Rail passenger transport in the European Union (EU) gained significant momentum in 2024, increasing by 5.8 per cent. According to Eurostat, total passenger transport performance reached 443 billion passenger-kilometres (pkm), the highest level recorded since the data collection period in 2004.
Germany at the Top in Number of Passengers
When evaluated in absolute numbers in passenger transport, the performance of the countries drew attention:
- Top Countries: Germany topped the list with 2 billion 904 million passengers. It was followed by France with 1 billion 320 million passengers and Italy with 843 million passengers.
- Lowest Numbers: At the end of the list were Lithuania with 5 million passengers, Estonia with 8 million and Greece with 14 million.
Hungary Leading in Passenger Growth
The highest increase in the number of passengers compared to the previous year was recorded in Hungary with 60.0 per cent. Hungary was followed by Latvia with 13.9 per cent and Ireland with 10.0 per cent. On the other hand, Romania (4.9 per cent) and Bulgaria (3.1 per cent) reported decreases.
Luxembourg Leads by Population
The performance of small countries stood out in the number of passengers per capita in relation to population:
- Luxembourg ranked first with 32.8, followed by Denmark with 31.0 and Germany with 30.0.
- The lowest rate of 1.5 per cent was recorded in Greece and Lithuania.
Slight Decline in Rail Freight Transport
In contrast to passenger transport, rail freight transport across the EU experienced a slight decline in 2024. Total performance decreased by 0.8 per cent from 378 billion tonne-kilometres (tkm) to 375 billion tkm.
- Leader in Freight Transport: Germany had the largest share in the EU with 126 billion 320 million tkm. Poland (56 billion 713 million tkm) and France (32 billion 249 million tkm) followed it.
- Most Transported Goods: The largest share among the goods transported by rail was “metal ores” with 12.2 per cent. This was followed by “coke and refined petroleum products” with 10.1 per cent.
