Episode 3: The future of rail. Can train travel in Europe be a practical, affordable, low-emissions alternative to air travel?

Sponsored by ⁠⁠Lemongrass⁠

Holly and Richard, along with their guests Bjorn Bender, CEO and Executive Chairman of RailEurope, Mark Smith of The Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com), and Sarah Fussey, Marketing Director of Inntravel, discuss the future of rail.

The message from all our guests is loud and clear. Rail is here to stay and will get bigger and better but there’s a few key steps that the industry needs to take first: 

Campaign for more competitors on routes 

Work with third-parties to gain the booking benefits needed to compete with flights 

Focus on communicating the convenience and affordability of rail 

Tune in now to hear our guests debating the future of rail, how the travel industry can jump on board, and their top rail booking hacks.

Let us know what you think in the comments below, and please do like/ follow/ rate/ subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear. 

“What’s happening in rail now is what happened in aviation 20 years ago, and it is going to benefit customers with lower prices and more services.” Bjorn Bender, CEO RailEurope

“When we survey customers about why they want to get the train, it's about the experience and being able to get under the skin of the places that they're traveling in, which of course rail is brilliant for.” Sarah Fussy, Marketing Director, Inntravel

“The elephant in the room is that public policy is designed to get us flying. Austria, Germany, and other countries charge VAT on international train tickets for the same journey where there's no VAT on air travel. And of course, airlines get a massive hidden subsidy because their aviation fuel is tax free.” Mark Smith, Man in Seat 61

Find out more about our guests in this episode:

Bjorn Bender, CEO and Executive Chairman of RailEurope

Mark Smith of The Man in Seat 61 (seat61.com)

Sarah Fussey, Marketing Director of Inntravel

Show notes

Liberalisation of European railways leads to cheaper train tickets

Duetsche Bahn releases ticket sales 12 months in advance

The new Nightjet sleeper service

Inntravel’s Journey’s by Rail

Eurail/ Interrail passes

Rail Europe for tour operators and agents

Holly and Richard regularly write about travelling in Europe by rail. You can find extensive guides to flight-free journeys across Europe at https://www.greentraveller.co.uk/flight-free-journey-planner, and find some of Holly’s articles at https://www.hollytuppen.com/journalism 

Follow for more:

Lemongrass PR 

Holly Tuppen  

Richard Hammond

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It’s a Journey is a brand new podcast series hosted by Holly Tuppen, sustainable travel writer and expert, and Richard Hammond, Publishing Director of Green Traveller Media. Sponsored by Lemongrass, the first five episodes tackle the uncomfortable, complex, and often overlooked questions facing the travel industry as it strives to have a better impact on people and places.

Thanks for listening! Please submit any questions or comments to ⁠itsajourneypodcast@gmail.com⁠

Get in touch about opportunities at ⁠itsajourney.fm

Episode ID: 1000719604828

GUID: 306f5cf3-3396-4177-af91-a23779dc6979

Release Date: 29/07/2025, 12:30:00