Resource library

Evidence, reports and toolkits for making the switch from air to rail.

Cover of report titled 'The Railways Mean Business' with subtext 'Attracting Business Travelers from Air to Rail'. Features a man in business attire sitting at a table on a train, working on a laptop and talking on a phone.

  • Our 2007 report The Railways Mean Business showed that rail was more punctual, productive, and less stressful than flying between Scotland and London, and challenged the misconceptions that saw 75% of business trips being made by plane.

Businessman working on a laptop with a report titled 'On track for business: Why Scottish businesses should try the train,' featuring the Transform Scotland logo.

  • Our 2012 report On Track for Business highlighted how upgrades to the East Coast rail route had made train travel faster, as well as greener and more productive than flying. We called for both the government and businesses to support sustainable travel through policies and investment.

Graphic showing a stylized train and text promoting sustainable travel options from Scotland to London, highlighting the environmental benefits of switching from air to rail.

  • Our 2017 report A Green Journey to Growth showed that rising rail use between Central Scotland and London had already cut nearly 700,000 tonnes of carbon, with market share climbing from 20% to 33%.

Cover page of a report titled 'Doing their Duty?' with illustrations of a girl riding a bicycle, a person driving a small red car, and a modern train, promoting sustainable transport in Scotland. The report is by Aoife Parker-Hedderman, November 2013, with the Transform Scotland logo at the bottom.

  • In 2013, we scrutinised the travel habits of the public sector, finding that 74% of Scottish public sector trips to London were by air. We called on public bodies to ‘do their duty’ and lead the way in cutting climate emissions from aviation.

Cover of a report titled 'Fight or Flight' with a blue sky and white clouds, featuring an airplane in flight and the logo of Transform Scotland.

  • Our Fight or Flight report showed rail had overtaken air for public sector trips to London, but with just 1 in 5 top fliers setting air travel targets, most public bodies are still falling short. We called for public bodies to commit to set absolute emissions reductions targets and to commit to taking the train for UK trips.

Cover of a report titled 'Ideas for Investment: How to generate revenue for sustainable transport in Scotland, November 2024,' featuring a city street with buses, pedestrians, and a rising yellow graph line overlaid.

  • Our Ideas for Investment report set out a portfolio of options available to Scotland to raise funds for sustainable transport improvements, following the polluter pays principle. Chapter 4 recommends replacing Air Passenger Duty with a Frequent Flyer Levy to cut aviation emissions and support investment in alternatives like rail.

Travel Smart. Rail First for Business

  • Travel Smart is a global campaign led by Transport & Environment to cut corporate air travel emissions by promoting rail over plane for short-haul trips. With partners across Europe, North America, and Asia, it supports businesses to adopt ‘rail first’ policies and lead on sustainable travel.

Book cover titled 'The Man in Seat 61: How to travel by train from London to Edinburgh', featuring a man with a beard and mustache wearing a red shirt, sitting on a train with windows showing the station platform.

  • The Man in Seat 61 is a useful resource for travellers looking to reduce their environmental impact by choosing train travel over flying. The website has a comprehensive suite of guides for routes – whether from London to Edinburgh, or from the UK to China via the Silk Route.

Infographics

Infographics

Infographic showing carbon footprints in grams of CO2e per passenger for various modes of transport, with short-haul and long-haul flights, car, bus, rail, tram, and ferry, by mode of transport.
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Comparison of carbon footprints of air and rail travel, with an airplane representing air travel and a train representing rail travel, highlighting the lower CO2 emissions per passenger for rail.
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