Station or airport? The French have chosen. Unsurprisingly, the majority of French travellers (78%) voted rail as their "preferred place of departure". Stations are ahead of airports (73%) and ferry terminals (60%). This fairly logical result is the fruit of a study carried out by YouGov for Trainline - previously known as Captain Train - as part of the European Heritage Days, organised on 17 and 18 September.
On this occasion, the specialist in online train ticket sales highlights the French people's attachment to their stations, which are even part of the national heritage for 85% of those polled. Gare de l'Est, in Paris, is the favourite of a majority of passengers (26%). It is ahead of Limoges-Bénédictins station (25%), while Metz-Ville and Lyon-Saint-Exupéry TGV share third place. When choosing their favourite station, the French cited safety as the number one criterion (48%), ahead of location (43%) and signage. There is no doubt that recent events have had an impact on the results of this survey, which was carried out between 10 and 11 August among a sample of 2004 people.
