Best train stations in Europe: France tops the list, Germany falls behind

Coconico for French train stations! In a recent study «Index of European Railway Stations», published by the Consumer Choice Center, the French train stations rank among the best out of 60 of the most frequented train stations in Europe. The index takes into account the following criteria: train reliability, waiting time, accessibility, ticketing, services, connectivity, and mobility options.

All of these criteria are particularly important for leisure and business travelers: a good train station must indeed allow you to easily purchase your ticket, access the platforms smoothly with escalators and elevators, find services, change modes of transport, and quickly continue your journey, in addition to ensuring punctual trains.

France thus makes a good impression with the Gare du Nord in Paris Which rose to second place in the ranking, just behind Zurich Central Station, with a score of 100.5 points. A performance all the more remarkable given that the station, with 257 million users, has the highest volume of passengers in the ranking. Compared to the 171 million passengers in Zurich or the 61.5 million in Amsterdam, for example. According to the index, only 5% of the services are considered delayed, while the average waiting time reaches only 0.4 minutes.

The French performance doesn’t stop there. The Montparnasse station ranks fifth, tied with Berne, with 94.5 points. The Gare Saint-Lazare comes in seventh place, with 91.5 points. The French capital thus places three of its main stations in the top 7 in Europe.

Gare Montparnasse has an average delayed service rate of 8.52%, with an average waiting time of 4.5 minutes. Saint-Lazare is even better in terms of delays. This rate reaches only 6.8%, with an average waiting time of 4.5 minutes. Only Gare de Lyon in Paris is in a worse position in the ranking. It actually has a rate of delay exceeding 22% and more than 8 minutes of waiting time. In terms of French regions, only Gare de Lyon-Part Dieu has been included in the ranking. With an average delay rate of 16.8% and 5.1 minutes of waiting time.

Among the stations with the best punctuality rates, we should note the remarkable result of the Lucerne central station: 0.25% trains late and 0 minutes of waiting. One can hardly do better. 

On the contrary, the cancers of the class are Italy and especially Germany. Four Italian railway stations flirt with delayed train percentages of between 40% and 50%: in the case of Rome Termini, Bologna Centrale, Turin Porto Nuova and Milan Centrale.

But these results are almost astonishing compared to the disaster of the German train stations. The percentage of delayed trains there reaches record levels: 58.5% in Düsseldorf, 61.2% in Berlin Hauptbahnhof, 67.45% in Hamburg, and figures that give vertigo in Cologne and Dortmund. In these two stations, the rate of delayed trains reaches 71.45 for the first and 73.8% for the second. One can hardly say anything other than «could do better!»

French train stations compared to the main major rail hubs

Source: European Railway Station Index 2026, Consumer Choice Center. Passenger volumes and punctuality indicators correspond to the data from the 2026 work ranking.