The climate train will carry about 500 travelers from all over Europe from Amsterdam to Glasgow on October 30. YFST will join forces with ProRail, NS, Eurostar and Avanti West Coast to highlight how rail is a sustainable alternative to flying.
Travelling to London by Eurostar instead of plane emits up to 93% less CO2 per passenger and a freight train can replace an average of 56 trucks. Despite the sustainable advantage of trains, only 7% of all passengers and 11% of all goods in Europe travel by rail. Yet, with its 200,000 kilometers of track, Europe has one of the most intricate networks in the world.
With the EU Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy, vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans wants to give sustainable transport in Europe a boost. Setting a good example is part of this, with hundreds of passengers choosing to travel by train from the continent to Scotland for the COP26 climate summit.
Timmermans said, “What could be nicer than travelling by train to an international climate summit? The train is sustainable and provides a lot of comfort, whether you travel for work or pleasure. More and more passengers in Europe are recognizing the advantages of travelling by rail. We want to increase this number in the coming years by, for example, doubling the amount of high-speed train traffic and making international rail travel even easier. I am really looking forward to leaving for Glasgow by train with our delegation.”
The idea to travel to COP26 through Europe by rail started as a successful grassroots movement by YFST in cooperation with rail operator ProRail. The Climate Train then became a reality thanks to collaboration with carriers Eurostar, NS and Avanti West Coast (who were planning a service to the conference in Glasgow). The initiative is also supported by CER – the Community of European Railway and Infrastructure Companies, EIM – European Rail Infrastructure Managers and UIC – the International Union of Railways.
In 2019, young people from YFST, with the participation of ProRail, organized a sailing trip to the Climate Summit that was to be held in Chile. After the summit was moved to Madrid, they successfully called on other young people in Europe to visit the climate summit by train. This initiative, called Sail to the COP, is now followed up with Rail to the COP and comes in support of the EU Year of Rail 2021, in line with the European Union’s ambitions to promote the train as the sustainable alternative for travel and transport.
The climate train
Rail to the COP will bring together as diverse a group as possible from all over Europe. Young people, official delegations, mobility experts, NGOs and representatives of the railway sector are invited to travel by Eurostar from Amsterdam, Rotterdam or Brussels to London, where they will change to an Avanti West Coast train to Glasgow.
During the trip, Youth for Sustainable Travel and the rail partners will organize a series of debates and seminars to draw attention to the important role that rail and sustainable travel can play in achieving the global Climate Change Goals.