A major report commissioned by Hitachi Rail shows that two-thirds (64 per cent) of people around the world support banning air travel where high speed rail alternatives are available.
The survey, which was carried out by SavantaComres, collected data from 12,000 people in 12 different cities around the world: Berlin, Copenhagen, Dubai, London, Milan, Paris, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Warsaw and, Washington D.C. This is the second year in a row that Hitachi Rail has commissioned research on public transport.
It said that the study offers operators, policymakers, and transport planners powerful insights into what informs a person’s choice of transport when travelling within and between cities.
Demand for green long-distance travel is growing
The study showed that globally, peoples’ default choices for long distance travel (2.5 hours or more) are made up of 46 per cent choosing to drive, 34 per cent traveling by train and 16 per cent flying. How people travel is not set in stone though and respondents believe that their travel habits will change in the next five years. Globally, over one-third (35 per cent) expect to travel more by train, while 6 per cent believe they will travel more by plane and 17 per cent by car. When it comes to questions around funding more green travel, 56 per cent support raising air taxes to finance new high speed rail, with only one third against the idea.
Growing green long-distance public transport usage is critical to hitting carbon emission reduction targets and meeting global net zero requirements, and the research highlights how to achieve this modal shift. Of the respondents whose default long-distance travel mode was car or plane, 63 per cent would switch to traveling by train if it was an hour quicker and 75 per cent would switch to traveling by train if it was cheaper.
While sustainability factors may not drive how people travel – only an important factor to 14 per cent – the research does show that respondents back green legislative interventions. A significant majority (64 per cent) of respondents stated they would support banning short-haul flights where high-speed rail alternatives exist. With governments increasingly exploring legislative interventions to encourage green travel, it is notable that respondents in France – where a similar policy was enacted last year – were the most supportive of this proposal (75 per cent) out of anywhere globally.
Growing urban public transport
When travelling within cities, driving remains the most likely mode of transport for the majority of people, but other modes of transport are increasingly important, with train and bus ridership increasing by around one-third over the past year as part of a post-COVID revival. For commuters, 60 per cent of journeys involve a car, and 60 per cent involve another mode of transport.
Hitachi Rail added that barriers to boosting public transport usage remain. Crowding remains the single biggest barrier to people using public transport,(49 per cent, up 1 per cent from last year’s research); however, one of the issues associated with crowding – COVID-19 concerns – is no longer perceived as a major barrier (falling from 42 per cent to 16 per cent). In this context, 78 per cent would be more likely to use public transport if they could avoid crowding. Interestingly, this factor becomes consistently less relevant with age (84 per cent for 18-24yr olds versus 63 per cent for 65+ age bracket).
There is also a demand to use public transport more in the future, with 72 per cent saying they would be more likely to use public transport if it was better connected. This support ranges from as high as 87 per cent in Dubai and 85 per cent in Milan and Warsaw, to lower levels in Washington D.C. (56 per cent) and Copenhagen (57 per cent). Globally, almost half (49 per cent) would still support the idea of a better connected public transport system even if it were more expensive.
Giuseppe Marino, CEO of Hitachi Rail, said: “Policy makers and transport operators must take note of the high demand for better connected public transport. Almost two-thirds of people are prepared to see short haul flights banned where high speed rail alternatives exist, and 56 per cent of people also back increased air taxes to fund high speed rail.
“Our new research shows that there is a genuine demand for more green travel. Over one-third of people expect to travel more by train in the next five years and 72 per cent would use better connected urban transport even more. The challenge now as an industry is to continue to grow seamless and sustainable rail travel at pace to meet this global demand.”
See an in-depth overview and analysis of the data here.
