Train Prices Across Europe
13 December 2016It's not like we even have to tell you - trains are expensive. UK commuters and travellers are plagued by a need to rely on the rail system, yet are forced to buy often-extortionate tickets and suffer delays, cancellations and just plain poor service all too often.
As of the 2nd January 2019, train prices will go up an average of 3.1% - the second biggest price jump since 2013 after last year, and again above the CPI rate - and will include all kinds of tickets (including season tickets and off-peak leisure tickets and just about everything in between).
Back on 2nd January 2018, train prices were also up - by an average of 3.4%.
But just how expensive are British rail prices compared to the rest of Europe? Are we making a fuss about nothing, or are we really being charged too much to get across our relatively tiny country hassle-free?
European Train Prices - The Data
Comparing train prices internationally is difficult - prices can vary within a country, distances and destinations are unique, and pricing structures can also be inconsistent.
That's why we decided to base our data on each EU country's capital city train station, and the train station closest to 50 miles away. This gave us an even playing field, and as close to a consistent price metric to compare as possible.
We also selected the price for a single on the day of travel, and the price per mile for each journey to negate any inconsistent distances. Of course, these stations were ~50 miles apart, which doesn't account for the distance the train actually travels on the line - we picked train routes that were as straight as possible wherever possible (with no transfers where possible), and collected the time for each journey to try and show consistency.
Train Prices Across Europe - The Results
The UK has reclaimed its rightful spot at the top of the 'ridiculously expensive train prices' pile, charging 55p per mile for railway passengers.
The only country that previously had more expensive trains than the UK is Norway - but after a price drop this year, they are now a slightly more modest 46p per mile.
... these two countries are a world ahead, however.
The UK charges twice as much as the next closest country, as Austria and Sweden have prices set at 27p per mile.
Compare this to Eastern Europe - a whopping 18 countries in Europe have prices set below 10p per mile, including Poland, Slovakia and Serbia. Remarkably, prices in Belarus sit at a ridiculous 1p per mile.
In fact, the average across the whole of Europe sits at a lowly 14p per mile, less than one third of the UK figure - despite it being equivalent in size to many countries included in the analysis.
Looking at the numbers in each country's respective native currency, more prices actually dropped year on year than increased - 16 countries saw a price reduction, 13 countries saw a price increase, and 9 remained the same.
The average price shift across Europe? Down. Despite the UK having the most expensive train prices across the whole of Europe, they still increased by 3.1% on average (2.9% on the specific London > Oxford route included in the study). Across Europe, prices were down 1.74% on average.
If you've got a trip coming up anywhere in Europe - including the UK - don't forget to see if there are any discount codes you can use and to book your train travel as early as possible. There's a saving to be had with the likes of Trainline.com, Eurotunnel, Eurostar and My Interrail. Our travel and accommodation page is the best place to start if you're stuck!
Train Prices Across Europe - The Exclusions
As you can see from the map, a number of countries were excluded or had no available data. For many, there simply wasn't a domestic passenger rail service functional at all. Some countries had a passenger rail service, but it wasn't large enough (single city systems were the most common) to be included in our study.
Others, including Moldova, had domestic trains that were seemingly not available for booking, despite international trains (like across to Romania) being available to purchase.
9 countries total were excluded, including Kosovo, Cyprus, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Moldova, Monaco and San Marino.
European Train Prices - The Full Data Set
The full data set is included below, for both single journeys and return journeys.
Despite return prices being almost exactly the same price as a single, the UK is still the fifth most expensive when it comes to price per mile across Europe. Our ridiculously frustrating system, which charges ~95% of the price of a return for a single, still means it falls into 5th place on the returns table at 28p per mile.
Norway leads the charge here, staying strong at 46p per mile, while Austria (38p), Holland (30p), Holland and France (29p) all follow closely behind. The majority of these employ the much more common system of simply charging a return-rider for two singles.
If anything, this further sheds light on the nonsensical nature of the UK system, opening it up to even more criticism than it deserves by forcing those buying a single to shell out far more than they should.
In response to the research, Chris Johnson, Head of Operations at Vouchercloud, commented:
“An average price increase of 3.1% across the rail network is not a huge amount in and of itself. However, when we actually have numbers that show our train prices are already the most expensive across the whole of Europe on a consistent basis, it tells a whole different story.
“The very least we can expect is an improvement in service and reduction in delays and cancellations – and if that doesn’t happen again this year, then we’re justifiable in our complaints that a once proud, still hugely important transport network here in the UK is holding commuters hostage”
