The EU’s high-speed railway network grew by 2,744 km from 2013 to 2023, to 8,556 km in 2023, according to figures released Thursday by Eurostat, the EU’s statistics agency.
In the EU’s railway network, high-speed railway lines designed for speed of 250 km/h or more often span national borders, allowing for seamless high-speed travel across the EU. This interoperable network has seen significant growth over the past decade.
Spain has led the way with 3,190 km of high-speed lines, an increase of 66% from 1 919 km in 2013, followed by France with 2,748 km (+35% from 2,036 km), Germany with 1,163 km (+32% from 881 km) and Italy with 1,097 km (+63% from 675 km). Belgium recorded 211 km of high-speed lines and the Netherlands 90 km (both unchanged from 2013). Denmark accounts for 57 km, inaugurated in 2019.
Eurostat’s figures show that the EU’s railway network had 200,947 km of railway lines in 2023, with the highest densities being found in and around main cities and other population hubs.
The highest railway network density was registered in Czechia, with 123.2 metres of railway lines per km². Other EU countries with high densities included Belgium (119.2 m/km²), Germany (109.5 m/km²) and Luxembourg (104.8 m/km²).
At the other end, the lowest railway network densities were found in Greece (14.0 m/km²) and Finland (19.4 m/km²). Low densities were also recorded in Sweden (26.8 m/km²), Estonia (27.2 m/km²), Portugal (27.8 m/km²), Latvia (28.9 m/km²) and Ireland (29.8 m/km²).
Density of the national railway networks, 2023
(metres of railway line per km²)
Statistics Explained article on characteristics of the railway network in Europe
