Performance analysis and trends

In 2022, EU rail traffic by major operators (total traffic of at least 200 million tonne-kilometers or at least 500,000 tons) reached 398 billion tonne-kilometers (tkm), close to the 2018 level (400 billion tkm, the highest since 2012). However, compared to 2021, there was a slight decrease of 0.5% to 399 billion tkm.

Looking in more detail, rail freight performance showed a clear recovery in all quarters of 2021, with the highest growth rate observed in the second quarter of 2021 (+21%), followed by the third quarter (+8%). In the first and second quarters of 2022, performance increased by 4% and 2%, respectively, compared to the same quarters in 2021. These were followed by a third quarter with no change in performance, and then a sharp 5% decline in the fourth quarter, according to Eurostat. 

Rail freight tonnage has fallen in more than half of the EU countries. In terms of tonnage, 14 out of 25 EU rail freight countries saw decreases in 2022 compared to 2021. The biggest decreases were observed in Lithuania (-39%), Estonia (-24%), Finland (-22%) and Greece (-20%).

In contrast, the largest increase in tonnage was recorded in Denmark (+12%), followed by Croatia (+7%) and Bulgaria (+6%).