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European Railway Station Index 2024
Introduction
The European railway industry is currently navigating a challenging period, with disruptions and declines impacting some of its most prominent stations. Despite these difficulties, some top-performing stations continue to excel, with Zurich maintaining its number one spot in the rankings, followed by Bern and Utrecht Centraal. Paris Gare du Nord has made a remarkable leap to fourth place, while other Parisian stations also show notable improvements. However, the situation is not as favorable for all, with previously high-ranking stations like Vienna Meidling and Berlin Main Station experiencing significant declines due to increased delays and waiting times. Additionally, the impact of events like attempted sabotage during the Paris Summer Olympics and the overcrowding issues during the UEFA Euro 2024 Cup have further highlighted the strain on the railway systems across Europe. These challenges have sparked debates on the underlying issues, ranging from inadequate investments and infrastructure reduction in Germany to operational inefficiencies in Spain and the United Kingdom.
About the research
We ranked fifty of Europe’s busiest railway stations (measured in passenger volume) to help consumers enjoy the best possible experience on their next trip. We used several factors, ranging from tickets to the number of in-station services, accessibility options, free Wi-Fi, national and local railway coverage, and ride-sharing.
Our fifth annual edition of the index builds on our existing analysis using reports provided by national authorities, online statistics, station maps, real-time updates, and our own research. At the same time, we incorporated the constructive feedback we received for the previous edition of our study.
Results
The latest index results reveal a complex picture for the European railway industry, with passenger volumes generally on the rise but varying significantly by region and station. Paris Gare du Nord, already among the world’s busiest stations, saw a notable increase in passengers, while Zurich also experienced significant growth. However, inconsistencies in reporting, such as changes in data collection methods in Italy, complicate broad generalizations. Stations in Switzerland and the Netherlands demonstrated resilience, maintaining low waiting times and delays, supported by dense networks and competitive markets. French stations, despite recent disruptions, managed to recover quickly, keeping delays and waiting times relatively low. In contrast, German stations struggled, with Berlin Main Station experiencing a sharp increase in delays, highlighting ongoing infrastructure challenges. British stations faced the highest recorded delays, reflecting long-standing issues in infrastructure and subsequent supply-demand imbalance, raising concerns about the effectiveness of planned nationalization efforts in the UK.
Benefits for Consumers
There are several upsides to choosing one of the top five stations for arrival or departure, such as less time spent waiting for trains, more convenient operating hours for ticket booths, more ticket packages to choose from, more accessible entrances, platforms, and restrooms for people with disabilities, more shops, kiosks, restaurants, and first-class lounges, quicker connections to and from the station and better national coverage.
- The top 5 selections offer the best experience all around
- Northern and Central venues continue to dominate the upper bounds of the list, compared to Southern entries
- Scores improved across the board for ticket types, meaning consumers will find more tailored options than ever before
- Scores once again improved for accessibility concerning in-station information, elevators, escalators, platforms, and restrooms, suggesting further progress in accessibility
- Given the very high averages for delays and waiting times, consumers’ frustrations are not isolated anecdotes but part of a general downward trend for stations
Research note: We strive to improve the quality of this index’s underlying data every year and aim to refine its methodology further. We sometimes faced contradictory information and indicators measured differently by different stations. For instance, French authorities only count a train delay as anything later than 5 minutes, whereas British observers tend to label any train arriving after its assigned schedule as late. Some stations have up-to-date information; others just have data from previous years. Directly estimating railway network coverage is imperfect. We ask the index readers to acknowledge the difficulties in working with heterogeneous data and caution users to be aware of the underlying complications. Furthermore, what makes a railway station “good” for each individual can have a distinct qualitative element. Please remember, then, that our assessments are strictly quantitative and non-normative. We are not passing moral judgment on a station’s goodness and badness or downplaying personal experiences by ranking one station lower. We are simply highlighting measurable conclusions based on the data available at the time of this index.
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Authors
Emil Panzaru
Research Director
Amjad Aun
Policy Fellow
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