The best rail operator has been revealed, as the Eurostar was found to perform the worst with an “expensive and unreliable service”.
Long delays and pricey tickets are not isolated to the UK alone as many services across Europe mirror this. However, the best rail operator has been crowned, with Italy’s Trenitalia taking the top spot.
According to a new study by the European NGO Transport & Environment (T&E), released on Monday, Italian train operator Trenitalia performs the best.
Second place goes to the Swiss operator SBB, with the Czech company RegioJet coming in at third. Austria’s ÖBB came in fourth, ahead of France’s SCNF in a comfortable fifth place.
“Trenitalia stands out for its travel experience, SBB is the most punctual operator in Europe and RegioJet has some of the most affordable tickets,” T&E said in the report.
27 European rail operators were analysed and ranked, highlighting the areas for improvement. They were assessed on eight different criteria which are: Ticket prices, special fares and reductions, reliability, booking experience, compensation policy, traveler experience, night trains and cycling policy.
The Eurostar is placed firmly down the bottom half of the list which links together France, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
According to the report, the Eurostar “charge[s] nearly twice the European average price per kilometer” but ranked only 14th on reliability.
Across the board, T&E discovered that all rail companies could improve upon their punctuality rates.
“The reliability of major rail operators in Europe remains disappointing. Of the 25 operators with punctuality data, only 11 achieve a rate above 80%,” said the report.
The bottom of the pile for reliability is Germany’s Deutsche Bahn. This comes as no surprise to travellers as it’s notorious for delays and cancellations. The German operator ranked 16th overall, and “poorly in pricing too”, which does not bode well being Europe’s largest rail operator.
The report concludes that “investing in maintaining, upgrading and digitising the rail network as well as buying new rolling stock will help trains arrive on time”. It added: “Leading operators are still far from providing the optimal service conditions essential for attracting more passengers.”
