Est in Paris, backpack on her shoulders, Alice, a 23-year-old graphic designer, returns to Berlin. Nine hours by train await the young woman who no longer flies. An ecological choice for this French expatriate. ” I realized that I had traveled a lot by plane and that I had to limit my carbon footprint. This summer I’m going to Sardinia from Berlin, by train and boat. “Alice is aware that this choice is not available to everyone, ” I have a flexible schedule, telecommuting and no real money constraints. »
The price of the train, a brake for young people
Giving up the plane is also the choice of Aéla, 25, on an end-of-study internship in Paris. His companion is studying in Madrid this semester. Faced with the price of train tickets, this month of June, Aéla was forced to betray her convictions to see him. ” To travel, if the train is too expensive, I choose the bus. But, for Paris-Madrid, it was 4 p.m. and I had three days off, so I flew.”. The Paris-Madrid train trip cost him 232 euros, for a seven-hour trip, while the plane cost 148 euros for two hours. ” I felt guilty, it’s a selfish choice to fly just to see my boyfriend, I won’t do it again”says Aela.
Even without leaving France, the price of trains can be prohibitive, regrets Luna, 22, an art student. A Parisian, she visits her grandparents in Nice every summer. ” In recent years, with my exams, I did not know when to leave and from the beginning of the summer the Paris-Nice train was already far too expensive, so I took the plane.. In 2023, Luna was able to anticipate as early as March, “the plane was less expensive, but the train remained affordable for once, I didn’t hesitate. »
” Anticipate “ , this is what a spokesperson for the SNCF advises to obtain the cheapest train tickets. For young people, the company also offers several incentive offers: such as the Youth Card at 49 euros per year, which guarantees a 30% reduction on tickets and a price increase of 79 euros. The Max young subscription allows those under 27 to take advantage of a selection of trains at 0 euros, during periods of low traffic, for 79 euros per month.
But, an increase in demand from travelers has made youth Max tickets rarer. Several users are disappointed, like Elio, a 24-year-old Bordeaux resident living in Paris, who refuses to take domestic flights. He subscribed to Max young, two years ago, but, “ since last year there are few free tickets, he says. A week ago, I paid a Paris-Bordeaux round trip for 120 euroswhen I already pay 79 euros per month is too expensive. »
Tax the plane
If the train in France is so expensive, it is because of the ” tolls » railway companies must pay to run their trains. ” Tolls represent around 40% of the price of a train ticket “Explains the spokesperson for the SNCF. This sum is used to maintain the rail network. ” There is also VAT “she adds.
The very attractive prices of the aircraft are due to the absence of VAT for international flights, as well as the non-taxation of kerosene, the fuel for aircraft. This thanks to a European directive on energy taxation. ” There should be a tax on kerosene to increase the price of the plane so that it pays for its enormous climate impact “, annoys Victor Thevenet, head of the train program at Transport & Environment.
The European organization is looking for ways to decarbonize the plane, but ” we won’t have the technology by 2050 to have 100% clean planes and therefore we won’t be able to respect the Paris climate agreement, if we don’t make a lot of transfers to the train “, explains Victor Thevenet. And, the price of the train, “ this is the main obstacle to this postponement, among young people, but also for families. Lowering the price of the train is an ecological necessity”he believes.
Travel differently
To do this, Victor Thevenet has thought of several solutions: opening up to competition, lowering the price of tolls and VAT, for French trains and also for night trains across Europe. ” Pto compensate, it would require a major subsidy for the train, which requires political courage on the part of the French state and the EU. Announcements are made by the EU, but there is nothing concrete and massive “, he continues.
Member countries have taken initiatives to make the train more affordable. In Germany, a ticket at 49 euros per month allows travel on the German transport network, except for high-speed trains. ” There is an imaginary to recreate around travel. The plane was dominant for 20 years. You have to rethink a slower journey by train and tell yourself that weekends by plane are over”concludes Victor Thevenet.