Italian operator Trenitalia, Swiss operator SBB and Czechia‘s RegioJet have emerged at the top of a new ranking of the best and worst rail operators in Europe, undertaken by Transport & Environment (T&E).
The study evaluated 27 rail operators across eight criteria, including ticket prices, reliability and onboard amenities.
High scoring
Italy’s Trenitalia scored highly in terms of travel experience, while SBB is the most punctual operator in Europe and RegioJet has some of the most affordable tickets.
At the other end of the spectrum, Eurostar ranked lowest, with the study noting steep ticket prices and poor reliability.
‘The findings highlight that overall, rail services in Europe fall short of expectations and that expensive ticket prices don’t necessarily translate to higher quality of services,’ T&E said. ‘Operators, Member States and the European Commission must improve reliability, affordability and booking experience.’
Pricing and reliability
High pricing also affected the scores of operators such as Deutsche Bahn (DB) and SNCF, whereas Bulgaria’s BDZ, Portugal’s CP, and Italy’s Italo and Trenitalia, were hailed for offering accessible fares, including discounts for families and specific age groups.
SBB, SNCB (Belgium), and Spain’s Renfe ranked highly in terms of reliability, although the study found that just 11 operators achieved punctuality rates above 80%. DB, CP, and Sweden’s Snälltåget were among the poor performers when it came to reliability.
Another factor assessed, ease of booking, saw SBB top the list, followed by DB and Austria’s ÖBB.
Poor performers in reliability included DB, CP, and Sweden’s Snälltåget, reflecting ongoing challenges in maintaining consistent schedules.
‘More affordable’
“Sky-high ticket prices are driving passengers away from trains,” commented Victor Thévenet, rail policy manager at T&E. “To unlock rail’s full potential, we must make tickets more affordable.
“This is a shared responsibility between the industry and governments. Rail operators need to set customer-friendly fares, while Member States and the EU should ensure fair competition and lower rail tolls. That’s the ticket to making train travel accessible to all Europeans.”
T&E’s findings also point to an EU-wide opportunity for reform, with the European Commission currently exploring new regulations for a single digital booking and ticketing system.
“The EU has opened a window of opportunity to finally mandate that train companies share their tickets with booking platforms to enable cross-border booking in just one click,” Thévenet added. “Together with the roll-out of the European standard for command and control system ERTMS, which will increase train capacity and punctuality, these regulations have the potential to make rail more reliable and easier to use.
“It is now time for the Commission to show these are not empty promises.” Read more here.
