The benefits of train travel
13 good reasons to take the train
Trains are better. Especially if you're going from Britain to Europe. The time “saved” by taking a flight is an absolute myth. We challenge you to find a quicker way from London to Paris or Brussels than the Eurostar.
Are you sick of taking a “cheap” flight only to be dropped miles from the city centre? Taking a taxi from the airport negates the savings you've made on your bargain flight ticket. The train takes you from city centre to city centre. Some city centre train stations (like London St Pancras, Antwerp Central or Liége-Guillemins) are even tourist attractions in themselves.
And by the kilo baggage charges don't apply on trains. So bringing back pressies from your trip is no longer considered a capital offense. Nor is using your laptop and mobile phone going to get you a talking down from a member of staff. And here at SNCB Europe, we'll never charge you to use the toilet. And what about the roughing up you get at security, where harried travellers are forced to hop around shoeless and beltless (and liquid-less and nail clippers-less)? Nervous airport staff put us on edge and put us off. We at SNCB Europe like to do our holidays differently.
With train travel, the two hours spent hanging around airports are gone, too. Your journey begins on board when you nestle into your seat. The scenery through the window is often reason enough to take a train. Plus, you don't have to wait for the sharp-elbowed jostling of the baggage collection area before your holiday really starts. And don't forget, on trains you can wander around, with lots more space to stretch your legs, or visit the bar for a tipple or a hot meal.
You can also kiss goodbye to travel fatigue. Train travel is famously refreshing. And bye-bye airline food that costs the earth and tastes like, well, airline food. If you are kept awake at night worrying about rising carbon emissions caused by international air travel, you could choose to stay at home and never go abroad again. Or, you could choose to take the train. In 2006 Eurostar commissioned independent research to compare the level of CO2 per passenger produced by train and air travel. It showed that train travel produces a staggering 90% less pollution.
But you don't have to be a tree-hugger to see that the train is a better choice. 
