Rail passenger travel in the European Union reached a record 457 billion passenger-kilometres in 2025, according to Eurostat figures published on 30 October 2026. That is 2.6% more than the 445 billion recorded in 2024 and the highest total from main rail operators since the series began in 2004. The result suggests that trains are regaining ground after years of uneven recovery.

Behind the headline, the distribution of rail passenger travel is very uneven. Germany carried the most passengers in 2025 with 2,954 million, ahead of France with 1,312 million and Italy with 844 million. At the other end, Lithuania recorded 5 million passengers, Estonia 8 million and Greece 14 million.

Population size explains much of that gap, so the per-inhabitant figures tell a more useful story. Luxembourg leads with 46.1 rail passengers per resident, followed by Hungary with 35.9 and Denmark with 35.6. Greece, with 1.4 trips per inhabitant, and Lithuania, with 1.9, sit at the bottom of the table.

Distance covered by rail passenger travel adds another layer. Hungary tops the ranking for passenger-kilometres per inhabitant at 1,692, with France at 1,606 and Austria at 1,588. Greece records only 69, which shows how far some national networks remain from the leaders.

These numbers matter for policymakers in Brussels because rail is central to the EU’s decarbonisation plans for transport. A growing rail passenger travel total means more trips shifted away from cars and short flights, although the statistics do not say which modes lost out. They also leave open how much of the growth came from cross-border services, where ticketing and timetable coordination remain stubborn obstacles.

The record should be read with caution. Eurostat’s measure covers main rail operators, so smaller or regional companies sit outside the count, and one year of growth does not make a trend. Still, rail passenger travel growing 2.6% in a year on top of a high base is a sign that demand is robust, and it comes at a time when many governments are investing in new lines and rolling stock.

The contrast between Luxembourg, Hungary and Denmark on one side and Greece and Lithuania on the other points to a policy challenge as well. Countries with dense, affordable and frequent services see far higher use, while those with thin networks struggle to attract passengers whatever the national ambition. EU funding for infrastructure, and the fares and ticketing rules that govern cross-border trips, will influence which group each member state falls into over the coming years.

For now, the 2025 data gives supporters of rail a clear talking point. Rail passenger travel has set a new high, the gap between the best and worst performers is wide, and the next Eurostat release will show whether the momentum has carried into 2026.