Italy's Trenitalia claimed the top spot in a ranking of rail operators in Europe, according to a new study released on Monday.

The ranking was published by the European NGO Transport & Environment (T&E).

Trenitalia was followed by Swiss operator SBB and Czech company RegioJet. Austria's ÖBB came in fourth, ahead of France's SCNF.

"Trenitalia stands out for its travel experience, SBB is the most punctual operator in Europe and RegioJet has some of the most affordable tickets," T&E said in the report.

Eurostar performs the worst

On the other hand, expensive and unreliable service put Eurostar, which links France, Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany, at the bottom of the T&E ranking.

Eurostar "charge nearly twice the European average price per kilometer" but ranked only 14th on reliability, according to the report.

The study assessed  27 rail operators in Europe based on eight criteria, including ticket prices, reliability and booking experience.

European trains struggle with punctuality

T&E highlighted that all companies could improve their punctuality rates.

"The reliability of major rail operators in Europe remains disappointing. Of the 25 operators with punctuality data, only 11 achieve a rate above 80%," said the report.

Germany's Deutsche Bahn, which is notorious for train delays and cancellations, ranked 25th — which is to say last — in reliability and 16th overall. Europe's largest rail operator also ranks "poorly in pricing."

"Our analysis shows that ticket prices do not correlate with higher service quality," T&E concluded.

ess/zc (AFP, DW sources)