The best train stations in Europe have been revealed – and London St Pancras has lost its title to Leipzig Hauptbahnhof in Germany.
The European Railway Station Index 2021 scores 51 of Europe’s biggest railway stations to come up with the ultimate ranking.
Looking at various factors which contribute towards a better customer experience, the Consumer Choice Center puts together the annual report.
While St Pancras was crowned the number one station in 2020, this year it has dropped two spots to third place.
Second after Leipzig was Vienna Hauptbahnhof, with Amsterdam Centraal and Moscow Kazansky joint fourth and the main stations in Germany’s Frankfurt and Munich coming joint fifth respectively.
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Factors that determine stations’ positions include the number of domestic and international destinations served, platform access and the quality of dining options.
St Pancras lost out in part because of the pandemic, which resulted in widescale cutbacks to its Eurostar services.
The index authors commended Leipzig’s facilities for passengers.
“The station offers the greatest number of domestic destinations and an array of shops and restaurants,” reads the report.
“Several different railway companies use Leipzig Hauptbahnhof, which made it stand out in the top five.”
Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, Magenta station in Paris came in last place, with the lowest score.
Other UK inclusions are Birmingham New Street (eighth), London Victoria and London Bridge (joint 11th), London Euston (12th), London Waterloo (17th) and London Liverpool Street (19th).
Europe’s best (and worst) railway stations
1. Leipzig Hauptbahnhof
2. Wien Hauptbahnhof, Vienna
3. St. Pancras, London
4. Amsterdam Centraal
4. Moscow Kazansky
5. Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof
5. Munchen Hauptbahnhof
6. Moscow Kursky
7. Milano Centrale
8. Birmingham New Street
9. Roma Termini
10. Gare Montparnasse, Paris
10. Bologna Centrale
11. Gare du Nord, Paris
11. London Victoria
11. Oslo Sentralstasjon
11. London Bridge
12. Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof
12. Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof
12. London Euston
12. Hannover Hauptbahnhof
13. Napoli Centrale Naples
14. Zurich Hauptbahnhof
14. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
15. Cologne Hauptbahnhof
15. Moscow Yaroslavsky
15. Nuremberg Hauptbahnhof
15. Torino Porta Nuova
15. Berlin Hauptbahnhof
16. Wien Mitte, Vienna
16. Gare Saint-Lazare, Paris
16. Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
17. Madrid Atocha
17. London Waterloo
17. Utrecht Centraal
18. Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Florence
18. Roma Tiburtina
19. Essen Hauptbahnhof
19. Bremen Hauptbahnhof
19. London Liverpool Street
20. Gare de Lyon, Paris
21. Helsinki Paarautatieasema
22. Ostkreuz, Berlin
22. Bern Railway Station
23. Berlin Zoologischer Garten
24. Berlin Friedrichstrase
24. La Defense, Puteaux
24. Haussmann–Saint-Lazare, Paris
25. Châtelet–Les Halles, Paris
25. Norreport, Copenhagen
26. Magenta, Paris
