Fact check: Which EU country has essentially the most punctual trains?

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A debate has erupted online after Spain’s transport minister Óscar Puente claimed that his country has the second-most punctual mid and long-distance trains in Europe.

“Our punctuality ratio, the punctuality ratio of Renfe [Spain’s national state-owned railway company], is the second-highest in Europe, after the Swiss company and much ahead of Germany, Italy or France, which have punctuality rates inferior to ours,” he said on 4 September.

It’s true that non-EU member Switzerland consistently ranks as having a few of the most reliable trains on the continent, in line with various reports and travel corporations that rank services based on their very own criteria.

In a recent survey by campaign group Transport & Environment, for instance, the Swiss Federal Railways Company got here in first for reliability amongst rail operators in Europe, alongside Dutch railway operator Nederlandse Spoorwegen and just ahead of Belgium’s SNCB and Spain’s Renfe. Italy’s Trenitalia ranked best overall when criteria akin to ticket prices and booking experience were also taken into consideration.

The European Commission, nevertheless, also collects its own data on the punctuality of EU countries’ train services, even though it notes that different definitions of punctuality apply in member states, making it hard to completely compare each country.

Nevertheless, in line with data published in July, the Netherlands had essentially the most punctual long-distance and high-speed passenger train services within the EU, with 88% of its trains arriving on time in 2022.

The European Commission classifies “punctual” as trains arriving with a five-minute delay at most.

The Netherlands was followed by Belgium, also with 88% but brought down barely within the rating because of its leads to previous years, and Bulgaria with 87%.

Denmark got here fourth and Spain got here in fifth, so it does rank as having a few of the most punctual long-distance train services within the EU, and it does outrank the German, Italian and French services, as Puente suggested.

The EU average for high-speed and long-distance trains that arrived on time was 87%, in line with the Commission.

It’s a unique story for local and regional trains, though: on this category, Latvia, Estonia, Austria, Finland, and Denmark make up the highest five most punctual train services. Spain, meanwhile, is available in ninth place amongst EU member states.

Spanish regional passenger trains once more rank above the remainder of the Big 4 EU countries. Local German and Italian trains rating particularly low when put next to the remainder of the bloc, in line with numbers from the Commission.

They’re each still significantly more punctual than Romania’s passenger trains though, that are by far the least punctual in each the long-distance and regional categories.

How do European railway stations rank?

Certain associations also compile league tables of the standard of train stations around Europe.

Advocacy group Consumer Alternative Center recently released its European Railway Station Index for 2025, taking a look at Europe’s 50 busiest stations by passenger volume, and located that Switzerland once more reigns supreme with regards to train travel.

Specifically, Zürich Hauptbahnhof got here in as Europe’s best railway station overall with regards to categories akin to ticketing options, accessibility and rail coverage.

Poland’s Wrocław Główny followed, with Switzerland’s Bern Hauptbahnhof in third place. Berlin Hauptbahnhof (Germany) and London Paddington (UK) rounded out the highest five.

Switzerland, the UK and the Netherlands all had two stations in the highest 10.

Spain’s best-performing station, and its just one to feature, was Madrid Puerta de Atocha in 18th place within the rating.