Eurostar, Trenitalia, Deutsche Bahn: What are the best and worst rail operators in Europe?

22.12.2024 - 13:01 / euronews.com / Rosie Frost

Europe’s rail services fall short of expectations and expensive ticket prices don’t necessarily translate to higher-quality services, a new report has found.

The survey from the campaign group Transport and Environment (T&E) ranked 27 different rail operators across the continent. Each was evaluated on eight different criteria: ticket prices, special fares and reductions, reliability, booking experience, compensation policies, traveller experience, night trains and cycling policy.

It comes amid a growing consensus that rail travel in Europe needs to be improved with T&E saying it underlines the need for industry-wide reforms.

Italy’s Trenitalia came out on top of T&E’s ranking, earning an average score of 7.7 out of 10, with the operator standing out for its travel experience. It is followed by Switzerland’s SBB with a score of 7.4 which was found to have the most punctual trains in Europe.

Also with a score of 7.4 was Czechia’s RegioJet, which has some of the most affordable ticket prices in the continent, according to the report.

Eurostar was at the bottom of the list with an average score of 4.9 out of 10 across the eight criteria. T&E says this reflects its steep prices - which are worth 25 per cent of the score - and poor reliability.

The report found that Eurostar was almost twice as expensive as other European operators on routes of comparable lengths.

A Eurostar spokesperson says the operator is “surprised” by the survey results and doesn’t agree with the conclusions of the report.

They point to recent changes since the data was collected, saying the booking experience is now the same for all trains, cycling policies have been updated, and a service to buy discounted last-minute fares has been relaunched.

The Eurostar spokesperson adds that automated refunds aren’t offered to allow customers to choose the type of compensation they want to receive.

“We are confident that if this report were redone again, the scores would be higher,” the operator says.

Eurostar is joined at the bottom of the list by Greece’s high-speed Hellenic Train, and France’s low-cost rail service Ouigo.

Reliability and ease of booking are worth 15 per cent of an operator’s score in the ranking.

In the top three overall, Switzerland’s SBB is in the lead for reliability alongside Belgium’s SNCB, and Spain’s Renfe.

When it comes to booking experience, SBB also tops the list, followed by Deutsche Bahn and Austria’s ÖBB. This covers features like how long tickets are offered in advance and if they can be sold by external platforms.

Just 11 out of the 27 operators included in the survey achieved punctuality rates over 80 per cent, however.

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, Portugal’s CP, and Sweden’s Snälltåget rank lowest for reliability.