Train wins by 10 min door to door. Fastest train 3h17 (Paris-Gare de Lyon → Genève (Cornavin)), ~8 direct trains/day. 3 g CO₂e per passenger-km by train. Checked 2026-11-01.
The comparison
| Fastest train | 3h17Paris-Gare de Lyon → Genève (Cornavin) |
|---|---|
| Trains | ~8 direct trains/day (pickthetrain open-data average 7.8/day)TGV Lyria |
| Flight | ~1h15 CDG-GVA (pickthetrain typical-for-distance; Air France CDG-GVA, easyJet ORY-GVA). Airports add travel, check-in and security time. |
| Door to door | Train wins by 10 min door to door |
| CO₂ | 3 g CO₂e per passenger-km by trainTrain: SNCF Voyageurs Info GES 2024, 'LYRIA' = 3.0 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 choosing a |
Close. 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): train wins by 10 min (3h42 vs 3h52).
Questions
Is the train faster than flying from Paris to Geneva?
Train wins by 10 min door to door. The fastest train takes 3h17 city centre to city centre; the flight is ~1h15 CDG-GVA (pickthetrain typical-for-distance; Air France CDG-GVA, easyJet ORY-GVA). Airports add travel, check-in and security time..
How often do trains run from Paris to Geneva?
~8 direct trains/day (pickthetrain open-data average 7.8/day)
Which emits less, train or plane?
3 g CO₂e per passenger-km by train.
Sources: pickthetrain.com, groupe-sncf.com
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