Record for European rail transport: +5.8% in one year

Brussels – Rail transport numbers are growing in Europe. According to figures released today, 31 October, by Eurostat, Europeans travelled some 443 billion kilometres on trains in 2024. This is an all-time record since data collection began and marks a 5.8 per cent increase over 2023. Using a more understandable number, one can say that, on average, each EU citizen traveled by train more than 15 times in 2024. The survey also delves into rail freight transport. The figures are stable, with a slight 0.8 per cent decline in total tonnes moved per kilometre travelled.

The figures are stable, with a slight 0.8 per cent decline in total tonnes moved per kilometre travelled. 

Germany takes the lion’s share in both freight and passenger transport. Its railway—the longest in Europe—stretches over more than 38,000 kilometres. This infrastructure enables the Germans to manage train flows that other states cannot. 

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In 2024, 443 billion passenger-kilometres were performed by rail in the EU, up from 419 billion in 2023 (+5.8%).

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— EU_Eurostat (@EU_Eurostat) October 31, 2025

Kilometres travelled by passengers 

Italy performs well in almost all indicators. In general terms, it can be said that in the Union, 24 out of 27 Member States have improved their results. Slight decreases are only reported in Bulgaria (-5.9 per cent), Estonia (-5.7 per cent), and Romania (-3.6 per cent): a picture that shows the train has never ceased to be an essential means of European mobility. 

In more detail, the most frequent passengers are Germans. In Germany, adding up the odometer readings of all passengers, some 107.5 billion km were travelled, a figure that slightly exceeds that of France (107.3). An enormous amount compared to other Member States. Italy is third with 55.8 billion kilometres. 

Yearly trips per capita 

We cannot consider this phenomenon solely in absolute terms; we must relate it to the size of the states. The number of trips per capita per citizen is very high in countries such as Luxembourg (32.8) and Denmark (31). It must be remembered that public transport is free in the Grand Duchy, and this affects its statistics. Italy shows a stable average of approximately 14 trips per capita per year. 

The lowest figures are found where the rail density is small. Greece, for example, has only 14 kilometres of railway per 1,000 square kilometres. Its citizens travel little by train, and only this year managed to average one trip per inhabitant per year. Among the accession countries, the numbers are not comforting. The only countries to register small increases are Serbia and Montenegro.