As train speeds increase, this mode of transport attracts air passengers (a 10-minute journey time reduction means an increase of between 2% and 5% in the train’s market share), and as the aeroplane’s energy consumption and emissions are much higher than the high-speed train’s, the net effect in the corridor is positive. This article establishes a methodology to determine the train’s speed inwhich the emissions in the corridor (meaning the sum of train and plane) are minimized.

 

By way of example, the proposed methodology is applied to the Madrid-Barcelona route, where the speeds that would minimize emissions in the corridor range between 350 and 400 kilometres per hour.