According to the study by the NGO Transport and Environment (T&E), the best railway company in Europe is Trenitalia. Eurostar, which operates the trains using the Channel Tunnel, comes at the back of the pack.
A series of eight criteria were used to evaluate companies on their medium and long distance routes, the most important being price. Reliability, available discount programs, compensation policies in the event of delays or cancellations, the experience for travelers and the existence of night trains or places for bicycles were also taken into account.
Trenitalia convinces on almost every point
With a final score of 7.7 out of 10, Trenitalia offers one of the best value for money on the continent, according to T&E. It excels in almost every category, with the exception of the bicycle offering. It is followed by the RegioJet company, which operates trains in the Czech Republic and to border countries.
The Austrian company ÖBB comes third and SNCF fourth, thanks in particular to a ‘very good passenger experience, an attractive refund policy and its night train offer’, according to Victor Thévenet.
The French company offers “good value for money in Europe”, he assures, but areas for progress exist, because its prices remain high and “there are still reliability problems, cancellations and delays”. And “the bicycle policy is not advantageous at all”.
Eurostar too expensive
At the bottom of the ranking, we find Ouigo – a low-cost subsidiary of the SNCF – in 25th position, which suffers from a lack of reduced fares and poor reliability despite very competitive prices.
The worst company on the continent is also the most expensive, according to T&E: Eurostar is 27th, just behind the Greek Hellenic Trains. The NGO emphasizes that prices, twice as high as the European average, do not guarantee quality of service. The company – majority owned by SNCF Voyageurs – suffers according to the ranking from a lack of reliability which increases its final score.
