TRAVELLING by train at Christmas costs on average more than three times as much as flying, according to new analysis by Greenpeace published today.

Researchers compared train and plane ticket prices on 22 popular routes in Britain and Europe and found that polluting flights were consistently cheaper on 82 per cent of them.

Despite the fact that flying is on average five times more polluting than taking the train, airlines continue to post artificially low prices that do not factor in the pollution they cause, the campaign group said.

Greenpeace UK transport campaigner Paul Morozzo said: “A lack of investment in railways and ticketing and a failure to properly tax carbon emissions have created a nightmare before Christmas where consumers are effectively being rewarded for polluting.

“For the sake of the climate, we need to get people out of planes and into trains.

“We need to level the playing field by bringing in a frequent-flyer levy and by ending the unfair subsidies and tax exemptions enjoyed by the aviation sector.

“This needs to happen in parallel with an increase in capacity on our rail network to facilitate more demand.”