Long-distance mobility sustainability, high-speed railways (HSR) decarbonization effect, and bans for short-haul flights are debated in Europe. Yet, holistic environmental assessments on these topics are scarce. A comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted on the Paris-Bordeaux transportation options in France: HSR, plane, coach, personal car, and carpooling. The overall ranking on four environmental indicators, from best to worst, is as follows: coach, HSR, carpooling, private car, and plane. Scenario analyses showed that increasing train occupancy decreases the environmental impact of the mode (-12 %), while decreasing speed does not. Moreover, worldwide carbon footprints of electric HSR modes range 30–120 gCO2eq per passenger-kilometer traveled. Finally, a consequential LCA highlighted carbon paybacks of the HSR project. Under a business-as-usual trip substitution scenario, the HSR gets net-zero 60 years after construction. With a short-haul flight ban, it occurs after 10 years. This advocates for generalizing short-haul flight restrictions and investing in HSR infrastructure.

长途交通可持续性、高速铁路（HSR）脱碳效应以及短途航班禁令在欧洲引发了争论。然而，对这些主题的整体环境评估却很少。对法国巴黎至波尔多的交通选择进行了比较生命周期评估（LCA）：高铁、飞机、长途汽车、私家车和拼车。四项环境指标总体排名由好到差依次为：长途汽车、高铁、拼车、私家车、飞机。情景分析表明，增加列车占用率会降低该模式对环境的影响 (-12%)，而降低速度则不会。此外，电动高铁模式的全球碳足迹范围为每乘客公里 30–120 gCO2eq。最后，相应的生命周期评估强调了高铁项目的碳回报。在一切照旧的出行替代方案下，高铁在建成 60 年后实现净零排放。短途飞行禁令是在 10 年后发生的。这主张普遍实行短途航班限制并投资高铁基础设施。