Rail passenger traffic in Europe 2004–2021

In 2021, passengers traffic on railways amounted 345 billion passenger kilometers in Europe. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic raill passenger traffic in Europe had been on an upward trend but collapsed when travel restrictions were put in place in 2020. Passenger demand rose slightly in 2021 but remained well below traffic recorded in 2019.

Europe one of the leading passenger rail markets

Worldwide, passengers traveled over 2.1 passenger kilometers on railway networks in that year, with Europe representing the second-largest market globally. In fact, Europeans traveled nearly 14 times as much as their America counterparts. The passenger demand in the Asia and Oceania region, however substantially outstripped demand in Europe. In 2021, passenger traffic in Asia and Oceania was nearly five 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.