The length of high-speed rail in the EU reaches 8,556 kilometres in 2023
Irina Iriser, Unsplash
According to Eurostat, the total length of the EU rail network in 2023 is 200,947 kilometres, with the densest networks concentrated in major cities and densely populated regions.
High-speed rail services are particularly active - since 2013, their length has increased by 2,744 kilometres (+47.2%), reaching 8,556 kilometres in 2023.
Spain ranks first in the EU with 3,190 kilometres of high-speed lines - an increase of 66% in 10 years. Next in line are:
- France - 2 748 km (+35%)
- Germany - 1,163 km (+32%)
- Italy - 1 097 km (+63%)
- Belgium - 211 km (unchanged since 2013)
- Netherlands - 90 km (unchanged)
- Denmark - 57 kilometres open in 2019.
Luxembourg does not have high-speed rail lines, but is one of the EU leaders in terms of rail density with 104.8 metres of track per km². The country is second only to the Czech Republic (123.2 metres/km²), Belgium (119.2 metres/km²) and Germany (109.5 metres/km²).
In comparison, countries with low railway density, such as Greece (14.0 m/km²) and Finland (19.4 m/km²), have a much less developed railway network.
