Electric cars produce twice as much CO₂ as trains, says rail group data

Certain journeys on the greenest, fullest electric trains produce as little as one-fifteenth of the CO₂ per person compared with the footprint of a sole occupancy petrol or diesel car. Photograph: John Stephens/Alamy

Travelling by train on Britain’s busiest business routes generates less than half the carbon emissions of a battery electric car, according to detailed analysis from the rail industry.

Certain journeys on the greenest, fullest electric trains produce as little as one-fifteenth of the CO₂ per person compared with the footprint of a sole occupancy petrol or diesel car, the data shows.