Swiss Railways plummets in trains league table after The Independent’s investigation

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Swiss Railways has dropped from second place in Europe to 11th in a rail survey after The Independent revealed the research was profoundly flawed.

Last month the Brussels-based campaign group Transport and Environment issued a report rating SBB, the national rail firm in Switzerland, best in Europe for reliability. Taking into account a range of factors, but primarily train fares, Swiss Railways was rated second best in Europe behind Trenitalia – the national rail operator of Italy.

Given the high fares on Swiss Railways, such as £72 for the 130-mile journey from Geneva to Basel, the result was surprising.

The Independent analysed the data and discovered the Transport and Environment researchers had halved the real cost of journeys in Switzerland.

Fares quoted during online searches for Swiss Railways journeys assume the traveller has a half-fare rail card – price £170. Many visitors do not have such a card, and therefore pay double the “locals’ price”.

The campaign group recalculated the ratings. As a result, SBB dropped nine places to 11th. For fares alone, Swiss Railways is third from bottom of the 27 operators surveyed. Only Eurostar and Great Western Railway are rated as more expensive.

Another UK operator, Avanti West Coast, has leapfrogged SBB for fares after The Independent pointed out some ticket prices had been inflated 338 per cent by Transport and Environment researchers. For some Avanti West Coast journeys between London and Milton Keynes, the £17.10 fare for the 50-mile trip, the researchers insisted the fare was £74.90.

The average fare quoted in the survey for Great Western Railway from London to Bristol is £48, which the train operator says is unrealistically high – with the typical traveller paying less than £35.

Victor Thévenet, Transport and Environment’s rail policy manager, said: “Despite small adjustments to the rail ranking, our conclusions remain the same: a high performing rail system is one of the cornerstones of the zero emission mobility system, yet rail services in Europe fall short of expectations and high prices do not guarantee a high quality of service.

“Differences between rail operators show that strong improvements are possible from reliability to passenger rights and rail climate potential can be maximised if train operators improve their services and the EU and member states support them with incentives and regulations”.

Nicky Gardner, co-author of Europe by Rail: The Definitive Guide, remains sceptical of the data underpinning this study. “We have a highly selective data set here, one that almost seems designed to show certain operators in a bad light.

“In such surveys, we really need to look at the actual fares paid by travellers making real journeys, taking into account all eligible discounts of which they might have taken advantage.”