TUI to start offering city trips by train to 6 destinations

TUI will soon offer more city trips by train to discourage short-haul air travel. "Traveling more sustainably means offering your customers different transport options. And trains are definitely part of that," TUI director Arjan Kers said to Dagblad van het Noorden. The travel agency is adding six destinations to its train offer.

The six cities are Copenhagen, Prague, Vienna, Venice, Milan, and Florence. TUI is teaming up with train travel startup Green City Trip to offer overnight trains to these destinations.

"Where the train can be an equivalent replacement for the airplane, we will gladly put this in the spotlight. And even where it is not a replacement but a valuable addition, we want to draw attention to it," Kers said.

Hessel Winkelman of Green City Trip is happy with the TUI partnership. "In the travel world, you hear from everyone that it must be more sustainable. Now one of the biggest is putting deed to word. The train also saves on price and stress. Just think of those long queues and cancellations at Schiphol."

Rail manager ProRail sees no issue with more trains used as an alternative to air traffic. "There is still plenty of room on the track, and there are certainly plenty of opportunities in the night segment," a spokesperson said to the newspaper. "International rail traffic has a future as a sustainable alternative and supplement to the airplane. Certainly, up to about 750 kilometers, the train is a more than good replacement for important urban destinations."