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Our ESG Executive, Ellen Murtimer, shares her personal experience of a business trip to Frankfurt via rail and compares it to a colleague’s plane journey to the same destination. Who had the best journey? Scroll down to find out…
Travelling for work doesn’t always have to feel like… Well, work. Sometimes it’s a chance to rediscover the joy of the journey. My recent business trip to Frankfurt did just that, a seamless, sustainable rail adventure packed with spontaneous encounters, quality coffee and not a single flight delay in sight.
Before diving into the journey itself, let’s address the elephant in the room: time and money.
Return train journey (Chelmsford to Frankfurt)
Curious about booking in advance? A quick check for July 8th showed return fares between £220–£260, depending on time and flexibility. Proof that early birds really do catch the best deals.
Return flight (London Heathrow to Frankfurt)
So yes, the plane is faster on paper but not by much when you count the faff factor.
Then there’s the environmental impact:
Train travel (Eurostar + DB): 13 kg CO₂e per passenger
(Based on DEFRA’s standard international rail emissions factor: 0.01502 kg CO₂e per km × 850 km.)
Worth noting: Eurostar’s own route data shows just 2.6 kg CO₂e for London–Brussels, which gives you a glimpse into how efficient electric high-speed rail can be.
Flying (economy, short haul): 152 kg CO₂e per passenger
(Based on 0.09429 kg CO₂/km × 850 km, with a radiative forcing multiplier of 1.9 to account for aviation’s climate impact at altitude.)
That’s an emissions saving of over 90% by choosing rail.
And beyond the environmental win, here’s what else the train delivers:
With only a small time trade off and huge emissions savings, the train isn’t just an alternative, it’s the smarter choice.
The day started early with the 06:39 to London. I overheard a lady chatting about her recent trip to Oman, one of my absolute favourite destinations, so naturally I had to ask about her experience. There’s something special about bonding with strangers over shared travel memories, even before 7am.
I arrived at Liverpool Street craving coffee but held out for GAIL’s at St Pancras. A minor Tube disruption almost threw my plan but spotting a Eurostar staff member heading for the Central Line saved the day. Station survival tip: follow the uniforms.
Coffee in hand, I breezed through Eurostar security, no queues, no liquid limits, no hassle. My coffee and hair straighteners passed through untouched and I was through in five minutes flat.
Passport in hand and after being directed through the EU passport lane, I was slightly confused but handed over my British passport, and jokingly said, “I don’t have an EU one anymore.” The French officer smiled and replied, “You never know, maybe one day!” Unexpected border banter, I’ll take it.
With 40 minutes to spare before boarding, I found a quiet spot, opened my book and let the station buzz around me. Once on board I settled in, laptop open and inbox getting a long overdue spring clean after a few days annual leave.
By 09:50 breakfast was served, a savoury pastry, yoghurt, fresh juice and tea or coffee. Well balanced and tasty. At 10:30 the drinks trolley made an entrance with wine, beer, and even some fizz. Slightly early? Maybe. But hey, when in France…
I took a quick stroll through the carriages, stretched my legs and picked up a magazine, my first glossy read in years. The smell of fresh print and the feel of actual paper was surprisingly nostalgic.
We rolled into Brussels under perfect blue skies. With just 20 minutes before my connecting train to Frankfurt, I power walked through the vast but well signed station like a woman on a mission, past tempting shops and even an art exhibition made of recycled materials (a refreshing switch from the usual station offerings)
With my herbal tea, laptop and now version 3 report in front of me, I was deep into work when a group of ladies informed me, I was in their seat. A brief moment of confusion and flustered repacking later, a fellow traveller I’d noticed earlier on the Eurostar helped redirect me to my actual spot. Crisis averted, with a smile.
Then at perfect timing, came a huge tray of mini Belgian chocolates, labelled Lieblingsgast“favourite guest”. Say no more DB trainline, you’ve won me over with the perfect afternoon pick me up!
Vegetarian choices were limited but the falafel wrap came through and a hot water top up kept my tea going strong. Glancing up, I saw the route map from Brussels to Frankfurt and realised just how quickly the time had flown.
The early start was catching up with me, so I let my eyes close for a bit. Confident I couldn’t miss my stop, as Frankfurt was the end of the line. Before I knew it we were there.
Still sunny. Still on time. Still no stress. As we pulled into Frankfurt, I felt refreshed, grounded and ready for the evening ahead with industry friends.
Charlotte Latchford, Strategic Meetings Consultant at Inntel, met Ellen in Frankfurt to attend the same event, IMEX. She opted to fly there and back. Read about Charlotte’s journey, below.
12:26 – Travel towards the city starts via train from Sudbury, Suffolk. Due to the rural location of the town, after a quick change at Marks Tey I was enroute to the city. In less than an hour, I was stepping off into Shenfield where I could then move onto my final train of the day (Elizabeth Line) towards Heathrow. All in all, in just under 2.5 hours, I was within the Heathrow Terminals.
Although it would have been possible for me to get an evening flight over to Germany, I took some time to network with some suppliers before an early flight the next morning.
02:45 – Have I really slept? I doubt it.. but here we are, a super early start for the day ahead. After a quick turnaround, I was out of the hotel doors and into a taxi on my way to the terminal by 03:30.
03:45 – I arrived at the airport, desperately seeking a coffee shop on the other side of the security gates. However, I can’t say I can fault the security system at Heathrow T2, I was through the gates and waiting for my flight in less than half an hour. Having travelled for most of my life, this was probably the best experience I’ve had prior to flying.
06:30 – After around 1.5 hours of waiting at the terminal, waiting for the gate to open, it was time to board. Again, I found this a really seamless experience and there was (thankfully) no delays or hold ups and we were on our way as planned.
09:05 – Touchdown in Frankfurt ready to head off to a busy day at IMEX. Taking in all aspects of the day so far travelling (from leaving the hotel to landing in Germany) this is a total time of around 5 ½ hours.
This journey reminded me why rail is such a strong option for business travel in Europe, not just for the lower emissions but for the human moments you miss at 30,000 feet. From chatting about Oman with a stranger before my morning coffee, to a light hearted exchange at passport control. And a perfectly timed tray of chocolates labelled Lieblingsgast, these little interactions made the journey feel more connected, more grounded.
And the views didn’t disappoint either. Wide stretches of Belgian countryside, quiet little towns drifting past the window and endless fields of green that made me pause, look up from my laptop and just breathe.
At Inntel, we’re always looking for ways to help our clients travel smarter, balancing sustainability with comfort, connection, and efficiency.
This journey proved what I often say: you don’t have to choose between doing good and travelling well. When you take the train, you get comfort, connection, and peace of mind, no compromises.
It was, without a doubt, a journey worth slowing down for.
As Inntel’s ESG Executive, Ellen Murtimer offers a bespoke carbon consultancy service. This includes Scope 3 – Category 6 business travel assessments, personalised policy recommendations, CO2e reduction roadmaps, enhancements to approvals processes, behavioural change strategies and more to help clients achieve lower emissions.
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