EU Rail Revival: Record Passenger Demand and Sustainable Growth in 2024

Rail passenger transport across the European Union reached a record high in 2024, with 443 billion passenger-kilometres (pkm) performed. According to data from Eurostat, this represents a 5.8% increase from the 419 billion pkm recorded in 2023.

This figure is the highest volume of rail passenger transport reported by main rail undertakings since data collection began in 2004.

Passenger Volume and Country Performance

Germany reported the highest passenger volume in the European Union for 2024, with 2,904 million passengers. France followed as the second-highest, recording 1,320 million passengers, while Italy reported 843 million passengers.

At the other end of the spectrum, Lithuania reported the lowest passenger volume at 5 million. Estonia recorded 8 million passengers and Greece reported 14 million passengers.

Growth rates varied significantly across member states. Hungary experienced the most substantial growth in passenger numbers, with an increase of 60.0%. Latvia followed with a growth rate of 13.9%, and Ireland saw an increase of 10.0%.

Conversely, some countries experienced a decline in rail passenger numbers. Romania recorded a decrease of 4.9%, while Bulgaria saw a decline of 3.1%.

Passenger-per-Capita Ratios

When measuring rail transport by the passenger-per-capita ratio, Luxembourg recorded the highest ratio at 32.8. Denmark followed with a ratio of 31.0, and Germany recorded 30.0.

The lowest passenger-per-capita ratios were found in Greece and Lithuania, both of which recorded a ratio of 1.5. Bulgaria and Romania followed with ratios of 3.6.

Rail Freight Performance

While passenger travel saw robust growth, rail freight transport in the European Union experienced a slight decline in 2024. Total freight transport reached 375 billion tonne-kilometres (tkm), which is a decrease of 0.8% from the 378 billion tkm recorded in 2023.

Germany led the EU in freight performance, recording 126,320 million tkm. Poland followed with 56,713 million tkm, and France recorded 32,249 million tkm.

Several countries recorded significantly lower freight volumes. Ireland, Luxembourg, Greece, and Estonia all reported less than 1,000 million tkm in 2024.

Key Freight Commodities

The composition of goods transported by rail in the EU during 2024 was led by metal ores, which accounted for 12.2% of the total. Coke and refined petroleum products followed, making up 10% of the transported commodities.

These figures come as several European nations, including Germany, Spain, France, the UK, Austria, and the Netherlands, see a revival in rail usage linked to sustainable mobility goals.