Letting the train take the strain

Research by redspottedhanky.com recently compared the most popular UK business-related rail journeys against air and hire car travel for a single passenger. Findings revealed that, on average, rail travel is the fastest mode of transport for over half the journeys, once the air check-in and arrival times were taken into account. Not to mention that the cost was almost a fifth of the price of flying and a third of driving to your destination.

Add to that the sheer frustration often caused by current levels of security at airports, and suddenly turning up at London Euston Station, relaxing with a coffee and newspaper or browsing the internet in the Virgin First Class Lounge (which has recently undergone a £175,000 makeover) before jumping on your train, is a much more attractive proposition. And when it comes to taking the Eurostar, the positive experience of London St Pancras has done much to boost that option, too.

Going by car may seem like a good idea, until you take into account high levels of traffic and petrol costs. And, of course, there are also major green issues in play here. It’ll come as no surprise that train travel is by far the greenest way of getting from A to B, especially for domestic business travel.

Business travel by train offers the best use of your time and is the greenest option

If you’re considering the best use of time, train travel comes out tops again as in-station and on-train Wi-Fi means you can take your desk with you, something which just isn’t possible when driving, and Wi-Fi in the air is usually expensive, if it’s available at all.

Many travel sites allow business passengers to check journey information before leaving for the station and receive alerts directly to their phone. Booking online can also cut the cost of tickets too – redspottedhanky.com claims that by booking business rail via the web, you can save up to 80% compared to buying at the station on the day.

Stay the night at a luxury station hotel

Following years of painstaking restoration, the St Pancras Renaissance London Hotel (marriot.co.uk) has now opened on Euston Road. Sir John Betjeman said this Gothic treasure was ‘too beautiful and too romantic to survive’, but survive it has, and now this Victorian masterpiece brings more than a touch of glamour to a night in a hotel before your train departs, not to mention state-of-the-art business facilities. It has direct access to the concourse at St Pancras International and there are nine meeting rooms in the hotel should you wish to take full advantage of your stay there. Nightly rates start from £300.

What train companies offer business travellers

Avanti West Coast 

Avanti West Coast to over the Virgin Trains franchise in 2019 and now operates between London and all major west coast cities north of London, up to Manchester.

East Coast Trains 
Operates between London and Leeds, York, Newcastle, Glasgow and Edinburgh, and on up to Inverness and Aberdeen.

‘East Coast has been working hard to attract business travellers to the benefits of travelling by train,’ says a spokesman for the company, ‘with major improvements planned to the timetable and a first class on-board service from 22 May 2011.

‘The new timetable will bring more than three million additional seats per year to the East Coast route, with 19 new services per weekday, an improved frequency and pattern of services, and faster typical journeys for millions of passengers. It will add new direct return services from London King’s Cross to Lincoln and Harrogate, and a new four-hour “Flying Scotsman” express service between Edinburgh and London King’s Cross, calling at Newcastle only and arriving in London at 9.40am.

‘At the same time, East Coast will also introduce a new complimentary at-seat menu for passengers travelling in first class, as well as improving our Wi-Fi on-board the train, with a £600,000 investment in 2010, to improve the speed and reliability for our passengers. Wi-Fi is free for first class passengers and is also available in our first class lounges at key destinations on our route, where first and business class travellers can enjoy a relaxing and quieter environment in the station, with complimentary refreshments available for passengers while awaiting their train.’