EU rail passenger-kilometres hit record 457 billion in 2025, Eurostat says

Rail travel at a new high

Rail passengers in the European Union covered 457 billion passenger-kilometres in 2025, according to figures published by Eurostat, the EU statistics office. That is 2.6% more than the 445 billion recorded in 2024, and the highest level recorded by the main railway companies since data collection started in 2004. BFMTV compared the 2025 figure with 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic, and reported it was 14% higher. A passenger-kilometre counts one passenger carried one kilometre, and the total is calculated by multiplying the passengers on each leg by the length of that leg.

2024445

2025457

2024

445 billion passenger-kilometres

2025

457 billion passenger-kilometres

Data from the article text

Germany and France carry the most

Germany and France lead the EU on distance travelled, with 111.8 billion and 110.6 billion passenger-kilometres respectively, together close to half the EU total, BFMTV reported. Six member states recorded less than one billion passenger-kilometres. By number of passengers, Germany recorded 2,954 million, France 1,312 million and Italy 844 million, the highest figures reported. At the other end, Lithuania carried 5 million passengers, Estonia 8 million and Greece 14 million. BFMTV gave rounded figures of 3 billion for Germany and 800 million for Italy, which differ from the more precise numbers in other reports.

Germany2,954

France1,312

Italy844

Greece14

Estonia8

Lithuania5

Germany

2954 million passengers

France

1312 million passengers

Italy

844 million passengers

Greece

14 million passengers

Estonia

8 million passengers

Lithuania

5 million passengers

Data from the article text

Rankings per inhabitant

Measured per head of population, the ranking changes. Luxembourg recorded 46.1 rail trips per inhabitant, ahead of Hungary (35.9) and Denmark (35.6). Greece (1.4) and Lithuania (1.9) recorded the lowest figures, followed by Bulgaria and Romania with 3.3 each. Hungary leads on distance per inhabitant with 1,692 passenger-kilometres, ahead of France (1,606) and Austria (1,588). Greece (69), Lithuania (164) and Bulgaria (226) recorded the lowest distances. Europa Press reported that Spain ranked below France, Germany and Italy on distance per inhabitant, but ahead of several countries including Portugal and Ireland.

Recovery since the pandemic

Europa Press reported that rail passenger traffic fell to about 215 billion passenger-kilometres in 2020 before a recovery accelerated from 2022. The same report put the 2019 level at about 400 billion, so the 2025 total sits above the pre-pandemic figure. The increase from 2024 to 2025 amounts to 12 billion passenger-kilometres. Europa Press described the sector as having consolidated its recovery after the collapse caused by the pandemic.

French operator figures

France's national rail operator SNCF carried 168.4 million passengers on Inoui, Ouigo and Eurostar services in 2025, BFMTV reported. That is 3.5% more than the year before and a record level of ridership. The total excludes TER regional trains, Ile-de-France suburban lines and Intercites services, which BFMTV said must be added on top. The Eurostat figures cover the main railway companies in each country, so the operator numbers sit alongside the national totals.