Germany joins Hungary, Greece and France as rail demand surges past 443 billion passenger‑kilometres across the European Union rail network in 2024

Which European Union countries led rail passenger traffic and distance in 2024?

Germany and France were the largest contributors to EU rail passenger‑kilometre totals in 2024, each exceeding 107 billion pkm and jointly accounting for nearly half of all distance travelled by rail passengers in the Union. When combined with Italy and Spain, these four rail markets formed the core volume base for both passenger numbers and distance in 2024.

Largest networks by passenger‑kilometres and passenger numbers

Germany recorded 107.6 billion passenger‑kilometres in 2024 and transported 2,904 million (2.9 billion) passengers, making it the single largest national rail market in the EU by both distance and volume. France followed closely in distance with 107.3 billion passenger‑kilometres and carried 1,320 million (1.3 billion) passengers.

Italy transported 843 million (0.8 billion) rail passengers and Spain 0.7 billion passengers, consolidating their position as major national networks within the European Union rail system. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Lithuania carried 5 million passengers and Estonia 8 million passengers, while Greece reported 14 million passengers, underscoring the large disparity in network scale across Member States.

Longest and shortest average distances per inhabitant

Eurostat’s “Key figures on transport – rail passenger transport” release identifies Hungary, Austria and France as the countries with the longest average distance travelled on national journeys per inhabitant in 2024. Rail passengers in Hungary travelled an average of 1,513 kilometres per inhabitant on domestic rail, followed by Austria at 1,493 kilometres and France at 1,442 kilometres per inhabitant.

Greece recorded the shortest average national rail distance at 70 kilometres per inhabitant, indicating a more limited role for rail in its domestic transport mix. Social media summaries published by Eurostat also highlight Lithuania at 146 kilometres per inhabitant and Bulgaria at 228 kilometres, reinforcing the significant contrast between high‑intensity and low‑intensity rail markets in the EU.

How is EU rail passenger demand evolving after the pandemic shock?

Rail passenger transport performance in the European Union not only recovered from the pandemic downturn but exceeded its pre‑2020 high by a double‑digit margin in 2024. Eurostat’s quarterly and annual rail statistics show that growth has been sustained over several years, transitioning from rebound to structural expansion.

Year‑on‑year growth and quarterly performance

The 5.8% increase in rail passenger‑kilometres between 2023 and 2024 builds on an 11.3% rise in 2023 and a 51.4% increase in 2022, following the severe contraction of 2020 and partial recovery in 2021. Quarterly data for 2024 show positive year‑on‑year growth in every quarter: +9.6% in Q1, +7.2% in Q2, +2.6% in Q3 and +4.8% in Q4, indicating robust demand across both peak and off‑peak periods.

By reaching 443 billion pkm, 2024 rail passenger transport in the EU exceeded the 2019 level of 400 billion pkm by 10.7%, confirming that passenger volumes are no longer in a mere recovery phase but have moved into a phase of underlying expansion. The new peak marks the highest number reported by main rail undertakings since EU‑wide data collection started in 2004.

Methodology: passenger definition and measurement metrics

Eurostat defines rail passengers as all persons who travel by rail on a given network, excluding members of train crews and other operating staff. Passenger‑kilometres are calculated by multiplying the number of passengers carried by the distance travelled on the national territory, providing a standardised performance indicator across countries.

For international journeys, only the part of the journey that takes place on the national network is counted in each country’s passenger‑kilometre total, preventing double counting when aggregating EU‑wide statistics. The EU totals for 8.3 billion national passengers, 150 million international passengers, 420 billion national kilometres and 23.0 billion international kilometres exclude Belgium due to missing national data at the time of the April 2026 release.

Which European Union markets recorded the strongest and weakest rail growth in 2024?

The overall positive trend in EU rail passenger performance masks substantial divergences between national markets, with some Member States posting very high growth and others experiencing declines. Eurostat’s 2024 data point to Central and parts of Southern Europe as key growth regions, while a small group of countries recorded negative performance.

Fastest‑growing rail markets by passengers carried

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Hungary registered by far the highest increase in the number of rail passengers carried in 2024, with a 60.0% rise compared with 2023. Latvia recorded a 13.9% increase, while Ireland reported a 10.0% rise in passenger numbers, both significantly above the EU average growth rate.

Additional strong performers included Greece (+9.7%), Poland (+9.3%), Portugal (+9.2%) and Luxembourg (+9.0%), illustrating how both cohesion‑country networks and small but dense systems contributed to the overall expansion of rail passenger demand. These data underline the potential for further modal shift to rail in markets where policy incentives, pricing schemes and service improvements are actively deployed.

Countries experiencing declines in passenger performance

Despite the aggregate increase, several EU Member States recorded decreases in rail passenger performance in 2024 compared with 2023. Eurostat shows that Romania reported a drop of 4.9% in passengers carried, while Bulgaria registered a 3.1% decrease, placing them among the weakest performers in the Union.

Estonia experienced a decline of about 5.7% in rail passenger performance, reflecting pressure on smaller networks in the Baltic region. The Netherlands posted an 11.3% decrease; however, Eurostat attributes this mainly to a break in time series linked to methodological improvements rather than a substantive fall in underlying demand, which complicates direct comparison with 2023.

How does rail usage per capita differ across the European Union?

Per‑capita rail usage statistics highlight a distinct geography of rail intensity within the EU, with smaller Member States and well‑developed networks displaying high passenger ratios compared with population. These indicators are particularly relevant for B2B stakeholders assessing market potential for rail‑based tourism products, corporate travel programmes and multimodal mobility services.

Highest rail usage per inhabitant in 2024

Luxembourg recorded the highest ratio of rail passengers per capita in 2024, with 32.8 passengers per inhabitant, reflecting intensive use of rail in daily mobility and cross‑border commuting. Denmark followed with 31.0 passengers per inhabitant, while Germany posted 30.0 and Austria 28.5 passengers per inhabitant, confirming the strong integration of rail into everyday travel in these markets.

Sweden, the Netherlands, France, Portugal and Czechia each recorded at least 16 rail passengers per capita, signalling high or moderate‑to‑high levels of rail penetration in their national transport systems. These markets form a core cluster where rail is deeply embedded in both commuter and leisure travel, with clear implications for operators targeting high‑frequency, short‑haul and medium‑distance demand.

Lowest rail usage per inhabitant and structural gaps

Greece and Lithuania registered the lowest rail usage in the EU, with only 1.5 rail passengers per inhabitant in 2024. Bulgaria and Romania followed with 3.6 passengers per capita, highlighting structural gaps between rail‑intensive and rail‑light countries within the Union.

These disparities, when compared with the distance‑per‑inhabitant metrics—such as Greece’s 70 kilometres per inhabitant versus Hungary’s 1,513—showcase how both frequency of use and distance travelled diverge significantly across Member States. For policymakers, operators and travel buyers, these data point to differentiated strategies for rail product development, corridor investment and intermodal connectivity in the European Union.

What do the 2024 European Union figures mean for B2B travel and sustainable mobility?

Eurostat’s 2024 rail passenger dataset confirms that rail is consolidating its position as a core pillar of EU sustainable mobility and short‑ to medium‑haul connectivity. With 8.3 billion national passengers, 150 million international passengers and 443 billion passenger‑kilometres, the scale of demand reinforces rail’s relevance for corporate travel management, tourism boards and mobility‑as‑a‑service providers.

For travel buyers and tourism organisations, the data highlight where rail is already a mature alternative to air and road—such as Germany, France, Austria and Luxembourg—and where network development and policy measures could unlock new demand—such as in Greece, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Romania. As European Union institutions continue to promote modal shift and greenhouse‑gas reductions in transport, the 2024 rail statistics position passenger rail as a central instrument for achieving those objectives along Europe’s busiest inter‑city and cross‑border corridors.

In 2024, the European Union rail system therefore emerged from the post‑pandemic adjustment phase into a new growth cycle, with record‑high passenger‑kilometres, strong gains in countries such as Hungary and solid per‑capita usage in Luxembourg, Denmark, Germany and Austria underscoring rail’s expanding role in European Union mobility and long‑term sustainable transport planning.