Germany’s airline industry and main rail company said Thursday they aim to encourage more people to switch from planes to trains for domestic routes, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The German Aviation Association and Deutsche Bahn signed an agreement to offer more high-speed rail connections on routes currently served by short-haul flights.

The two sides said they expect more than 20% of plane passengers, or about 4.3 million people a year, could choose to travel by train instead.

This could cut a sixth of the carbon dioxide emissions currently generated by domestic air travel, they said.

Domestic flights in Germany are mainly used by business travellers and tourists catching connecting flights from one of the country’s major airports.