In the fiscal year 2023/24, more than 1.6 billion passenger journeys were made on national rail services in the UK. This represents a nearly 20 percent increase compared to 1,300 million passenger journeys made in the previous period. Passenger numbers had been particularly low during the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite recovery by 2023/234 total numbers still remained below pre-pandemic figures. More passengers and more delays Lower passenger numbers and fewer trains on the network led to record low numbers of train delays during the pandemic. However, as passenger numbers began increasing again and pre-pandemic services were resumed, reliability of the network dropped. In 2023/24 nearly 14 percent of trains were delayed. Long-distance trains were particularly badly affected, with around one in five of these trains being delayed. Which operator is most reliable? Next to delays, rail passengers have had to contend with cancellations but how many occurred varied widely by operator. As of Q1 2024, 7.8 percent of Avanti West Coast trains were cancelled, while only 0.6 percent of Lumo services were cancelled.

In 2022, passengers traveled just over 37 billion passenger kilometers on railways in the Americas. The region trails behind Europe and Asia Pacific. Rail passenger transport recovery Rail passenger numbers dropped in all world regions at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Global passenger demand dropped from 4.2 trillion passenger kilometers to only 2.7 trillion passenger kilometers. In Europe rail passenger traffic dropped by nearly half before rising to around 81 percent of pre-pandemic traffic in 2022. High-speed rail continues to boom Despite the downturn in passenger numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, countries around the world are continuing to expand their high-speed rail networks. As of 2022, there were thousands of kilometers of high-speed lines under construction globally. This boom is largely driven by China, which had over 13,000 kilometers of high-speed lines under construction in 2022.

The number of passenger train users globally has grown consistently since 2017 and is projected to continue on an upward trend. In 2023, around 970 million passenger rail users were recorded. By 2028, this number is expected to grow to 1.08 billion users.

Graph and download economic data for Rail Passenger Miles (RAILPM) from Jan 2000 to Dec 2024 about miles, passenger, railroad, and USA.

Annual statistics on rail passenger numbers and crowding on weekdays.

Source agency: Transport

Designation: National Statistics

Language: English

Alternative title: Rail passenger numbers and crowding

This dataset contains the passenger traffic information like the number of passengers originating and the passenger kilometers in Indian Railways

China Railway: Passenger Traffic data was reported at 368.860 Person mn in Feb 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 368.660 Person mn for Jan 2025. China Railway: Passenger Traffic data is updated monthly, averaging 143.180 Person mn from Aug 1998 (Median) to Feb 2025, with 319 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 473.950 Person mn in Aug 2024 and a record low of 33.000 Person mn in May 2003. China Railway: Passenger Traffic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by China Railway Corporation, National Railway Administration. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.TC: Railway: Passenger Traffic. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

Forecast: Railway Passenger Traffic in the Netherlands 2022 - 2026 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Forecast: Rail Passenger Traffic Receipts in Japan 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2022, passenger traffic on railways amounted 473 billion passenger kilometers in Europe. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, rail passenger traffic in Europe had been on an upward trend but collapsed when travel restrictions were put in place in 2020. Passenger demand rose in 2021 and 2022 but remained well below traffic recorded in 2019. Europe one of the leading passenger rail markets Worldwide, passengers traveled nearly 2.5 trillion passenger kilometers on railway networks in 2022, with Europe representing the second-largest market globally. In fact, Europeans traveled nearly 13 times as much as their America counterparts. The passenger demand in the Asia and Oceania region, however, substantially outstripped demand in Europe. In 2022, passenger traffic in Asia and Oceania was nearly four times as high as in Europe. French leading European passenger rail transport The French operator SNCF was responsible for transporting the largest number of passengers in Europe in 2021, recording nearly 75 billion passenger kilometers. SNCF was followed by German operator Deutsche Bahn, which reported over 46 billion passenger kilometers.

The European Passenger Rail transport industry has performed reasonably well over the past decade, except for during the years that were hit by COVID-19-induced disruption. Increased rail infrastructure investment has supported a climb in international and domestic passenger numbers; Eurostat data shows that demand for passenger transport in the EU steadily increased between 2015 and 2019, with passenger kilometres (pkm) peaking at 414 billion in 2019. Before the pandemic, mounting tourism, an ever-growing population and rising employment numbers fuelled an increase in the volume of rail passenger transport, particularly within and across major European cities. Over the five years through 2024, revenue is expected to drop at a compound annual rate of 6.1% to €95.3 billion. The COVID-19 outbreak and ensuing travel restrictions put a big dent in train companies’ steady expansion, with revenue plummeting by 17.0% over 2020 due to passenger rail running at sub-par capacity and many customers avoiding public transport at all costs. Similarly, international tourist levels plunged, exacerbated by stringent COVID-19 testing protocols. Industry growth has been modest over the subsequent three years and has remained below pre-pandemic levels, with many passengers still avoiding rail transport and the growing trend towards working from home cutting demand from commuters. Tourist and commuter numbers continue creeping back upwards, however, industry revenue is expected to decline 2.5% in 2024. Over the five years through 2029, revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 4.0% to reach €115.7 billion. The European Commission’s commitment to boosting high-speed rail traffic will propel revenue growth, supported by new Harmonised EU standards and the net-zero agenda. Shifting passengers from road and air transport to rail transport will play an important role in helping the EU meet its climate targets in time. With one of the densest networks in the world, rail in the EU will be central to establishing a much more efficient and environmentally friendly transport system, aided by and accelerating digitalisation and the modernising of passenger rail infrastructure.

Croatia Passenger Traffic: Railway: Passenger Km: International data was reported at 2.000 Person-km mn in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 17.000 Person-km mn for Sep 2024. Croatia Passenger Traffic: Railway: Passenger Km: International data is updated quarterly, averaging 15.000 Person-km mn from Mar 2001 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 96 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 61.000 Person-km mn in Dec 2002 and a record low of 0.000 Person-km mn in Mar 2021. Croatia Passenger Traffic: Railway: Passenger Km: International data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Croatian Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Croatia – Table HR.TA004: Railway Transport: Passenger and Freight.

Forecast: Railway Passenger Traffic in High Speed Trains in France 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Global Railway Passenger Traffic by Country, 2023 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Annual railway industry summary statistics on freight and passenger transportation (revenue freight by tonnes, by tonne-kilometres, by average haul on each railway; revenue and non-revenue freight by tonnes, by tonne-kilometres, by average haul on each railway; revenue passengers by passengers, by passenger-kilometres, by average passenger journey per ticket; transportation services, averages by cars per freight train, by car per passenger train, by freight carload, by empty freight car-kilometres, by freight train speed).

The European Passenger Rail transport industry has performed reasonably well over the past decade, except for during the years that were hit by COVID-19-induced disruption. Increased rail infrastructure investment has supported a climb in international and domestic passenger numbers; Eurostat data shows that demand for passenger transport in the EU steadily increased between 2015 and 2019, with passenger kilometres (pkm) peaking at 414 billion in 2019. Before the pandemic, mounting tourism, an ever-growing population and rising employment numbers fuelled an increase in the volume of rail passenger transport, particularly within and across major European cities. Over the five years through 2024, revenue is expected to drop at a compound annual rate of 6.1% to €95.3 billion. The COVID-19 outbreak and ensuing travel restrictions put a big dent in train companies’ steady expansion, with revenue plummeting by 17.0% over 2020 due to passenger rail running at sub-par capacity and many customers avoiding public transport at all costs. Similarly, international tourist levels plunged, exacerbated by stringent COVID-19 testing protocols. Industry growth has been modest over the subsequent three years and has remained below pre-pandemic levels, with many passengers still avoiding rail transport and the growing trend towards working from home cutting demand from commuters. Tourist and commuter numbers continue creeping back upwards, however, industry revenue is expected to decline 2.5% in 2024. Over the five years through 2029, revenue is forecast to expand at a compound annual rate of 4.0% to reach €115.7 billion. The European Commission’s commitment to boosting high-speed rail traffic will propel revenue growth, supported by new Harmonised EU standards and the net-zero agenda. Shifting passengers from road and air transport to rail transport will play an important role in helping the EU meet its climate targets in time. With one of the densest networks in the world, rail in the EU will be central to establishing a much more efficient and environmentally friendly transport system, aided by and accelerating digitalisation and the modernising of passenger rail infrastructure.

Forecast: Total Railway Passenger Traffic in France 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

High-speed rail passenger traffic climbed steadily and consistently between 2010 and 2019 worldwide . Passenger kilometers increased more than four-fold in almost a decade from 245 in 2010 to 1029.4 in 2019. After a decade of constant growthe high-speed rail passenger traffic dropped sharply in 2020, caused primarily by the COVID-19 pandemic, falling further to under 779 billion passenger-kilometers in 2021.

Forecast: Railway Passenger Traffic in Conventional Trains in Turkey 2023 - 2027 Discover more data with ReportLinker!