An airline collaborating with a train operator to replace flights with high speed trains

High speed with low environmental impact

In collaboration with train operator Thalys and NS Dutch Railways, KLM has replaced one of its five daily flights between Brussels and Amsterdam with a high-speed train. The train offers a sustainable alternative to the flight connection between Brussels and Amsterdam Schiphol.

At the time of writing, air travel accounts for around 2 – 2,5% of global emissions and that share is thought to increase manifold by 2050. Domestic and short distance flights have a higher environmental impact per person and per mile than long flights, but luckily, those are the flights that can be replaced by other forms of transportation without severely compromising speed and comfort.

KLM aims to continue replacing its short-distance flights with rail connections as long as they match the comfort, price and speed of air travel. The Brussels – Amsterdam train ride takes 93 minutes, 48 minutes longer than the corresponding flight, but that does not take into account the often more inconvenient location of airports, as well as longer check-in time compared to train stations.