Europe’s Most Accessible Railway Nations

In a fast moving world, the availability of accessible public local transport and long-distance railway services aren’t just a matter of convenience; it’s a fundamental right. Accessibility in travel is crucial in strengthening participation for people with disabilities across various spheres of life.

Accessibility in travel is more than just structural adaptations like ramps or elevators. Accessibility means also providing assistive technologies, passenger information that is intelligible to all, and creating service offerings for travellers with special needs.

When railway stations and trains are designed to include everybody, it empowers everybody. For people with disabilities, it fosters social equality and opens more opportunities for individuals with diverse needs.

Only about three percent of Dutch train stations lack accessible pathways to the platform. This puts the Netherlands at the top of our list and makes it a leading European nation when it comes to accessible rail travel, setting an inspiring example for other countries. The Netherlands demonstrates how thoughtful design and dedicated effort can enhance the travel experience for everyone, regardless of their abilities.

Moreover, beyond the state of barrier-free platforms, there is a need for further improvement in guidance systems for blind and visually impaired people at railway stations. Currently, only 60 percent of platforms are equipped with guidance, such as tactile pavement on the floor, for people with visual impairments,

Thankfully, digital displays with passenger information are available at 7 out of 10 platforms. As for the remaining platforms, travellers primarily depend on apps providing traffic information or well-informed staff and conductors to obtain current updates on their journey.

In summary, British railway operators and decision-makers still have much work to do to achieve complete accessibility in the railway system. The ongoing efforts and implementations are a positive sign for a future where mobility is fully accessible for everybody.

• Methodology

  The objective of the study is to examine the current status-quo when it comes to accessibility at railway stations in 16 key European railway nations. The study is structured to assess the degree to which the railway networks cater to the requirements of individuals with disabilities. Three primary criteria were identified for evaluation, with a substantial volume of data analysed from reliable sources.

  • Stations with accessible platforms

  Accessible platforms are often facilitated by structural features such as elevators, ramps, and other infrastructural modifications. Various reports and studies were used to collect data about railway stations which are accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those using wheelchairs. Sources Österreichische Bundesbahn (Austria), Passe le Message à ton Voisin (Belgium), Ombudsman (Czech Republic), Disabled People’s Organisations Denmark (Denmark), Paris Olympics 2024 (France), Deutsche Bahn (Germany), Republic of Ireland (Ireland), Italia Rail (Italy), CFL (Luxembourg), EIM Rail (Netherlands), Ministère de la Transition écologique et de la Cohésion des territoires, France (Norway), Notes from Poland (Poland), Servicio de Información sobre Discapacidad (Spain), Jernusen (Sweden), Bundesamt für Verkehr (Switzerland) und Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (United Kingdom).

  • Stations with tactile pavement

  Independent access for visually impaired individuals are often facilitated through methods such as floor guidance systems or tactile handrail signage in stairs and elevators. Information about these forms of access was collected from various reports and studies to look at the percentages. The sources specified in the previous criteria were used again to consider Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, Poland, and the United Kingdom for this criteria. For other countries, we calculated the percentages from a comprehensive examination of randomly selected stations in order to approximate the percentage of tactile pavements on platforms.

  • Stations with digital passenger information

  Stations offering visual passenger information in real-time, and digital departure boards, was the third criteria we looked at. The information was gathered from various reports and studies that highlighted train platforms and rail stations. The sources for Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Poland were highlighted in the previous criteria. For other countries, we estimated the percentages. These approximations came from a comprehensive examination of a randomly selected range of stations.

  The following railway stations were taken into account for the approximation: France (Gare de Marseille Saint-Charles, Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu, Gare de Strasbourg, Gare de Bordeaux Saint-Jean, Aulnay-sous-Bois, Ceyzériat, Tournan, Morlaix, Le Bosquet, Gestel), Czech Republic (Praha, Brno, Ostrava, Plzeň, Hamry-Hojsova Stráž, Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou, Přerov, Třinec, Boří les, Dobré Pole), Italy (Roma Termini, Milano Centrale, Firenze Santa Maria Novella, Venezia Santa Lucia, Sibari, Domodossola, Maglie, Termoli, Bonefro-Santa Croce, Sacile), Spain (Madrid Atocha, Barcelona Sants, Sevilla Santa Justa, Valencia Joaquín Sorolla, Zamora, Benicarló-Peñíscola, Ronda, Cercedilla, Llanes, Crevillent), Sweden (Stockholm Central, Göteborg Central, Malmö Central, Uppsala Central, Linköping Central, Västerås Central, Örebro Central, Norrköping Central, Östersund, Sundsvall Västra), Norway (Oslo, Bergen, Stavanger / Sandnes, Trondheim, Kløfta, Mandal, Leirvik, Ler Station, Nærbø, Åndalsnes), Luxembourg (Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Dudelange, Schifflange, Wasserbillig, Mersch, Roodt, Schieren, Betzdorf, Berchem), Switzerland (Zürich Hauptbahnhof, Genève Cornavin, Basel SBB, Bern, Lausanne, Luzern, Cheyres, Grandvaux, Interlaken Ost, Zermatt), United Kingdom (London King’s Cross, Edinburgh Waverley, Manchester Piccadilly, Harlow, Hinckley, Grantham Station, Long Eaton Station, Mills Hill Station, Upton, Ince)

  To facilitate comparison, the data has been statistically standardised on a scale from 0 to 100. The nation exhibiting the highest level of accessibility for each criterion was assigned a score of 100, while the one with the lowest accessibility received a score of 0. Scores for other examined nations were allocated on a scale between 0 and 100, determined by their respective results.

  The final ranking was determined by aggregating scores across all three standardised categories. This overall score was also standardised on a scale from 0 to 100, establishing the total score and final ranking. The nation securing the highest total score led the ranking – in this case, the Netherlands. A conventional statistical normalisation formula was employed for these standardizations.

  The study was conducted in December 2023.