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Train vs Plane Calculator: Emissions, Time and Real Cost

Free tool

Train or plane? Compare them door to door.

A two-hour flight is rarely a two-hour journey. Put your route in and see carbon, total time including getting to and from the terminal, and the real cost of each option.

This calculator needs JavaScript. The method and the numbers behind it are written out below, so you can work it through by hand if you prefer.

Your route
km
Straight-line distance is fine. Rail distance is usually a little longer.
people
The flight
$
hours
hours
Getting there, security, boarding, and getting out the other end.
$
kg/km
Per passenger per km. 0.158 is a common short-haul economy figure; change it if you have a better one.
The train
$
hours
hours
Stations are usually central, so this is normally far smaller than the airport figure.
$
kg/km
Per passenger per km. European electrified rail is commonly quoted around 0.03 to 0.04.

How this is worked out

  • Carbon is distance times a per-passenger factor, multiplied by travellers and by two for a return. The factors are inputs, not fixed constants, because they vary a great deal by aircraft, load factor, country and how the electricity is generated.
  • The flight default of 0.158 kg per passenger-kilometre is a commonly published short-haul economy figure. The rail default of 0.035 is in the range usually quoted for electrified European rail. Both are starting points: if your operator publishes its own number, use that instead.
  • Door-to-door time counts time in the air or on board PLUS the terminal time you entered. That is the comparison that matters, and it is the one most flight-versus-train arguments leave out.
  • Cost counts the fare plus transfers to and from the terminal, for everyone travelling, in both directions if you chose return. It does not include baggage fees, seat selection or on-board food.
  • The last line divides the extra cost of the train by the extra time it takes, which turns the decision into a number you can judge: it is what an hour saved is costing you.

Why is the airport figure so much larger than the station figure?

Because it usually is. Airports sit outside cities and ask you to arrive well before departure; stations are typically central and you can board minutes before the train leaves. If your airport is unusually close, lower the number and see what happens to the comparison.

Does this include the full climate effect of flying?

No. The default factor counts carbon dioxide from fuel burn. Aviation has additional warming effects at altitude, and some published figures apply a multiplier of roughly 1.7 to 1.9 to account for them. If you want that included, raise the flight factor accordingly.

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