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The climate debate is intense and more and more people want to take the train instead of flying to protect the environment. 
Then travel companies invest in train travel. 

Time-consuming, expensive and complicated. That's how train travel through Europe can be described. But also relaxing, environmentally friendly and full of experiences. 

According to a SIFO survey conducted on behalf of the travel agency Resia, 50 percent of Swedes say that what currently prevents them from taking the train instead of flying when traveling abroad is that it takes longer. It requires more vacation days to travel the same distance as previously done by plane. 

Few want to pay more for the train

Furthermore, it is usually much more expensive to take the train. Only 6 percent of Swedes are willing to pay a few thousand more for a train ticket than a plane ticket. 

– The fact that the train currently takes longer than the plane when traveling outside the country's borders is difficult to influence. But if you instead take into account that you get a lot of experiences on the way to the final destination, it will hopefully be a simpler equation. For example, being able to combine a trip to the Mediterranean with a stop in Paris on the way there and in Berlin on the way home is a fantastic opportunity that more Swedes should consider, says Lina Eklund, PR specialist at Resia.

The travel agency is now starting to sell Interrail passes that allow you to travel freely on the railways between European countries. The Interrail pass covers 29 countries within Europe and includes an outward and return journey to Sweden. 

The idea is that Resia will be able to offer arranged train trips in the future. 

Increased demand for train travel

– We have a sustainability council that works with, among other things, train travel. Our hope is that in the future we will be able to offer some type of train charter. The reason it takes time is that it is still complicated to take the train through Europe. Some countries you have to be in to be able to book a ticket, others only accept paper tickets, says Lina Eklund.

One travel company that has already started with train charters is Ving. This autumn you can travel by train from Stockholm to Davos in Switzerland. It is a collaboration between Ving, the travel agency tågbokningen.se and the guide company Systrar i bergen. The train journey south takes approximately 26 hours with changes and goes via Copenhagen, Hamburg, Basel, Landquart and Davos. The trip, which also includes accommodation and local transport, costs from 14,995 SEK. 

– Ving has been arranging holiday trips for over 60 years and last had train trips in the program in 2010. We are noticing the increased demand for train travel and are now pleased to be able to present the premiere trip to the beautiful mountain environments near Davos, says Fredrik Henriksson, Head of Communications at Ving.

Train holiday this summer

SJ, which has also noticed an increased demand for train travel in Europe, has developed a digital solution for customers who want to book international travel. 

– We expect that those who want to go on a train holiday this summer will be able to use the new service, says Tobbe Lundell, press manager at SJ, to SVT.

Recently, the train travel agency site tagsemester.nu was launched where you can book group trips by train in Europe.

Source: aftonbladet.se