Stop thinking trains OR planes, and turn Schiphol into a European air-rail hub

By Jasper van Kuijk , Suzanne Hiemstra-van Mastrigt , Sicco Santema en Wijnand Veeneman

Op-ed, originally published in de Volkskrant on April 21, 2023 (article in Dutch)

People are willing to take the train instead of the plane for shorter distances, but currently face too many obstacles. With a better service design and changes to the underlying transportation system, international train travel can become both a more sustainable alternative and a complement to air travel, according to experts from TU Delft.

Recently, KLM and several other airlines filed a lawsuit challenging the decision of the Dutch government to limit the number of flights at Schiphol. They initially won but lost on appeal. Had they succeeded, it would have been bad news for local residents as the Dutch government wanted to restrict flights due to concerns about noise pollution and particulate emissions.

There are also good reasons to critically examine the necessity of flying for other sustainability-related reasons. As part of the European Green Deal, the EU aims to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 55% by 2030, with aviation also contributing to this goal. In the longer term, aviation must become more sustainable, using hydrogen, electric flight (for smaller aircraft), or sustainably produced kerosene. However, it is expected to take decades for the entire aviation sector to fly sustainably.

Although the most sustainable trip is one that is not made, only a small part of the Dutch population experiences flight shame, and a large part wants to continue flying, according to polls by I&O Research and by Motivaction. The desire to travel will persist, and the aviation sector is expected to continue growing, as predicted by aviation scientists and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), especially with an increasingly wealthy global population.

Short term

In the short term, considering climate developments and the pressure on Schiphol to limit the number of flights, it is essential to find a solution. Fortunately, international train travel, especially under 700 kilometers, can compete with flying if service is improved, as shown by studies from Royal HaskoningDHV, Rebel, and the Train and Aviation Action Agenda (a collaboration of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Schiphol, ProRail, KLM, and NS).

The Action Agenda estimates that flights to the six (potential) train destinations Brussels, Paris, London, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Berlin account for 70,000 of the current 500,000 aircraft movements to and from Schiphol, about 14%.

As long as large-scale sustainable flying is not possible, within Europe international rail could significantly contribute to the desire for more sustainable travel, without major infrastructure investments like a new high-speed network, but mainly by addressing bottlenecks in current services provided.

European time table

Currently, the European train timetable is established so late that consumers can only book a few months in advance. Earlier bookings are simply not possible, as it is uncertain whether the train will be assigned a 'slot' by the (national) rail infrastructure managers. Connections and transfers are also not always optimal. Fortunately, in a European context, ProRail and others are working on a better European timetable through the Timetabling and Capacity Redesign (TTR) project, which will be partially implemented from 2025 onward. This will make tickets available earlier and improve international connections.

Booking a train journey can be challenging, especially for more complex trips, for example, beyond the straightforward Amsterdam-Paris or Amsterdam-London). A recent study from Austria found that one-third of participants failed to book international train tickets, compared to 3% for flights. They also spent more time on it: booking flights took 5-10 minutes, while booking trains took 15-30 minutes. A European booking system could change this, as recently advocated by the European Commissioner responsible for the Green Deal, Frans Timmermans . Travelers should also have pleasant and secure transfer options, clear up-to-date travel information, and rebooking in case of delays.

The European rail network is currently not an integrated whole of coordinated international train connections, but mainly consists of star networks of national rail operators, who often think and work in their own (business or national) interest. France is building an international network to and from France, Germany to and from Germany, but there is, for example, no continuous train from Germany via Amsterdam to Paris.

Rail Authority

Therefore, the Dutch Council for the Environment and Infrastructure, supported by European colleagues, advised the establishment of a European rail authority, which can request train services from the rail operators for important connections and set quality requirements for the services. Such an authority can also establish European ticket sales.

If this improved European rail network is then linked to the aviation network at Schiphol, the network function of both KLM and Schiphol can be maintained and even expanded, but with fewer flights.

Major European airports, including Schiphol, have long been working with the so-called 'hub and spoke' model. The central axis is formed by a large airport (the hub), and the flights to and from the hub form the spokes. The shorter flights act as a feeder for the longer, often intercontinental flights, and vice versa.

By incorporating the train into this network, part of these 'spokes' can be replaced by railways from the airport. These also reach into the city centers, further increasing accessibility for travelers. So from the city center by international train to a large airport in another country and then on an intercontinental flight. Or landing at Schiphol on a flight from New York and then smoothly transferring to a train to Hanover.

Convenience and comfort

But in order to compete with flying, a combined flight-train journey must be as easy and comfortable as a connecting flight. First of all, physically: that passengers at Schiphol can transfer from their train to an intercontinental flight and vice versa. But above all, it must be one single journey. The challenges here are similar to improving service for international train travel: a single booking platform (now for both flight and train travel combined), taking care of issues travellers encounter during the journey (rebooking a flight in case of train delay and vice versa), and good information provision. And preferably also a nice solution for luggage.

This is a challenge, even tougher than for rail transport alone, but it can be done. It is even already happening on a small scale. Since March 2023, KLM is offering an integrated air/rail product to its passengers to replace the connecting flight Amsterdam-Brussels with a trip on the Thalys high-speed train. This has the potential to replacing five daily flights on average. Air France and Lufthansa also offer similar air/rail products in collaboration with SNCF and Deutsche Bahn, respectively, although the rail part of these combined journeys remains mainly within the national borders of the providers.

If the replacement of shorter flights within Europe really takes off, there will likely emerge a number of major so-called air-rail hubs, where passengers can transfer from the aviation system to the rail system and vice versa. Due to their location and good connection to the rail network, one can roughly map out that Frankfurt, Paris, Madrid, Rome, and Schiphol – if we want that – will get an air-rail hub .

Schiphol

The Netherlands is on the edge of the European rail system and does not have its own large international rail operators such as the French SNCF or Austrian ?BB, and is therefore heavily dependent on international rail operators from other countries or innovative newcomers. With Schiphol as a strong hub for both air and rail passengers, the Netherlands would have a destination that international rail operators are more likely to want to include in their network.

Considering the extensive network of KLM and the connection to the high-speed rail system, Schiphol is in principle ideally positioned as a European air-rail hub. Whether the Netherlands will actually be well integrated into a future European air-rail network depends on the strategic actions of the Dutch government and the collaboration with the stakeholders present at and around Schiphol.

That would mean a significant transition. Such a transformation can only be realized if every organization contributes to the bigger picture and looks and acts beyond their immediate self-interest. For many stakeholders, this also means some serious innovation: there needs to be a different approach to the reason for existence, processes, business models, and core qualities. This is something that larger, established organizations are not inclined to do easily.

A transition from Schiphol to an air-rail hub requires Schiphol to no longer see itself as an airport, but as an organization that connects passenger and cargo flows. Traditionally, the airport is highly focused on the 'airside,' the side where the runways are located. The fact that a substantial part of international transport can take place on the other side of the terminal, and that Schiphol should take just as much responsibility for that as for everything with wings, will be new for the organization.

Farewell to short flights

KLM should say goodbye to short flights and embrace the train and possibly other forms of transportation for those routes. KLM is not only very good at flying airplanes, but it is also a star in (digital) services and can contribute its experience to an integrated booking system and the development of the rest of the required air-rail services.

NS, ProRail, and the municipality of Amsterdam have plans to turn Amsterdam-Zuid station into an international train hub, but to connect aviation and rail, you want a transfer at one physical location. And since it is more challenging to move Schiphol to Amsterdam-Zuid than to realize a better and larger station under Schiphol, the development of Schiphol International Train Station should be seriously considered. This would allow, for example, the Eurostar to London and ICE to Germany (which currently do not serve Schiphol), as well as later additions, to stop there and operate at a high frequency.

Finally, the Dutch government needs to take the lead. Individual (market) parties cannot realize such a large transition alone, and frankly, it is not their primary responsibility. There is also a clear guiding role for the EU in improving European rail transport – a condition for a robust European air-rail network. Coordination of large technical-social changes are, after all, one of the core tasks of governments.

Improving European train journeys and air-rail journeys offers significant opportunities but requires a different strategy than currently exists. Namely, collaboration between parties, aimed at providing a pleasant door-to-door journey for travelers, instead of parties optimising and innovating their own individual services or infrastructure. To do this, we must stop thinking in terms of either trains or planes. Ultimately, travelers want to get from A to B as quickly, comfortably, and cheaply as possible – and increasingly, as sustainably as possible. A good coupling of rail and aviation can offer that.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Jasper van Kuijk is assistant professor in user-centered innovation, including in the mobility sector, at TU Delft | Industrial Design Engineering and a guest researcher at Service Research Center (CTF) at Karlstad University .

Suzanne Hiemstra-van Mastrigt is assistant professor in future-proof mobility and director of the Seamless Personal Mobility Lab at TU Delft | Industrial Design Engineering.

Wijnand Veeneman is associate professor in administrative science of transport systems and infrastructure at TU Delft | Technology, Policy and Management .

Sicco Santema is a professor in network design and innovation with a focus on mobility at TU Delft | Industrial Design Engineering.