Brussels metro one of worst in Europe, study claims

Brussels has one of the worst metro networks in Europe, according to a study from Bounce, a travel-related platform that mainly offers luggage storage solutions.

The study cited reviews and online reputation, ranking Brussels’ metro system as the second worst in Europe with an overall score of 3.20 out of 10, just behind Budapest in Hungary. Rome rounded out the bottom three.

"Each year, the metro carries more than 86 million passengers, making it a vital part of the city's infrastructure while reducing traffic and congestion on the roads," the report noted.

"However, the Brussels metro is relatively unpopular online compared to other cities’ systems, with 26% of online article reactions being ‘hate’ and only 11% being ‘love.’”

The analysis went on to cite Google review scores for stations, calling them “underwhelming, with an average score of 3.8 out of 5”.

“The busiest metro station on the Brussels metro is Gare du Midi, which is also the lowest-rated, with a Google review score of just 1.9 out of 5,” the report reads.

"This metro station is located in central Brussels and connects passengers to the city’s main train station.

"Reviewers have left some pretty scathing remarks online, describing Gare du Midi as the worst station in Belgium and even Europe.

"Multiple reviewers refer to the station as ‘unsafe’ and ‘dangerous,’ with many others referencing the strong smell of urine that travellers must contend with."

Bounce’s analysis used the number of stations, positive and negative feedback, Google reviews, and ridership as its criteria.

By those metrics, the “best” metro systems in Europe were Oslo (Norway), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Athens (Greece) with scores of 8.06, 7.64 and 7.29 out of 10 respectively.

More objective findings in the report were that Paris has the highest number of metro stations (320) while London's network covers the greatest distance (402 kilometres).

The Helsinki metro was said to be the least frequented in Europe, with an average of 60.4 million users per year.