Amex GBT survey: Train preferred as mobile office

When business travelers take the train, sustainability isn't the primary consideration. Instead, rail travel offers the best work opportunities of all modes of transport.

A survey by Amex GBT found that 92 percent of business travelers use their time on the train for work, with 41 percent even spending more than half of their journey working. The survey surveyed 3,000 business travelers from Germany, France, and the UK in early June.

For almost half of respondents (47 percent), productivity is the main reason for choosing the train, ahead of comfort (43 percent), sustainability, and time for reflection (39 percent each). Modern trains, in particular, offer business travelers a good base for their work on the go. More than two-thirds (68 percent) rated the availability of charging stations as "good," and almost as many (64 percent) expressed positive opinions about the available space for working.

Better Internet

Nevertheless, rail travelers want more productivity-enhancing amenities such as stable Wi-Fi (34 percent), better mobile connectivity (25 percent), more quiet zones (25 percent), and better toilets on board (23 percent).

British business travelers were particularly positive about ambitious high-speed rail projects such as the UK's HS2 line currently under construction compared to their counterparts in France and Germany. Six in ten (61 percent) said they would be more likely to choose rail for business travel, and half believed the additional competition would lead to an improvement in overall service quality.

Everything is better abroad

Over half of British survey participants (57 percent) said their travel experience abroad was better than at home, citing faster trains (28 percent) and more comfortable carriages (23 percent). British rail travelers also most frequently cited strikes as the reason for avoiding rail travel (UK: 57 percent, France: 54 percent, Germany: 51 percent).

However, all business travelers agreed that access to current and reliable travel information, such as delays or platform numbers, is inadequate. Only five percent felt adequately informed. This also applies to cross-border and international rail bookings, which are not comparable to rental cars or planes.

(thy)

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