Romanians Among EU Citizens Most Dissatisfied With Rail Transport – Survey

Only 39% of the Romanians who participated in the study said most of their journeys by rail were for leisure purposes, the same as in Poland and a bit more than in Hungary (34%). The EU average is 56%. Some 6% of Romanians use trains for business travel, while 12% travel to work or school by rail.

Almost a fifth of the Romanians questioned for the study said they travel by train 1 to 3 times a month or more often, compared to the EU average of 23%.

Romanians are the sixth most unhappy with the provision of information on train schedules and platforms, with 20% of respondents saying they are „rather dissatisfied” or „very dissatisfied,” the same as in France, the Czech Republic and the EU average. Poles are the most dissatisfied with this service (46%).

Some 36% of Romanians were dissatisfied with their personal security in train stations, the same share as in Bulgaria and behind Poland (41%). The EU average is 21%. Romanians rank third in the EU by their satisfaction with personal security in trains (32%), following Poland (40%) and Bulgaria (37%), while the EU average is 15%.

Romanian rail passengers are the second most dissatisfied with connections to other transport means (29%), after Poland (35%). The EU average is 21%. Connections with other trains are not satisfactory for 26% of Romanians, the third highest share in the EU, after Poland (38%) and Germany (28%), compared to the EU average of 21%.

By quality of facilities and services, such as coffee shops, restrooms or stores, 49% of Romanian rail passengers are dissatisfied, the same share as in the Czech Republic. Poles (62%) are again the most dissatisfied, while the EU average is 33%.

Romanians rank fourth in the EU, together with Hungary, by the level of dissatisfaction with cleanliness and maintenance in train stations – 56%, following Poland (71%), Slovakia (59%) and Bulgaria (57%). In the EU, an average 36% of passengers are unhappy with their rail company’s handling of this aspect.

Other features with which Romanian and other EU rail passengers are dissatisfied include train frequency, trip length, and car punctuality, comfort and cleanliness.

The Eurobarometer survey was carried out in Romania by the Gallup institute in March 21-29.

State-owned company CFR Calatori serves the vast majority of passenger rail traffic in Romania. The number of passengers has dropped steadily in recent years. In 2010, the decline amounted to 5%, to 58 million passengers.