Data extracted in October 2025.
Planned article update: October 2026.
Highlights
Rail freight transport for main undertakings, EU, 2014-2024
This article presents the main trends in rail freight transport statistics in the European Union (EU) as well as in available EFTA countries and EU candidate countries. It covers quarterly and annual data for total transport, and annual data for national, international and transit transport. Railway transport by type of goods and type of consignment is also presented.
This article, together with the article Railway passenger transport statistics - quarterly and annual data, presents a complete overview of railway transport in Europe.
EU rail freight transport performance decreased slightly in 2024
Figure 1 presents the development of EU rail freight transport performance between 2014 and 2024. It should be noted that Belgium’s data are not included for confidentiality reasons. From 2014 to 2018, the level of rail freight transport performance increased constantly, peaking at 410 billion tonne-kilometres (tkm) in 2018. From March 2020, countries started to take restrictive measures on movement and on social and economic activities in order to slow down and halt the COVID-19 pandemic. These restrictions had a significant impact on rail freight transport, albeit at a lower level than for rail passenger transport. Compared with the previous year, rail freight transport performance fell by 2.2% in 2019 and 8.4% in 2020. Following relaxations in the COVID-19 related restrictions in 2021, rail freight transport recovered with an 8.9% increase compared with 2020, almost reaching the level of 2019 at 400 billion tkm. This increase did not continue, as rail freight transport performance decreased by 0.5% in 2022 and by 4.9 % in 2023, compared with the previous year. In 2024, this downward trend continued, with transport performance falling further by 0.8% to 375 billion tkm.
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Source: Eurostat (rail_go_typepas) and (rail_go_quartal)
When looking at the quarterly rail performance at EU level, decreases were recorded in throughout 2023 and 2024, compared with the same quarters of the previous year. The only exception was the second quarter of 2024. In 2023, rail transport performance decreased strongly in all quarters (-6.3% in Q1; -9.2% in Q2; -7.6% in Q3; and -5.8% in Q4, respectively), compared with the same quarter of 2022. In the first quarter of 2024, rail freight transport performance fell more moderately, by 4.3% compared with the corresponding quarter of the previous year. In the second quarter, rail performance picked up with an increase of 2.5%, before falling by 0.5% in the third quarter and 1.8% in the fourth quarter of the year, all in comparison with the same quarter in 2023.
Germany recorded the highest rail freight transport performance also in 2024
Germany remained by far the largest contributor to rail freight transport performance in the EU, with 126 billion tkm in 2024, representing around one third of the EU total (see Figure 2). Poland and France followed with 57 and 32 billion tkm, respectively. At the other end of the scale, Estonia, Greece, Luxembourg and Ireland registered less than 1 billion tkm in 2024.The 2 candidate countries Montenegro and North Macedonia both reported less than 200 million tkm in 2024.
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Source: Eurostat (rail_go_typepas) and (rail_go_quartal)
Most of the EU countries recorded a decrease in rail freight transport between 2023 and 2024. The largest drops were observed in Latvia (-32.4%), Estonia (-22.9%), Luxembourg (-14.0%), Romania (-12.5%) and Ireland (-11.9%). In the case of the Baltic countries Latvia and Estonia, the decline was mainly attributed to the cease in freight transport with Russia, due to Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Greece recorded the highest increase among the EU countries from 2023 to 2024, by 13.5%, after having recorded a significant decrease the previous year (-32.3%). France observed the second highest increase in relative terms (+9.7%), but the highest in absolute terms (+2.9 billion tkm). Slovakia reported an increase of 8.3%.
Substantial falls from 2023 to 2024 were observed in the candidate countries Bosnia and Herzegovina (-23.8%) and Montenegro (-17.2%), while rail freight transport performance increased in North Macedonia (+7.9%), Serbia (+7.8%) and Türkiye (+5.4%).
Rail freight transport performance by type of transport (national, international loadings, international unloadings and transit) in total tkm performed is shown in Figure 3. For the EU as a whole, the share of national transport in 2024 was estimated at 43.3%, international loadings at 30.9%, international unloadings at 15.7% and transit freight transport at 10.1%. In this context, transit transport performance for the EU is calculated as the sum of the transit transport performance reported by each EU country.
The share of international transport in total rail freight transport in the various EU countries is strongly linked to their geographical position within Europe. The countries which registered the highest shares of international transport are located in the key corridors within the European market. Greece registered the highest share of international transport on total transport performance in 2024, with 95.9%. In Latvia, international transport accounted for 90.2% in total tkm performed in 2024, mainly consisting of loadings (49.2%). The Netherlands, strategically located in the heart of the European market, registered a share of international transport of 87.8% in total tkm performed, with more than two thirds loadings for international rail carriage (67.5%). The key import port of Rotterdam, with large sea/rail transfers of goods dispatched within the EU, strongly influences these figures. Luxembourg also registered a high share of international transport with 86.1%.
By contrast, countries with specific geographical characteristics (at the periphery of the European Union or islands) recorded a lower share of international freight transport by rail. No international transport has been reported by Ireland for 2024, while relatively moderate shares were observed for Denmark (21.6%), Spain (21.1%), Lithuania (19.1%) and Finland (10.0%). For these countries, the preferred mode for international freight transport remains maritime transport, where goods are delivered at the nearest port and then further transported to the final destination mainly by road and at a lower rate also by rail (accounted as national transport). The candidate country Türkiye also recorded a low percentage (11.2%) of international freight transport, which may also be linked to its peripheral position.
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Source: Eurostat (rail_go_typepas)
Regarding transit transport in the EU, Denmark registered the highest share in 2024, with 73.6%, followed by Croatia (31.3%), Hungary (30.9%), Slovakia (30.5%) and Austria (30.3%). By contrast, 6 EU countries (Estonia, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Finland) did not report any transit rail freight transport in 2024.
When looking at national rail freight transport, the highest shares in 2024 were observed in Ireland (100%), Finland (90.0%), Spain (78.9%), Romania (69.0%) and Lithuania (61.4%). National transport was also dominant in Türkiye (84.6%) and Norway (67.2%). On the other end of the scale, national transport represented only 6.5% in Latvia, 5.4% in the Netherlands, 4.8% in Denmark and 4.0% in Greece.
Rail freight tonnage decreased in 19 EU countries but increased in 5 countries in 2024
Rail freight transport expressed in tonnes is presented in Figure 4. Out of the 24 EU countries for which rail transport data in tonnes are available, 19 recorded a decrease in 2024 compared with 2023. Ireland registered the highest fall (-35.9%), followed by Estonia (-32.8%), Latvia (-28.2%), Romania (-13.2%) and Luxembourg (-12.8%). In absolute terms, Poland was the country with the highest decrease, with a fall of 8.3 million tonnes between 2023 and 2024. Romania and Latvia followed with decreases of 6.2 and 4.4 million tonnes, respectively, over the same period.
Large increases in tonnage compared with 2023 were observed in France (+3.2% or +2.4 million tonnes) and Austria (+2.2% or +2.0 million tonnes). Other countries with smaller increases included Croatia, Germany and Greece. Austria, Croatia, France and Germany registered increases between 2023 and 2024 in terms of tonnes transported but decreases in terms of tonne-kilometres, indicating decreases in the average distances covered by rail freight transport in these countries. The opposite was the case in Czechia, Ireland, Latvia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania and Finland.
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Source: Eurostat (rail_go_typepas) and (rail_go_quartal)
Figure 5 presents the tonnage of rail freight transported in relation to the population of the reporting country. Austria had the highest rate in 2024, with 10.3 tonnes per capita, followed by Lithuania (8.9) and Slovakia (8.2). Eleven EU countries transported between 4 and 8 tonnes per capita, 6 others between 1 and 4 tonnes per capita, and 4 less than 1 tonne per capita. Ireland registered the lowest rate with 0.04 tonnes per capita in 2024, while Greece recorded 0.06 tonnes per capita.
When comparing with 2023, Estonia and Latvia registered the largest declines in tonnage per capita in 2024, with -2.5 and -2.2 tonnes per capita, respectively. Lithuania also experienced a notable decline with -0.6 tonnes per capita. For these 3 Baltic countries, rail freight transport has been considerably affected by EU sanctions on Russia in connection with Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Another EU country that registered declining rail freight transport relative to its population from 2023 to 2024 was Luxembourg (-0.8 tonnes per capita).
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Source: Eurostat (rail_go_typepas), (rail_go_quartal) and (demo_gind)
‘Metal ores’ remained the most transported goods category in 2024
Figure 6 presents the share of the different types of goods (according to the NST 2007 classification) transported by rail, both expressed in tonne-kilometres and in tonnes. It should be noted, however, that the high share of unidentifiable goods reported impacts the overall results presented.
At EU level, the main types of goods transported by rail in 2024, based on tkm, were ‘Metal ores and other mining and quarrying products; peat; uranium and thorium’ (NST 2007 division ‘03’) (12.2%), 'Coke and refined petroleum products' ('07') (10.1%), 'Basic metals; fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment' ('10') (8.9%), 'Products of agriculture, hunting, and forestry; fish and other fishing products' ('01') (7.9%), 'Chemicals, chemical products, and man-made fibers; rubber and plastic products; nuclear fuel' ('08') (6.1%) and 'Coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas' ('02') (5.6%) .
The main type of goods transported by rail, in terms of weight (in tonnes), was 'Metal ores and other mining and quarrying products; peat; uranium and thorium', but with a higher share (14.8%) than for tkm. 'Coke and refined petroleum products' accounted for the second largest share in total tonnage, with a share of 10.0%, the same position as in terms of tkm. Also the third position was taken by the same product category, 'Basic metals; fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment', both in terms of tonnes (9.8%) and tkm. The fourth type of goods carried was 'Coal and lignite; crude petroleum and natural gas' (9.5%), which was sixth in terms of tkm. 'Products of agriculture, hunting, and forestry; fish and other fishing products' and 'Chemicals, chemical products, and man-made fibers; rubber and plastic products; nuclear fuel' were in fifth and sixth positions, with shares of 7.5% and 5.8%, respectively.
Source: Eurostat (rail_go_grpgood)
Table 1 presents rail freight transport by type of dangerous goods in 2024, expressed in thousand tonnes. Out of the 22 EU countries for which data are available by type of dangerous goods transported by rail, 'Flammable liquids' was the most transported type in 18 countries in 2024, with shares on the total transport of dangerous goods in the country varying between 39.3% in Spain and 100.0% in Luxembourg. This type of dangerous goods was also the most transported by rail in Türkiye, at 80.0% in 2024. 'Gases, compressed, liquefied or dissolved under pressure' was the most transported type of dangerous goods in Denmark and Sweden, with shares of 40.9% and 34.3% in the total, respectively. In Finland, 'Corrosives' was the main type of dangerous goods transported by rail in 2024 (42.5%), while in Portugal 'Flammable solids' was the most transported type of dangerous goods (34.3%). Ireland reported only 'Miscellaneous dangerous substances' in 2024. The ‘Miscellaneous dangerous substances’ was also the main type reported by Greece (43.4%), closely followed by 'Flammable liquids' (41.8%). Data for Germany are not yet available, while the Belgian data are confidential.
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Source: Eurostat (rail_go_dnggood)
Figure 7 presents the share of the different types of consignment used in rail freight transport, based on tonnes. It should be noted that the data transmission for rail freight transport by type of consignment is voluntary. Hence, data are only available for 9 EU countries and the EFTA country Switzerland. Among the available EU countries, 6 had a majority of 'full train loads', with Ireland reporting only this category. The share was 92.4% in Italy, 83.4% in Poland and 79.4% in Slovenia. The share of 'full train loads' was 64.3% in Slovakia; however, this is influenced by the high share of 'unknown' reported (27.9%). The lowest share was recorded in Sweden, at 52.2%. The 3 remaining reporting countries, Lithuania, Romania and Finland, reported only 'full wagon loads'. Only Italy and Poland reported the type of consignment ‘other’ (0.1% and 0.5% respectively).
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Source: Eurostat (rail_go_consgmt)
Source data for tables and graphs
Data sources
The figures presented in this article have been extracted from the Eurostat rail transport database. They include data on national, international and transit transport of the Member States, EFTA and Candidate countries, collected according to the Regulation (EU) No 2018/643 recast of Regulation (EU) No 2016/2032. There are no railways in Cyprus, Malta and Iceland. The various elements present data collected under the detailed reporting system, meaning that data include only main undertakings which are defined as follows:
- Until 2015: undertakings with a total transport performance greater than 500 million tonne-km or 200 million passenger-km.
- From 2016: undertakings with a total volume of goods transport of at least 200 million tonne-km or at least 500 000 tonnes or a total volume of passenger transport of at least 100 million passenger-km.
Railway undertakings which are below these thresholds may however be included for some countries. Basic results and derived indicators (such as growth rates and shares in percentage of total) in the tables are rounded. However, the figures are based on the non-rounded original data. As a result, the sum of shares in percentage of total, as shown in the tables, is not necessarily equal to 100%. Explanatory notes for countries are available in the metadata on the Eurostat website.
Data by type of consignment are provided on a voluntary basis.
Full train load: any consignment comprising one or more wagonloads transported at the same time by the same sender at the same station and forwarded with no change in train composition to the address of the same consignee at the same destination station.
Full wagon load: any consignment of goods for which the exclusive use of a wagon is required, whether the total loading capacity is utilised or not.
Context
The content of this statistical article is based on data collected within the framework of Regulation (EU) No 2018/643 on rail transport statistics (recast of Regulation (EU) No 2016/2032).
Explore further
Other articles
Database
- Transport, see detailed datasets:
- Railway transport (rail)
- Railway transport measurement - Goods (rail_go)
Thematic section
Publications
Selected datasets
- Transport, see selected datasets:
- Railway transport (t_rail)
- Goods transport by rail (ttr00006)
Methodology
Legislation
- Regulation (EU) No 2018/643 on rail transport statistics (recast of Regulation (EU) No 2016/2032).
- Summaries of EU legislation: EU rail transport statistics