Trains in Europe set a record: 457 billion passenger-kilometres in 2025, the highest since records began
Rail travel in the European Union set a new record in 2025, reaching 457 billion passenger-kilometres, compared with 445 billion in 2024, an increase of 2.6%, according to data published by the EU statistics office, Eurostat. It is the highest figure recorded by the main rail companies since data collection began in 2004.
Germany carried the most passengers in the bloc, at about 2,954 million, followed by France with 1,312 million and Italy with 844 million. At the other end of the scale, Lithuania recorded the lowest number at about 5 million passengers, followed by Estonia with 8 million and Greece with 14 million.
Measured against population, Luxembourg came first with 46.1 trips per inhabitant, followed by Hungary (35.9) and Denmark (35.6), while Greece (1.4) and Lithuania (1.9) had the lowest rates, followed by Bulgaria and Romania (3.3 each). In terms of distance travelled per person, Hungary led with 1,692 kilometres, ahead of France (1,606) and Austria (1,588), while Greece (69), Lithuania (164) and Bulgaria (226) were at the bottom.
The data cover the main rail companies, defined as those carrying at least 100 million passenger-kilometres a year; the share of smaller operators in total traffic is small. The passenger-kilometre is used because it combines the number of passengers with the distances they travel, making it a more accurate measure of how much people actually rely on trains.
Al Majlis Analysis: The record reflects a steady shift in Europe's travel habits, driven by emissions-cutting policies, investment in high-speed trains and subsidised tickets in a number of countries. But the figures also reveal a clear gap between member states: while people in Hungary, France and Austria each travel more than 1,500 kilometres a year by train, the figure in Greece is just 69 kilometres. That gap suggests that infrastructure and a regular service are what create demand, not willingness alone. The lesson travels to our region, where Gulf rail projects are betting that a fast, reliable service can change habits built around the car.