Germany received an unpleasant “surprise” – according to the new European Railway Stations Index 2025 rating, three of the country’s largest railway stations were recognized as the worst in the European Union.
It should be noted that the rating considered the 50 most popular railway stations in Europe.
European Railway Stations: Germany – the Anti-Leader
Thus, firstly, the comfort and safety of passengers were assessed. The exact Germans were disappointed here – three stations at once were “at the tail end”.
Berlin-Gesundbrunnen (50th place), Berlin-Ostkreuz (49th) and Dortmund-Main (48th).
But the bad news did not end there, because the list also included the central stations in Bremen, Stuttgart and Berlin-Südkreuz. They took 46th, 44th and 43rd place.
Europe and rails: what’s the problem
The main reason why German train stations are at the bottom of the list for the first time in a long time is their insufficient infrastructure.
For example, at Gesundbrunnen station, passengers have nowhere to eat – the traffic flow reaches 74 million people, and only three shops and seven restaurants are open. This is not enough, and people often do not even have time to get to the store checkout.
In addition, another problem is train delays. Almost half (42%) of trains arrive late. Dortmund became the anti-leader – it recorded the longest wait in Europe: 15.5 minutes.
Where are the best train stations?
It turned out that the best train stations are in the most neutral country in Europe, Switzerland. Zurich Hauptbahnhof served more than 100 million passengers in 2024 and on average, people waited no more than 1.5 minutes. Only 4% of trains were delayed.
Second place goes to Polish Wroclaw, and third place is again occupied by Switzerland – the city of Bern.
The exception is Berlin-Main Berlin Hauptbahnhof took fourth place in the ranking, ahead of London, Paris, and Vienna. All thanks to modern architecture, infrastructure, and the absence of train delays.
Every day, more than 300 thousand people pass through the main transfer hub of Germany.
