The best rail company in Europe is Italy's Trenitalia, according to the NGO Transport and Environment (T&E).
On 9 December, T&E published a ranking of 27 companies assessed on various criteria, such as cost and reliability, putting Eurostar at the bottom of the rankings.
The train "is a mainstay of mobility in most European countries, a pillar of mobility that is often criticised for its shortcomings," explained Victor Tevene, coordinator of the rail think tank.
T&E's aim with this study is to provide a comprehensive benchmarking framework to allow companies to draw inspiration from best practice to make progress, and to encourage governments to introduce more rail-friendly regulations.
A series of 8 criteria are used to assess companies on their medium and long distance routes, the most important of which is price. Reliability, available discount programmes, compensation policies, passenger experience and the availability of night trains or bicycle spaces were also taken into account.
The top-rated company was Trenitalia, which T&E said offered one of the best value for money on the continent. It excels in almost every category except for offering bicycles, AFP reports.
It is followed by Swiss national carrier SBB and RegioJet, which operates trains in the Czech Republic and to neighbouring countries.
Austria's ÖBB came fourth and SNCF fifth, thanks in particular to "a very good passenger experience, an attractive refund policy and the offer of night trains", according to Victor Tevene.
The French company also offers "good value for money in Europe", he says, but there are still areas for improvement as its ticket prices remain high and "there are still problems with reliability, cancellations and delays".
"The cycling policy is not favourable at all," Tevene added.
At the bottom of the rankings is Ouigo - SNCF's low-cost subsidiary - in 25th position, which despite ultra-competitive fares - the second cheapest operator in Europe - suffers from a lack of reduced fares and mediocre reliability.
But the continent's worst company is also the most expensive, according to T&E. Eurostar is in 27th place, just behind Greece's Hellenic Trains. The NGO points out that prices that are twice the European average do not guarantee quality of service.
According to the ranking, the company, majority owned by SNCF Voyageurs, suffers from a lack of reliability, which lowers its final score. | BGNES
