If you’re planning a train trip around the continent, this new ranking by Transport & Environment (T&E) has revealed the most reliable, affordable and best-equipped European rail operators.
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Predictions for 2025’s travel trends by tourism operators and booking sites have consistently highlighted the continuing popularity of rail transport. Travelers have fallen back in love with trains and the proliferation of new services means a rail odyssey across Europe is easier to plan than ever.
However, passengers continue to underline the need for improvements to services and lower fares to keep the sector on track in 2025. If you’re planning a train trip around the continent, this new ranking by Transport & Environment (T&E) has revealed the most reliable, affordable and best-equipped European rail operators.
“A performing rail system is one of the cornerstones of the zero-emission mobility system,” the pro-sustainable body of non-governmental organizations writes in their report. “Rail climate potential can be maximized if train operators improve their services and the EU and Member States support them with incentives and regulations.”
How Do Passengers Rate Europe’s Rail Operators?
The T&E report found that multiple opinion polls show ticket prices are the primary factor in consumer decisions. Consultants McKinsey found that 49% of the respondents in Europe cited price as the primary factor in choosing a transport mode. In addition, Europe on Rail found that 73% of respondents think that rail travel on the same route should generally be cheaper than air travel.
Results show Italian main operator Trenitalia tops the overall ranking followed by Czech company RegioJet and Austrian operator ÖBB.
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Reliability is also a priority while many consumers can be deterred from choosing rail due to poor booking experiences, both before and after ticket purchase. ING research shows that booking an international train journey in Europe has a dropout rate ten times higher than booking a flight.
The travel experience is also important, with journey speed and comfort among the top factors for McKinsey survey respondents, and passengers highlighted night train development and cycling policies as considerations.
What Is Europe’s Top Rail Operator?
T&E compared 27 European rail operators and their performance in eight categories: ticket price, special fares and reductions, reliability, booking experience, compensation policy, traveler experience, night trains and cycling policy.
Results show Italian main operator Trenitalia tops the overall ranking followed by Czech company RegioJet and Austrian operator ÖBB. Trenitalia performed well in the booking experience, reliability and traveler experience categories. The latter includes providing wifi, electricity sockets and meal or snack services.
SBB is the most punctual operator in Europe and RegioJet has some of the most affordable tickets. In contrast, Eurostar’s low ranking reflects its steep prices and poor reliability score. For ticket price, Flixtrain and Ouigo took the first and second spots while Eurostar and GWR came in last.
“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,” the report concludes. “ÖBB and Trenitalia offer some of the best price-to-quality ratios in Europe, while Eurostar and Avanti charge high fares but deliver subpar services.”
Europe’s Rail Services Need To Be ‘More Punctual And Easier To Use’
“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,” Victor Thévenet, rail policy manager at T&E, said in a press release.
“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.”
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Publish date : 2025-01-22 00:25:00
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