So, I’m in Stockholm and I’m remembering why I liked the city so much on my previous visit in 2005. Back then I was attending the International Society for Industrial Ecology biannual meeting, this time it’s the European Green Capital Conference. It kicks off this afternoon and I’ll blog what I learn, although it might be next week.
Unfortunately the only practical way of getting here was to fly. I now fly less than once a year and it hits me everytime just how any glamour has gone from this form of travel. All those security restrictions – you practically have to disrobe before going through the scanner and I’m all over the place with what bottles go in what type of plastic bags. I had to change at Schipol so I had to go through this all twice and endure 45 minute queues for passport control. The carriers have gone way down market as well – it is practically impossible to predict whether you’ll get a decent meal or a bag of pretzels. Most airports are well outside the cities they serve, so 3 hours flying time turned into 9 hours door to door.
Oh for a really fast rail service throughout the UK and Europe – it’s coming I know, but I want it and I want it now. You turn up roughly on time, flash your passport, step on the train and you’re away. The journey becomes part of the trip rather than an ordeal to book end the good bit in the middle. You can work, you can move about and you can even use your phone. By my calculation, a fast train – say at Eurostar speeds – could cover the distance in just over 6 hours, so given the fact it would go city centre to city centre it would be comparable with flying. Unfortunately the current journey time is about 26 hours using 5 different trains…
OK, I’m indulging in a bit of a personal fantasy here, but if we are to follow a low carbon future it is this sort of service we need. Train companies should be pushing the package of benefits you get from their service – glamour (I’d much rather kill time at St Pancras than Heathrow), convenience, security, comfort and the ability to work or entertain the kids – never mind the carbon savings. Like many greener options, there are multiple benefits over the conventional solutions and these are usually the sizzle that sells the sausage.
I did enjoy the slight irony that the express train from the airport into the centre of Stockholm was announced en route as the most eco-friendly option…