It’s the Champions League of Europe’s best train stations, and your champion is St Pancras.
Turns out Tracey Emin isn’t the only one who loves St Pancras station, as it’s just been voted the best train station in Europe. After surveying the 50 largest railway stations in Europe, the Consumer Choice Centre – who advocate for more empowered, informed consumers across the globe – have deemed St Pancras’ intoxicating mix of passenger convenience, international connectivity, and lack of strikes to be a winning combination.
St Pancras saw off stiff competition from second-placed Zürich Central Station to steal the crown, gaining 116 of a possible 139 points. Criteria ranged from cleanliness to range of destinations, and from signage to wheelchair accessibility, although the CCC is quick to note that “the fact that [St Pancras] also hosts the longest champagne bar in Europe did not influence this ranking”. Yeah, sure.
With frequent Eurostar travel meaning the likes of Paris, Amsterdam, and Brussels are easily accessible, St Pancras remains one of the better-connected stations in Europe, and the station’s range of restaurants, shops, yearly Christmas tree, and the lovely bits of art dotted around also helped the ranking. Probably a good thing it scored so highly, as the station serves almost 36 million passengers a year.
It wasn’t the only London station to feature in the top 20, as London Bridge clocked in at 15th, and Victoria chuntered into 20th – Birmingham New Street was the only other UK station in the top 20, coming 12th. Of course, you’re clearly keen to know who came bottom of the pile, aren’t you? Step forward Magenta station in Paris, who beat out Nørreport station in Copenhagen and fellow Parisian terminus Haussmann-Saint-Lazare to come 50th, with a very ungentlemanly score of 41. Well, they can’t all be St Pancras…