As millions of passengers were displaced by the Icelandic volcanic ash over the past week and a half, more and more people are seeing the value of travel the good old fashioned way: by train. Half a million passengers took advantage of the high speed Eurostar service during the disruption, which has led the company to solicit independent research about the public’s perception of trains.

Over 1,000 respondents participated in a survey carried out by the Toluna Group between April 21-23, and it turns out, a whopping 84% of Brits would prefer to travel by high speed train over air for future travel plans.

The value of train travel is immense, though, with discount airlines like Ryanair cornering the market on cheap travel, trains are not always as cheap as air travel anymore, especially high speed rails like the Eurostar. There are a number of advantages to taking the train, though.

Less hectic travel. Generally speaking, train travel is more peaceful and less stressful than air travel because security risks aren’t as high and trains don’t impose upon the body in the same way that airplanes do.

Easier access. Most train stations are located in city centres, while many airports are farther away and more difficult to reach, especially via public transportation.

More scenic. The advantages to train travel in terms of scenery are obvious – the chance to see the countryside as it passes and understand the landscape in a real way.

A sense of nostalgia. Trains are part of our past and travelling by train almost always ignites a sense of nostalgia and the feeling of heading off on an exciting adventure.

Better for the environment. According to this wonderful graph, trains are much less harmful to the environment than airplanes and cars. Trains use far less petrol than airplanes and cars on average.

Photo by red hand records.