October 16, 2026, 8:55 am | Read time: 2 minutes
The “Alliance for Rail” selects the best train station in Germany every year. This year, the Ansbach station in Bavaria impressed the jury.
There are more than 5,000 train stations in Germany–but only one can be adorned with the title “Station of the Year” each year. In 2026, the award from the “Alliance for Rail” goes to the Ansbach station in Middle Franconia. The post-war building in the city of 41,000 near Nuremberg has been extensively renovated in recent years.
Ansbach Station with Thoughtful Redesign
“The station building from the 1950s, with its clear forms, presents itself freshly renovated, flooded with light, and in new splendor after several years of reconstruction,” states the jury’s reasoning. The jurors particularly praise the new design of the waiting hall with “its high window front, the opposite clock wall, lights in modern design, and curved wooden benches.”
The jury also highlights the integration into the city and the good connectivity, as well as the service offerings at the station. However, the jurors see room for improvement in the clean but “unadorned” underpass. Additionally, the hall lacks a real-time display for bus departures and station-wide Wi-Fi.
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Already the Eighth Title for Bavaria
For the state, it is already the eighth award in the history of the competition. After Oberstdorf (2006), Landsberg/Lech (2007), Aschaffenburg (2012), Murnau (2013), Bayerisch Eisenstein (2017), Altötting (2020), and Coburg (2022), Ansbach joins the list of winners this year.
The “Station of the Year” award has been given since 2004 and is considered the most prestigious prize for train stations in Germany. The focus is on the travelers’ perspective. Comfort, cleanliness, information offerings, service quality, and connectivity with other modes of transport are among the criteria evaluated.
How the Jury Selects Germany’s Best Train Station
The ten-member jury consists of representatives from major German customer associations, including Pro Bahn, Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD), and Deutscher Bahnkunden-Verband (DBV). The Alliance for Rail’s office provides two members.
The assessment is conducted unannounced based on an official checklist, which evaluates factors such as quality of stay, cleanliness, accessibility, signage, service offerings, and connectivity. Today, train stations are the calling cards of a city–the Alliance for Rail aims to emphasize this with the competition.