Eurostar has been ranked the worst railway operator in Europe for its pricing, reliability and no-bike policy.
A study published by the think tank Transport and Environment (T&E) evaluated 27 companies in Europe and concluded that Eurostar offers the worst quality services on the continent.
Eurostar runs services between France, the United Kingdom and Belgium, and it is the most expensive operator in Europe. It received the lowest score of 4.7 out of 10, brought down by a range of criteria such as ticket prices (2.1/10), reliability (4.6/10) and cycling policy (0/10).
TrenItalia came out on top with 7.7 out of 10. The Italian provider is credited for its special fares and reductions (10/10), booking experience (8.3/10), passenger experience (8.9/10) and night train offering (9/10).
SNCB second most reliable
When it comes to specific categories, Belgian railway operator SNCB is the second most reliable service on the continent, tailing behind Switzerland's SBB. Spain's Renfe is in third place.
According to T&E, SNCB offers the best compensation policy in Europe, exceeding the requirements set by European rail passenger rights regulations. It is also the best company for travelling with bicycles on board, alongside SBB.
However, SNCB falls short in passenger experience (2.7/10). This is mainly due to it being one of the few operators to not offer WiFi on board.
The operator received a total score of 6.1 out of 10, making it the 12th best provider overall and just above the T&E average.
The worst performers are Germany's Deutsche Bahn, Portugal's CP and Sweden's Snälltåget due to frequent delays and cancellations.
