These railway stations have been voted best in Europe

Many people are actively striving to travel by train rather than fly these days as a means of reducing carbon emissions. With that in mind, it may be helpful to know the railway stations that have been voted most passenger-friendly in Europe.

Child travelling by train through the German countryside. — The most passenger-friendly European railway stations have been chosen © FamVeld/Shutterstock

The Consumer Choice Center ranked Europe’s 50 largest railway stations for its first annual European Railway Station Index in terms of passenger experience, ranging from how crowded platforms are and accessibility to the number of destinations and cleanliness. It also considered availability of ride-hailing services, competition of train companies, on-site restaurants and shopping, number of international destinations, quality of signage, average strike days, existence of first class lounges and convenience accessing the platforms.

Inside St Pancras International train station in Kings Cross. — St Pancras was voted best railway station in Europe © CapturePB/Shutterstock

Based on these criteria, it ranked St. Pancras International in London in top position. This was due to its low number of strike days, high passenger convenience and international connectivity. "The fact that it also hosts the longest champagne bar in Europe did not influence this ranking," the report joked. Zürich and Leipzig Central Stations came in second and third place, Roma Termini in Rome came fourth and München Central Station in Munich tied for sixth place with Hamburg Central Station and Berlin Central Station. Milano Centrale in Milan came in eighth position, and Moscow Kazansky and Frankfurt Central Station tied for joint ninth position.

The central train station in Leipzig, Germany — Leipzig Central Station came in second place © gary yim/Shutterstock

Half of the top ten were German railway stations, thanks to their low numbers of strike days, many destinations, accessibility for passengers in wheelchairs and diverse food and shopping offerings to kill waiting time. "While we at the Consumer Choice Center stand for choice and technology neutrality, we want to use the rise of interest in long-distance train travel as an opportunity to show which railway stations in Europe are the most convenient for travellers," the report says.

You can check out the complete European Railway Station Index here.