Czechia boasts the highest railway network density in the EU, with 123.2 metres of railway lines per square kilometre as of 2023, new data from Eurostat has found.
Belgium, with 119 metres of railway lines per square kilometre, ranks second, with Germany (109.5 m/km²) and Luxembourg (104.8 m/km²) also boasting high railway network density.
At the other end of the scale, however, Greece boasts a railway network density of just 14 metres per square kilometre, while in Finland, it’s just 19.4 metres per square kilometre. Other countries to boast low railway network densities include 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).
Overall, the EU railway network runs to some 200,947 kilometres of lines, with the highest densities found around main cities and other population hubs, the data indicated.
High-speed railway lines
Eurostat’s data also explored the level to which high-speed railway lines – designed for speed of 250 km/h or more – have expanded across Europe, with growth of 47.2% between 2013 and 2023, an additional 2,744 kilometres.
Spain boasts the largest network of high-speed railway lines in Europe, with 3,190 kilometres as of 2023, an increase of 66% compared to a decade earlier. Other countries with sizeable retail networks include France (2,748 kilometres), Germany (1,163 kilometres) and Italy (1,097 kilometres), according to Eurostat. Read more here.
Read more: Rail operators in Italy, Czechia and Switzerland named as Europe’s best
