Brits are keen to ditch cars and planes for trains – but only if journeys are faster and more direct.
A new global survey by Hitachi Rail reveals 36% of UK passengers expect to travel more by train over the next five years.
But two clear things would push that number even higher: faster journeys (34%) and direct routes (35%). Overcrowding, meanwhile, remains the biggest gripe.
Hitachi, one of the UK’s major train manufacturers, says it has answers. Its battery-powered trains – with ranges up to 150km – can connect non-electrified routes, opening the door to more direct journeys. Its first battery train order will also boost seat numbers by around 20% on Grand Central services.
There’s also growing support for levelling the playing field between trains and planes. Nearly half (48%) of UK passengers back higher air taxes to fund rail improvements. More than half (57%) support a ban on short-haul flights where a good rail option already exists.
That shift is already showing up on the East Coast Mainline, where intercity train travel is now above pre-Covid levels – with services between London, Edinburgh and beyond often chosen over flights.
The survey, part of Hitachi’s third global transport trends report Better Connected, polled 11,000 people across the UK, Europe, North America and the UAE.
The message from UK respondents is clear – people want to travel by train, but only if it’s quick, direct and comfortable.
