The UK is falling back in love with the train. Now that love needs to become a habit.
New research from I came by train shows rail is winning hearts but often loses out to car at being the instinctive choice. ‘From Love to Loyalty’ sets out four moves to close the gap.
Read the report here.
61% of people say they love travelling by train, a four-year high. 44% switched at least one car or plane journey to rail this year.
But love isn’t habit. 61% still default to the car simply because “it’s what I always do”, not because it’s better. And while rail is winning hearts, satisfaction with the real experience is slipping (down from 71% to 67% in the past year), just as expectations rise.
I came by train’s new report, From Love to Loyalty, digs into what’s holding rail back from becoming the default choice and sets out four practical tactics the industry could act on now: rewarding repeat switching, making disruption feel manageable, promoting rail as an equal alternative to the car, and building repeated behaviour early with younger travellers before the car habit locks in.
The impact: Taking the train emits up to 70% less CO₂e than driving and 85% less than flying*. Increasing modal shift contributes to reducing the transport industry's CO2e emissions, and in doing so, help to protect the planet for generations to come.
For more information, visit I came by train or to get involved please contact: icamebytrain@trainline.com
About I came by train:
I came by train is a movement launched by Trainline in 2022 in response to the growing urgency of the climate crisis. It’s goal to accelerate modal shift through behaviour change. The goal is simple: to help more people make greener travel choices, showcasing the positive impact collective action has.
*Source: UK Government GHG Conversion Factors for Company Reporting 2026 (DESNZ/DEFRA). Figures are Well-to-Wheel (WTW), kgCO2e per passenger km. Rail: 0.03989. Average car: 0.13389 (based on average UK car occupancy of 1.55, National Travel Survey 2024). Domestic flight: 0.26278 (includes radiative forcing uplift). Rail saves 70% vs. car, 85% vs. domestic flight.