Switzerland’s largest and busiest train hub got high scores in the 2020 European Railway Index, ranking second after London’s St. Pancras station.
Zurich central station scored 111 points on the index behind St Pancras which topped the table on 116 points (see below). The highest possible score was 139.
Bern rail station was ranked just outside the top 10 in 11th position.
Interestingly Germany had five stations in Europe's top 10.
The Index, compiled by an international consumer advocacy group, The Consumer Choice Center, ranked Europe’s 50 largest railway stations in terms of ‘passenger experience’.
Among the main factors taken into account were how crowded the platforms are, overall cleanliness, wheelchair accessibility, the number of domestic and international destinations, as well as shopping and dining venues.
Zurich's central station scored a maximum 100 percent for "cleanliness" and was also marked highly for having elevators down to platforms and its general "accessibility".
The signage was given a score of 90 percent with the station described as "clear and easy to find your way".
The Hauptbahnhof has an abundance of conveniences for passengers passing through Zürich, which boosted its position in the rankings.
These perks include the ShopVille shopping mall with 202 stores, as well as a variety of restaurants - 62 in total - and coffee shops, including the iconic Sprüngli chocolate maker.
The station scored highly for "competition" given that four different rail companies use the station and for being connected to local travel networks.
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Nearly 3,000 trains arrive and depart from the station’s 26 platforms daily, including to and from 10 international destinations in Germany, Austria, France, and Italy.
Some 470,000 passengers pass through the station each day.
In August last year There was good news for non-smokers when Zurich's 'Hauptbahnhof' train station went almost completely smoke-free.
READ MORE: Commuting workers in Switzerland can now be paid for work done on the train
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