The recent train fare increase in England and Wales has seen fares go up by 4.6 per cent and the price of most annual railcards – designed to save money with a one-off fee – increase by £5. Some journeys on London’s rail network that take just two minutes now cost as much as £4.20 – and a return from Finsbury Park to Harringay will cost £7.20 for four minutes total onboard.
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.
T&E analysed fares across 27 European operators and found that “travelling by rail in the UK is particularly costly”, citing high infrastructure costs and “private monopolies” as reasons. While the research was criticised by many as inaccurate, there’s little doubt that train travel can be expensive in England and Wales, particularly when it comes to walk-up fares.
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.
Here’s what you need to know.
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)Research from the government’s Office of Rail and Road (ORR) found that, across the country, just 62.1 per cent of trains left on in Quarter Three of 2024 – that is within one minute of their schedule departure – while 81.1 per cent left within three.
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.
When it comes to levels customer satisfaction, Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users, carries out a rolling survey. Its last, released in January, revealed that, overall, 82 per cent of train passengers in England and the wider UK were satisfied with their train journey overall in the six months to January 2025. That figure dropped to 79 per cent among commuters.
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.
Despite the price hike, it is still relatively affordable to get around on this ticket, which allows unlimited travel on regional and local public transport within the country, although it does exclude long-distance trains operated by Deutsche Bahn.
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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.
Germany has officially the busiest train network in Europe, and has 1,658km (1,030 miles) of high-speed track. Trains on these routes can reach speeds of up to 300kph.
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.
Across the Channel, French rail operator SNCF increased prices for TGV and Ouigo tickets by 1.5 per cent in January.
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.
When it comes to punctuality of trains in France, the situation is pas bon.
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.
The organisation also revealed that 2022 had seen the highest number of TER train cancellations since data-collection began, in 2013.
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).
Each year, SNCF releases a customer barometer, and the latest edition revealed that 6.9/10 overall customer satisfaction rating, up 1.4 points since 2020.
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.
In a report released by the Italian State Railway Company, it was revealed that more than 90 per cent of trains left within 5 minutes of the scheduled time in 2023, although high-speed Frecce and Intercity trains did see a slight deterioration in performance in this area.
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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).
The Italian State Railway Company also found that 76 per cent of passengers who contacted the customer care office in 2023 were reportedly satisfied with their experiences.
Anecdotally, though, there are numerous cases of people facing difficulties getting a response or a refund from Italy’s rail companies.
Train expert Mark Smith AKA the Man in Seat 61 waited 11 months to get a refund for a cancelled Frecciarossa journey, finally securing one in August 2024.
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In this Alpine nation, train ticket prices are notoriously high – reflecting the overall expense of non-EU Switzerland – there is some good news this year: prices for the entire public transport ticket range here will remain the same in 2025.
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)Due to the geographical make-up of the country, Switzerland has only a relatively small 137km (85.1 miles) of high-speed track, and top speeds can only reach 250 km/h (155 mph).
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
Spanish rail fares are less regulated than in the UK, as competition has been opened to private operators across the network, in addition to state-owned Renfe.
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.
The arrival of low-cost operators Ouigo and Iryo has challenged the dominance of Renfe and helped drive down consumer costs on some routes.
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)Nevertheless, punctuality is an issue. In November 2024, Renfe data revealed that 2023 had the highest number of rail delays in its history, blaming the rise in demand to rail travel and necessary improvements.
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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