Trainline’s research suggests 65 per cent of UK residents would be willing to adapt journeys to benefit the environment. At the same time, however, Gilmartin says trains in and out of major cities in the UK only run at about 50 percent capacity utilisation.

The often high cost of individual train journeys, plus the simple ease of getting into your car and driving off, are going to be significant factors that stop commuters switching, but a lack of information about travel options is another factor.

“What’s held people back from using public transport in the past is that they haven’t had free access to information,” says Gilmartin. “It’s been tough to find out rail prices, especially given that 70 percent of rail is still bought offline. There’s a large amount of friction associated to the process – and that’s where technology can help.”
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