Rail boss predicts demise of domestic air travel

Domestic air travel could become "the choice of the minority" with some cities not being linked by air at all, says the chairman of the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC).

ATOC director of corporate affairs Edward Welsh made the remarks as his organization released new figures indicating Brits travelling from city to city are becoming more likely to take the train instead of flying.

ATOC says the economic climate has fostered an 18-month boost in intercity rail travel as people take up offers on cheap rail tickets.

The figures show that:

* from Birmingham to Edinburgh, market share has gone up from 14% in 2008 to 31% in June this year
* from London to Manchester, market share has gone up from 69% in 2008 to 85% in June this year
* from Birmingham to Glasgow, market share has gone up from 15% in 2008 to 27% in 2010 this year
* from London to Glasgow, market share has gone up from 12% in 2008 to 21% in June this year.

Said Welsh: "If these trends continue, we can expect domestic air to become the choice of the minority, with flying between some cities disappearing altogether."

The figures show that between 2006 and 2009, total journeys by rail on the ten most popular domestic air routes went up by 31% while those using air travel dropped by 20%.

The volcanic ash cloud also plays a part in the statistics in the first half of 2010 but interestingly the figures show that rail market share remained higher after the ash cloud on the ten most popular domestic air routes. This indicates that many people switched to rail out of necessity but then stuck with the transport choice after the crisis was over.

Said Welsh: "It is clear that a fundamental shift in the way that people get around the country is taking place. Ever greater numbers of people choosing rail travel to get between our big cities is good news for the environment, and shows the importance of the railways in supporting the economy.

"The volcanic ash cloud led to a spike in rail journey numbers as train operators laid on extra services to get people around the country. But this merely accelerated a trend seen in recent years, most notably last year, when tough financial times led people to opt for the train.

"Considerable improvements have been made on the railways in the last few years to cut journey times, run more frequent services and to make services even better for passengers.

"Rail passenger satisfaction has never been higher, punctuality has never been better, the number of complaints has never been lower and investment in rail has never been more sustained - which all adds up to great value for money."

With permission from Travelmole