Rail passenger transport in the EU increases by 2.6% in 2025

O rail passenger transport in the European Union (EU) increased by 2.6% in 2025 compared to the previous year to 457 billion passengers per kilometre, the highest value since the start of data collection in 2004.

The data were released today by the EU statistical office, Eurostat, and indicate that “in 2025 457 billion passengers-kilometres were made by rail in the EU, above 445 billion registered in 2024, an increase of 2.6%”.

“ This is the highest figure recorded by major railway companies since the start of data collection in 2004,” Eurostat highlights.

According to the data released today by the EU statistical service, the number of passengers-kilometres increased from the 445 billion recorded in 2024.

Germany recorded the largest number of passengers transported, with 2.954 million, followed by France (1.312 million) and Italy (844 million).

At the opposite extreme, Lithuania accounted for five million passengers, Estonia eight million and Greece 14 million.

For the population, Luxembourg had the highest passenger per inhabitant ratio, with 46.1, followed by Hungary (35.9) and Denmark (35.6). Greece (1.4) and Lithuania (1.9) recorded the lowest values, followed by Bulgaria and Romania, both with 3.3.

In the passenger-kilometre indicator per inhabitant, Hungary led, with 1,692, ahead of France (1.606) and Austria (1.588). Greece (69), Lithuania (164) and Bulgaria (226) recorded the lowest values.

The passenger-kilometre indicator measures the distance travelled by passengers and enables the volume of rail transport to be assessed by combining the number of passengers with the distance from travel.