In the first nine months of this year, 84 percent of business trips within Germany were made by train. By comparison, in 2019 just over half of business trips (54%) were made by train. In particular, routes such as Berlin-Munich will see an increase in 2024: while 23 per cent of business travellers chose the train in 2019, this figure had already risen to 72 per cent by 2024.
Although business travellers themselves still cite the car as the most popular mode of transport for domestic business travel in Germany at 83 per cent, the train has moved into second place at 55 per cent, pushing the plane into third place at 43 per cent. The data shows that business travellers are increasingly turning to rail for domestic travel," says Eugen Triebelhorn, Country Manager of TravelPerks. "As companies continue to balance productivity, sustainability and cost efficiency in their travel policies, the role of rail for domestic and international short-haul travel will continue to grow.
Working on the train
Travelperk, a global business travel management platform, surveyed a total of 1,000 business travellers in the UK, US, Germany and Spain in September 20-24 and combined the results with its own booking data.
Respondents in Germany also mentioned disadvantages to travelling by train, such as possible disruptions or longer travel times. However, a third also appreciated the higher productivity of working on the train, while others criticised inadequate Wi-Fi, noise on board and a lack of privacy.
At the same time, 43 per cent of respondents believe that travelling by train is more sustainable and 53 per cent say that their company encourages them to choose more sustainable travel options. Financial incentives or gift cards are effective for around 37 per cent.
Serviced apartments are often located near rail and public transport hubs in major cities, and offer a kitchen and separate sleeping and living areas, making them ideal for longer business trips. Apartmentservice offers a selection of more than 300 partner properties on the platform of the same name.