Rail vs air: The tool that aims to make European train journeys as easy as booking a flight
But while demand for holidays is surging, navigating Europe's complex and fragmented train networks has remained a challenge.
A new interactive mapping tool from slow travel specialist Byway hopes to change that.
The platform, which already helps travellers plan and book flight-free journeys, now offers a visual journey planner that lays out rail routes and connections in a clear, user-friendly way.
The goal? To make booking a multi-country train trip as seamless as booking a flight, something that has long been missing from Europe's rail system.
Why is it so difficult to book an international train journey in Europe?
For decades, Europe's train networks have been notoriously difficult to navigate for international travellers. There is no single, unified booking system across borders - not to mention differing regulations.
Instead, travellers must piece together tickets from different rail operators, often relying on multiple websites or even phone calls to secure their itinerary.
'The travel industry has always regarded international train travel as a black art, even back in the 1980s when it was a lot simpler and less fragmented than it is now,' says Mark Smith, creator of the popular online rail travel guide Man in Seat 61.
'Arranging holidays by rail rather than air has always required an army of staff to make all the arrangements, making it a high-cost operation.'
Byway's new tool is designed to change that by streamlining the planning and booking process, allowing travellers to create and price up their own itineraries in one place.
'Their new map interface is a bold attempt to let travellers do this themselves,' Smith says. 'And as a new generation emerges who expect to do everything online and are becoming reluctant to pick up the phone, people seem to like it.'
How does the new mapping tool work?
Byway Maps is designed to take the guesswork out of planning a rail journey. Users input their starting location and timeframe, and the tool generates suggested routes that incorporate train travel, accommodation and slow travel experiences along the way.
The platform currently features 160 destinations in 20 countries, with plans to expand further. Byway Maps doesn't just list train schedules, it also tailors itineraries for travellers that align with their interests and ensure smooth connections.
'Our goal is to make flight-free travel mainstream,' Byway founder Cat Jones said in a statement. 'This tool removes the biggest barriers to train travel: fragmented booking systems and complex route planning. Byway Maps makes the process effortless, so more people can experience the joy of slow travel.'
Why are more travellers choosing trains over planes?
The EU's high-speed railway network has nearly doubled in a decade, according to the latest official figures. Meanwhile, night trains are enjoying a revival, demand for greener travel options continues to grow and passenger numbers have surged. Eight billion people rode the rails for national journeys in 2023 – up nearly 68 per cent from 2020.
'When I started Seat61.com over 20 years ago, if someone told me why they were going from the UK to Spain or Italy or Budapest by train instead of by plane, they'd typically say they were afraid of flying, had a medical restriction, or just liked trains,' Smith explains.
'Now they say two things: they are fed up with the airport and airline experience, and they want to cut their emissions. It's almost becoming mainstream again.'
The environmental benefits are hard to ignore. Figures from the International Energy Agency (IEA) show that where air travel generates more than 250 grams of carbon per passenger per kilometre, rail travel accounts for just 34 grams.
With trains producing significantly fewer emissions, choosing rail over air travel is one of the most effective ways for individuals to reduce their carbon footprint.
New European Interrail and night trains are launching, rail passes are becoming more flexible and tools like Byway's make itineraries easier to build. The golden age of train travel could be making a comeback.
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