TRAINS, PLANES AND AUTOMOBILES
Transport in Britain : Driving Tourists Out?

Rail Travel - Lessons Learned from Europe:
Michael Birtles , Managing Director, European Rail

Thanks to Flo for inviting me to talk at this conference and to Roger for briefing us on the current state of play of air transport.

European Rail is not as you might think a state run company run by the European Community - there is no such thing. That is the reason I started my company European Rail, we are the only independent rail agency co-ordinating all the offers and routes of the separate organizations like SNCF and DB. Because they offer different routes and fares and being the major players in the European Rail market this means we can offer the widest range of routes and fares for the UK market. We have just launched a programme of self-guided rail holidays www.eRail.co.uk building on the growing demand for train travel and have relocated to larger offices off York Way.

Trains in Europe are seen as part of the solution to an integrated travel policy, not the somewhat negative connotations in the UK to be put up with as a commuter or if you don't drive. The prime example is Switzerland where as long ago as 1970's the growth in car ownership threatened to overwhelm the motorway network and ruin the environment. The rebirth of the rail network was seen as key component of travel system integrated with the buses and ferries with subsidized fares and loyalty cards to attract families out of their cars. For many inter-city journeys, the train has maintained it position as a preferred choice for comfort and convenience.

The European Rail network has been much enhanced in the past 30 years with many new lines opening such as the TGV Est line from Paris to Strasbourg with speeds of up to 200 mph. High speed lines have also opened all over Spain, France, Germany and Italy, which together with state of the art carriages now make this a very attractive travel option for example Madrid - Seville, Rome - Florence. The spacious carriages are airconditioned with connections for lap tops, unrestricted use of mobiles, many offer quality meal service at your seat in 1st class - this makes for a very conducive atmosphere whether working or relaxing. It is for these reasons we have created eRail holidays, a series of 20 weekend and luxury breaks with itineraries as diverse as a weekend in the elegant resort of Chantilly home of horse racing to the Grand tour of Italy visiting Rome, Florence and Venice using comfortable overnight trains to get to and from the UK.

To give you an idea of how the market if growing, the current Eurostar figure of around 8 million is expected to grow to 15 million in the next 5 years. Like the airlines, the railways are creating an alliance called Railteam to smooth journeys where you change train - this should further increase numbers. Growth in business travel on French Railways over the last year has been 9% as they desert not only the plane but also leave the car at home, so there are huge environmental benefits.

For the 2012 Olympics, a £210 million station is being built at Stratford, this was intended to be a stop on the way from say Manchester to Paris. Unfortunately this will not happen, so only during the Olympics will the Eurostar stop there. Just as well there are many other domestic trains stopping there as I read yesterday there will be no public parking at the site. This is a sea change in our attitude to the predominance of car travel. As regards flying even Rough guides recognize the need to minimize air travel, in their Barcelona guide 'we all have a responsibility to limit our personal impact on global warming, and that means giving thought to how often we fly'

Certainly for rail journeys up to 6 hours rail is competitive timewise. Taking the train avoids airport transfers, long check ins, interminable queues for security, on the positive side a less fragmented journey experience making it an attractive option for travelling to Cologne and Lyons. Many travellers concerned at the size of their carbon footprint are now actively seeking rail holidays such as our eRail product as much for the more relaxing experience than for the environment. It is our belief at European Rail that the train will become the new short haul travel of the future as governments react to increasing environmental concerns and the need for key airport to allocate slots for long haul flights.

Michael Birtles