EcoWorldly

The conclusion of our planes, trains and automobiles race across Europe. (Read Part II)

With the Green Team finally on their way towards England, the Blue Team about to miss the boat and the Red team fuming in traffic the competition is heating up.

16:40 – Red Team, M3, South of London

After almost an hour of solid traffic we’re moving again, but its slow going. The frustration of hours of endless queuing and shuffling around is now starting to take its toll. The heavy dose of air fresher that was obviously applied to the interior of my hire-car is starting to succumb to the natural odours of its previous occupant, which does nothing for my mood.

17:10 – Blue Team, Port of Calais, France

Sipping afternoon tea in the Club Lounge on P&O Ferries’ Pride of Dover as we set sail for England. I made the ferry with seconds to spare and I’m some way behind the Reds, but it’s not over yet. Time to enjoy the one hour crossing and have a break from driving.

17:34 – Green Team, Channel Tunnel

Making real progress now as the Eurostar enters the channel tunnel. In under an hour we’ll be in London and we’re catching up with the Red Team. Somewhere on the water above us the Blue team are slowly streaming across the channel whilst we speed through the tunnel – that feels good.

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17:40 – Red Team, M3, South of London (still)

Stopped in traffic again. Stress levels rising. Music on the radio is rubbish. Why don’t all these other drivers use the train to keep the road clear?

18:25 – Blue Team, Port of Dover, England

Disembark from the ferry, pass through customs and passport control and head on to the motorway – remembering to drive on the wrong side of the road. With the Blue Team still on the Eurostar and the Red Team fuming in traffic the race is back on, but despite having had a break the intensive driving today is quite exhausting.

18:30 – Green Team, London St Pancras Station

Arrive in London and start to make my way across the city to Waterloo Station to catch my final train of the day which will take me to the finish line in Dorset. The usually exciting hustle and bustle of London has become irritating as I squeeze my way between commuters on the crowded London Underground. I’ve had enough of platforms and trains for one day.

18:40 – Red Team, Dorset

I’ve reached the border of the county of Dorset! Traffic is mostly clear now and I’m moving quickly with just a few more kilometres to go and victory in sight. Don’t want to be over confident but only a major disaster will hold me up now.

19:05 – Green Team, London Waterloo Station

After a rather sweaty journey on the London Underground, having had more bodily contact with my fellow passengers than generally acceptable for an Englishman, I make it to Waterloo just in time to take the South West Trains service to Dorset. By this time I am tired and sweaty, and the rather grubby interior of the train does its part to remove any last traces of the romance of train travel.

As the train slowly clatters out of London I note that the Blue Team is already some miles ahead and is barreling down the motorway free of impediment. I also note that the shortest, slowest and dirtiest part of my journey is the most expensive. British railways are dismal.

19:06 – Red Team, Dorset

Narrowly avoid major disaster. Driving on twisty country roads when tired and over excited is dangerous. Switch to Classic FM on the radio to calm nerves as I cruise to the finish.

19:12 – Blue Team, M25, South of London

The tiredness of the long drive is wearing off as I get closer to the finish. I’m driving on the roads that the Red Team took a few hours before, which are now traffic free and I’m making rapid progress. It’s unlikely I’ll catch the Reds, but the Green Team has only just left Waterloo Station so second place is within reach.

19:30 – Red Team, Final Destination, Dorset

Sorry public transport fans, victory belongs to the plane today! The Green Team’s train is not far out of London, and the Blue Team still has a few more motorway miles to complete. Even with some severe delays the plane is still the quickest way to travel. Job done.

20:00 – Green Team, Somewhere in the English countryside

Now that we are well out of London the Train once again proves its advantage over the car as we are travelling at well over the legal motorway limit. It looks like the finish will be close. I make a trip to the rail bar for a pre-celebratory aperitif.

21:05 – Green Team, Wool Station, Dorset

Just over and hour later, as I alight on the platform I’m not sorry to be finally off that train. I find a taxi outside the station for the last sprint to the finish. Public transport would be more suitable, but you can forget that option in much of rural England.

21:10 – Blue Team, Final Destination, Dorset

Second place! The Green Team is still sitting in the back of a Taxi somewhere behind, but I’m disappointed to note that I’m more than one and half hours behind the Reds, and after almost 12 hours in the car I would be happy never to drive it again. I’m certainly not looking forwards to the drive back.

21:20 – Green Team, Final Destination, Dorset

Last, but not by too far. And in contrast to the others I’m feeling rather merry as a result of the last hour in the bar. I’ve also finished off a book and written several blog posts - not a bad day’s work. I might be latest, but I’m definitely happiest!

Epilogue

The race was a fun experiment, and despite being a tiring journey it was a great experience. Ultimately no single option stood out as being dramatically superior, with each having advantages and disadvantages despite the apparent speed advantage of the airplane.

If you need total and absolute flexibility then the car is a realistic option which pollutes slightly less than the plane. And if you are more than one person it is by far the most cost effective. However, it’s tiring and you can do little else with the time. I’m not in a hurry to do that journey again.

None of these journeys were stress free. Travelling by air is certainly faster, but it’s not dramatically quicker. Taking into account the greater amount of uninterrupted time when travelling by train and the possibility to get some real work done it’s a very favourable option. Travellers will note that the difference in the quality of rail transport between the UK, France and Switzerland is absurd – travelling on British trains is akin to going back in time by 30 years.

But there are often more important considerations for many travellers. The train is currently around a third more expensive (assuming you get a reasonable airfare), and there are significantly fewer connection options. In reality the train only works for people with flexible schedules who are not heavily constrained by cost. However, for those who have a more simple and direct city to city journey I can thoroughly recommend the train as a fast, comfortable and relaxing way to travel long distances – at least give it a try.

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