Luxembourg's railways show record growth in 2023

Luxembourg's rail sector is showing strong growth: in the first ever publication of national rail transport statistics for 2023, the Institut Luxembourgeois de Régulation (ILR) records a sharp jump in both passenger and freight volumes. The document covers the evolution from 2019 to 2023 and includes data on kilometres travelled, financial performance and investments.

The most impressive figure in the report is the growth of the total passagers.km (passenger-kilometres) by almost 30% compared to 2022. In absolute terms, this is 505.05 million passenger-kilometres. For comparison: in 2022, this figure was about 389 million.

This surge can be likened to a rail 'renaissance' effect - perhaps as a result of government policies to encourage public transport and investment in rail infrastructure.

While passenger traffic increased sharply, freight traffic also showed an increase of 1.02%, reaching 230.29 million tonnes.kilometres. This figure indicates continued demand for rail logistics, an important part of a sustainable transport strategy.

Train traffic in Luxembourg consists of 95% passenger traffic, while freight traffic accounts for only 5%. This underlines the country's focus on suburban and regional connectivity, especially given the popularity of free public transport introduced in the country in 2020.

The ILR report also contains financial analyses: revenues of railway companies, as well as infrastructure investments by the network operator. Although specific figures are not specified in the press release, the availability of these data makes the report particularly valuable for experts and researchers.

ILR plans to continue to publish such reports annually in the future, providing the public and experts with comparable and transparent data.