Last year, a study by campaign group Transport & Environment (T&E) alleged that many fares across the UK are significantly more expensive than prices for comparable journeys in mainland Europe.
Following the latest fare increase, The i Paper has looked at several factors – fares, operational satisfaction, punctuality and high-speed track – to compare how England’s railway network compares with five of the busiest countries in Europe.
Just under half of fares are regulated in England, covering season tickets and some off-peak return tickets on long-distance routes as well as more flexible fares in and around cities. These rose by 4.6 per cent this month – slightly lower than in 2024, when regulated fare rises were capped at 4.9 per cent.
England has the only high speed network in the entire UK – and it’s far shorter than versions in many other European nations (Photo: William Barton/Getty)Data from the European Commission shows that England has just 109km (67.7 miles) of high-speed track, all on its existing HS1 network in London and Kent, on which the highest possible speed is 185 miles per hour.
Germany
Praised for making train travel more affordable, Germany’s subsidised Deutschland-Ticket, the nation’s flagship public transportation pass, has been extended for 2025, but with a fare increase of €9 (£7.55), taking the subscription to €58 (£48.65) per month.
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You thought UK train ticketing was a mess? Try booking one in Europe
Read MorePunctuality in the country is not much better than England’s record. According to Deutsche Bahn figures it continued to decline in 2024, reflecting the negative trend, in place since 2021.
Customer satisfaction is muted. In a survey released by Deutsche Bahn, it was revealed that, on a scale of one (very satisfied) to six (very dissatisfied), long-distance passengers scored a 2.7, while regional rail users scored their service 2.2.
France has not just raised its prices this year, but has also recorded continually worse punctuality on its services (Photo: Ngchiyui/Getty)
Responding to criticism, SNCF said the increase would amount to “less than €1 (85p)” per ticket and that, if you book your ticket earlier, it’s possible to save more money than waiting until the last minute.
In 2023, a report by L’Autorité de la Qualité de Service dans les Transports, France’s transport service quality authority, revealed that punctuality for rail services country-wide in 2022 were among the worst seen in the last decade. For instance, the delay rate on TGV services was 14.2 per cent in 2022, up from 11.3 per cent the previous year.
Where France does shine is in the realm of high-speed train travel. It has one of the highest levels track worldwide, with 2,800 km (1,740 miles) in total. Its newest trains can reach speeds of up to 320 km/h (199 mph).
Italy
Over the border in Italy, there have been no price hikes in 2025 so far, after officials in the northwestern Liguria region blocked Trenitalia, Italy’s state-owned operator, from raising ticket prices by 2.5 per cent. The increase is likely to come into force in the future, although it’s not clear exactly when.
square ITALY I fell in love with Italy’s magnificently affordable steam trains
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The country does have plenty of high-speed track, though, with 1,467km (911 miles) in total. The top achievable speeds are 300 km/h (190 mph).
Anecdotally, though, there are numerous cases of people facing difficulties getting a response or a refund from Italy’s rail companies.
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Renowned for trains that “run like clockwork”, the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) network reported punctuality of 93.2 per cent in 2024, up from 92.54 per cent in 2023 – and a five-year high.
Switzerland has some of the most picturesque train routes in the world – but its rail network isn’t flawless (Photo: tawatchaiprakobkit/Getty)Despite this, customer satisfaction is fairly high, with SBB reporting a level of 79.2 per cent in 2024, up from 78.7 per cent the year previously.
Spain
Not only have there been no price hikes in 2025, but fares for the most heavily-used Madrid to Barcelona route are now 58 per cent cheaper on average compared to 2019, according to industry experts RailTech.
Trainline research released in January revealed that, across the country, passenger numbers have increased significantly since 2019, especially on key routes like the Barcelona to Seville route, which has seen a tripling of passengers.
Ticket prices on Spain’s trains have gone down since 2019, meaning passengers – and problems – have increased (Photo: Boarding1Now/Getty)As of January this year, Spain’s high-speed network is the largest in Europe and second only to China’s, worldwide. It has 3,973 km (2,469 mi) of track, and its trains can reach up to 310 km/h (193 mph) – one of the highest speeds across the globe.
While it didn’t report on customer satisfaction levels, Renfe has drawn criticism for its decision to stop providing refunds of full ticket prices for delays of only 30 minutes, instead opting to compensate 50 per cent for delays of one hour. It only gives refunds of 100 per cent if a delay goes beyond 90 minutes.
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