Study: Trains could replace more than 5.000 flights from Schiphol

A study has found that trains could replace more than 5.000 regularly scheduled flights from Schiphol, to destinations such as Belgium, France and the UK, among others. The study focused on direct flights in Europe, to cities less than 800 kilometres from the airport in Amsterdam. 

5.600 Schiphol flights could be replaced with trains by 2030

The study, which was conducted by the Knowledge Institute for Mobility Policy (KiM), found that 5.600 flights from Schiphol could be scrapped by 2030 and replaced with train routes. The connections focused on in particular included between Amsterdam and London, Bristol, Birmingham, Paris, Basel, Brussels, Berlin, Hannover, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Munich, and Copenhagen.

The flights in question carry people for around 850.000 journeys each year, which could potentially rise to 1,6 million journeys by 2040, according to a press release from the KiM. Overall, the flights that the report believes could be replaced with train travel is around 6 percent of all flights to and from Schiphol. 

Study published as controversy over Schiphol downsizing rumbles on

The study has been published as the controversy over the downsizing of Schiphol continues into the Dutch elections, set to take place in November. The issue of downsizing has plagued the Dutch airport for a number of years already, as the government has taken a number of measures to reduce the number of flights, night flights, private jets and air cargo in order to bring down carbon emissions and noise pollution around the airport. 

Interestingly, the study advocates placing more energy into reducing the amount of barriers for transfer passengers. The study found that by reducing the number of barriers to people wishing to make a flight-to-train connection at Schiphol, a significant reduction in flights could be achieved. These obstacles include the lack of combined train-flight tickets and the shortage of baggage handlers at the airport.