TransPennine Express have found by a scientific study that travelling by train can reduce your stress levels by 18%.

The train operating company set Charlotte Dougall, a travel and lifestyle blogger, a challenge to complete three journeys from Glasgow to Manchester. One car journey, one train journey, and one plane journey. In total, Charlotte traveled a total of 687 miles in just two days.

The study used data from Charlotte’s heart rate and anxiety levels throughout the two days.

The experiment shows that travelling by train reduced stress by 18%. Whereas, travelling by car caused her stress levels to rise by 50% and have a heart rate equivalent to that of completing moderate exercise.

Charlotte then took the plane and rated her stress and anxiety levels at a 6 out of ten. This was due to various of unexpected events. These were random inspections at check-in, flight delays, and an unexpected gate change.

TransPennine Express has launched a free on the onboard entertainment system, which is the reasoning behind the study. Exstream allows passengers travelling between Manchester, Glasgow, and Edinburgh via Preston and Lancaster to watch some of tvs best shows like Coronation Street from the comfort of your seat. All you need to do is download the app from the app store.

What did they say?

Charlotte Dougall, a Lifestyle blogger, said: “I’m naturally an anxious traveller, but I was excited to take on the challenge to see just how stressful I found each mode of transport. The car journey, whilst it’s relatively straightforward, is quite boring as the majority of the journey is on a motorway. The traffic was busy when I approached Manchester, and the change in weather increased my anxiety levels. So this was the second most stressful mode of transport.

“I’d give the train journey a low two out of ten for stress and anxiety. Whilst the train was busy, the new entertainment service and free Wi-Fi definitely kept me entertained for the journey and the friendly staff made me feel at ease. The plane journey was the most stressful by far. There were delays and changes throughout the whole journey, and I could feel myself getting increasingly more anxious.

“I really enjoyed taking on the challenge, each mode of travel has their advantages and disadvantages but the train definitely came out on top in my opinion. The new service and Wi-Fi meant that the journey flew by in no time.”

Kathryn O’Brien, Customer Experience Director for TransPennine Express, said: “It’s really interesting to see the outcome of the study, and to compare the statistics that show the change in Charlotte’s anxiety and stress levels when travelling on the different modes of transport.”

“We are really pleased that Charlotte enjoyed her experience onboard, including the new onboard entertainment system and we hope that many more of our customers will enjoy tuning in and watching dozens of movies, box sets, catch up TV, kids shows and more.”

Read more on Charlottes blog here

• Visit the TransPennine Express Website
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