Forget Driving Home for Christmas! Chris Rea could have slashed his carbon footprint by 88% if he’d taken the train back to Middlesbrough instead, study finds

Since its release in 1986, Chris Rea's “Driving Home for Christmas” has become one of the most popular Christmas songs in the UK.

But a new study suggests that if Rhea is feeling green this Christmas, he may have to release a new version of the song.

Scientists calculated that Rea's journey from Abbey Road Music Studios to his home in Middlesbrough in his wife's Austin Mini would have produced 44 kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2).

However, a team from the University of Sheffield says it could have cut its carbon footprint by a whopping 88% if it had taken the train instead.

Dr Stuart Walker, who led the study, said: 'Emissions from car and train journeys have fallen by around 80% since the song was written, but the train is still the greenest way to travel.'

Rhea was inspired to write Driving Home for Christmas after his wife came to London to drive him home in her Austin Mini to save money.

Talking to WatchmanHe explained: “We kept being stuck in traffic and I was looking at the other drivers, who all looked absolutely miserable.

“Jokingly, I started singing: 'We're driving home for Christmas…'.

“Then, whenever the street lights came on inside the car, I started writing lyrics.”

In the new study, the team calculated the average carbon emissions released during a 241-mile trip using different forms of transportation.

This includes his original Mini, an electric version he commissioned earlier this year, and the train.

In its 1978 Mini Austin, the team calculated that it would have emitted about 44 kg of carbon dioxide.

His new electric car will be much better, according to their calculations.

If the small electric car could travel about six kilometers per kilowatt-hour, the team estimates that total emissions during the trip would be 11 kg of carbon dioxide.

A common modern electric vehicle may reduce this weight to less than 8 kg.

The team calculated the average carbon emissions emitted during the 241-mile journey from London's Abbey Road Studios (pictured) to Middlesbrough using different forms of transport.

According to the researchers, a journey from St John's Wood to King's Cross on the London Underground, and then a train to Middlesbrough, would emit just 5kg of carbon dioxide.

However, the train was found to be the best option for RIA to reduce its carbon footprint.

Since 2019, electric trains have been running on the East Coast Main Line.

This means that a journey from St John's Wood to King's Cross on the London Underground, and then a train up to Middlesbrough, would emit just 5kg of carbon dioxide, according to the researchers.

“We also calculated the emissions of some of Chris's favorite vehicles, including a Ferrari (148kg of CO2) and a small Fiat 500 (37kg), but none of them could beat the train,” Dr Walker said.

“If Chris had adopted an early hybrid Toyota Prius in 2009 or bought a Tesla in 2012, his emissions would be lower than a petrol or diesel car, but still higher than an equivalent train journey.”

According to the team, emissions from rail journeys are expected to decrease further in the future.

Dr Walker added: “We have found that rail journey emissions will decrease over time, thanks to the electrification of the line and a gradual decline in emissions as more and more of our electricity is supplied by renewable energy.”

MailOnline has contacted Rea for comment.