A new ranking by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) has revealed the best and worst rail operators in Europe. Dutch rail operator NS has not fared well, finding itself in the bottom five of the comparison.

Ranking of European rail operators 2024

T&E is Europe’s leading organisation advocating for clean transport and energy. They believe that a well-performing rail system is “one of the cornerstones of the zero-emission mobility system”. 

To determine which rail operators in Europe are best serving passengers, the organisation compared 27 rail operators across the following eight categories:

• Ticket prices
• Special fares and reductions
• Reliability
• Booking experience
• Compensation policy
• Comfort / Traveller experience
• Night trains
• Cycling policy

The different criteria were weighted according to how important passengers consider each one to be with ticket prices contributing 25 percent to the final score and night train development and cycling policies counting only 5 percent each. Trenitalia, the primary train operator of Italy, was named the best rail operator in Europe, with SBB in Switzerland and Czech company RegioJet rounding out the top three. 

Dutch rail operator lags behind in ranking

The primary rail company in the Netherlands NS performed poorly in the ranking, being named among the five worst rail operators in Europe at 23rd position. Traveller experience, special fares and reductions and night trains are some of the categories in which the NS received the lowest scores.

Ticket prices were another negative for the state-owned Dutch company. With train ticket prices set to rise by no less than 6 percent in 2025, this comes as no surprise to Dutch residents. Although the initial price increase was originally planned to be over 11 percent, the government worked with the rail operator to lower the price hike. 

On the other hand, there were some categories in which the NS excelled. In a country filled with bicycles, the cycling policy was one of the best in Europe. The compensation policy and reliability of the public transport services also scored high marks.

European rail operators not delivering satisfactory services

According to T&E, overall rail operators in Europe are falling short of expectations. The green group emphasised that “expensive ticket prices do not necessarily translate to higher quality of services”. 

Exorbitant ticket prices for train fares are pushing people to choose cheaper travel options such as driving or even flying for longer distances. A panel survey done in the Netherlands proved this with more than half of Dutch train passengers saying they would take the train less often due to price hikes.

Making public transport more affordable is vital in encouraging people to use greener modes of transport when travelling long distances. However, the organisation acknowledges that many times it is not only up to the rail operators themselves. “To unlock rail's full potential, we must make tickets more affordable. This is a shared responsibility between the industry and governments,” said Victor Thévenet, rail policy manager at T&E. 

“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," Thévenet concluded.

Top five rail operators in Europe

In all, here are the best European rail companies:

1. Trenitalia, Italy
2. SBB, Switzerland
3. RegioJet, Czechia
4. ÖBB, Austria
5. SNCF, France

For more information about the study and to see the full ranking, visit the T&E website.

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