Birmingham New Street has been ranked the worst of the ‘big’ train stations in the UK in a new report – just two months after being named the “most unhelpful” and “rudest”.
The annual European Railway Station Index ranks 50 of Europe’s largest train stations (measured in passenger volume) across Europe on the travel experience they provide, and Birmingham New Street placed 43rd in the list.
London Bridge was named the best, placing 16th. London Liverpool Street followed closely behind, placing 21st.
London Waterloo placed 29th, and London Euston came out at 25th, leaving Birmingham New Street drastically behind.
The report was based on a number of categories, including operating hours, types of tickets, waiting times, delayed trains, in-station information, escalators/lifts, wheelchair and restroom accessibility, shops/kiosks, restaurants, lounges, smartphone application, free WIFI, transport connections, international coverage, competition and ride sharing.
In the report, the researchers noted that one of the main issues with the Birmingham station was the delays faced by passengers, as the researchers noted that almost half (45.5 per cent) of all trains were delayed.
After taking the crown in 2022, Zurich Hauptbahnhof in Switzerland remains number one for passenger convenience, scoring 102 points.
It comes after Birmingham New Street was named the rudest and most unhelpful train station in the UK in October.
The study was carried out by RECO Lift Solutions ahead of strike disruption impacting travellers all over the UK.
The study said: “Birmingham New Street was crowned the station with the least helpful staff in the UK with the most negative reviews claiming the station had unhelpful or rude staff.
“Liverpool Street came second, and Manchester Victoria came third. With thousands of people looking for more help than usual to get to where they need to go tomorrow, RECO decided to look at which stations have a reputation for the worst customer service.”
Speaking about Birmingham New Street, one customer said: “By far the worst station I have ever had the misfortune to travel from.” A second added: “Employees at Information Desk rude and ill informed.”
Another said: “Worst customer service, I wouldn’t even call it that to be honest! Rude rude rude!!!” “I was served by such a rude member of staff from this place….Disgusted is an understatement,” one person wrote.
Responding to the RECO study, a spokesperson for Network Rail said that they are “committed to providing the best service possible”.
Express.co.uk has contacted Network Rail for comment about the European Railway Station Index.
