The plane is faster door to door. Fastest train 6h50 (Paris-Gare de Lyon → Barcelona Sants), ~2 direct trains/day. 4.3 g CO₂e per passenger-km by train. Checked 2026-11-01.
The comparison
| Fastest train | 6h50Paris-Gare de Lyon → Barcelona Sants |
|---|---|
| Trains | ~2 direct trains/day (pickthetrain open-data average 1.9/day)SNCF TGV INOUI (France-Spain) |
| Flight | ~1h55 CDG-BCN (pickthetrain typical-for-distance; Vueling, Air France, Transavia fly nonstop). Airports add travel, check-in and security time. |
| Door to door | The plane is faster door to door |
| CO₂ | 4.3 g CO₂e per passenger-km by trainTrain: SNCF Voyageurs Info GES 2024, 'France-Espagne' = 4.3 gCO2e/pkm (use phase only). Plane: the same document cites ADEME use-phase values of 159 g/pkm (<500 km flights) and 123 g/pkm (500-1000 km), without contrails; pick the band by flight distance. Left null here to avoid c |
Honest verdict: the plane is faster. pickthetrain.com door-to-door model (its own assumptions: 1h30 airport check-in/security, 20 min to exit, typical-for-distance flight time, public-transport access estimates): plane faster by 2h20 (7h15 vs 4h55). Rail is a scenic/low-carbon choice, not a time saver. Paris-Barcelona is an EEA TERM 2020 city pair (>750 km band).
Questions
Is the train faster than flying from Paris to Barcelona?
The plane is faster door to door. The fastest train takes 6h50 city centre to city centre; the flight is ~1h55 CDG-BCN (pickthetrain typical-for-distance; Vueling, Air France, Transavia fly nonstop). Airports add travel, check-in and security time..
How often do trains run from Paris to Barcelona?
~2 direct trains/day (pickthetrain open-data average 1.9/day)
Which emits less, train or plane?
4.3 g CO₂e per passenger-km by train.
Sources: pickthetrain.com, groupe-sncf.com, eea.europa.eu
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