Trainline has partnered with British singer-songwriter Craig David to release a brand-new song, ‘Better Days (I came by train)’, launching the company’s I Came By Train campaign to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of rail and encourage people to take pride in choosing to take the train.
The ambition is for I came by train to become a rallying cry for UK rail travel, particularly among young people, with the overall objective of encouraging people to take more journeys by train – irrespective of which train operator they travel with or where they buy their tickets.
DfT statistics show cars and domestic flights are responsible for 58% of the UK’s domestic transport CO2 emissions, compared to just 1.5% from the entire rail network, underlining the strong environmental advantage rail holds over more-polluting modes of transport.
To kickstart the campaign, the partnership with Craig David delivers an anthem ‘Better Days (I came by train)’ which is inspired by Craig David’s passion for the environment and sheds light on the importance of making more sustainable choices, such as travelling by train, in the form of a heartfelt love song to Mother Nature.
The animated ‘Better Days’ music video (available here on YouTube) brings the lyrics to life and features Craig David travelling by train through a series of landscapes, culminating in a powerful message that trains create 70% less CO2 than cars.
A recent Trainline survey found that 61% of Brits believe they have a responsibility to live a sustainable lifestyle, and 58% describe being environmentally conscious as a “badge of honour” but the most popular green acts were recycling and taking reusable bags shopping, with only 17% of people aware that switching one long-distance car or plane journey for train travel would be a significant benefit to the environment.
John Davies, Vice President of Industry Relations for Trainline, said: “Our ambition with “I came by train” is to raise awareness of the environmental benefits of rail through a completely different approach to a traditional advertising campaign. Given a journey by train instead of driving creates 70% less CO2 on average, we’re encouraging people to be proud of swapping at least one journey to rail. We believe this campaign will help build awareness of rail’s environmental benefits, encourage more people to take the train no matter who they travel with or how they buy their tickets, and help the whole industry to grow.”
In addition to the music video, outdoor murals and light projections help to convey rail’s sustainability credentials. These will appear at key locations nationwide, highlighting the environmental reasons – such as train travel being 7x less polluting than planes – why we should all choose train travel.
The campaign is tied together with a dedicated website (icamebytrain.com), packed with facts about switching to train travel and encouraging visitors to pledge to swap one journey to rail.
Photo/video credits: -Mother / Stink Films / Golden Wolf / BYTE/DEPT®: Trainline, Better Days (I Came By train) (Copyright © Trainline, 2022)
