Rail freight transport plays a key role in the European Union's transport network, contributing significantly to the movement of goods across the continent. However, the latest data published by Eurostat for the year 2022 indicate a slight decline in the overall performance of rail freight compared to the previous year.
According to the latest data published by Eurostat, the European Union's rail freight transport experienced a marginal decline in 2022 compared to the previous year. The total volume of goods transported by large enterprises, which is defined as at least 200 million tonne-kilometers or at least 500,000 tonnes, reached 398 billion tonne-kilometers (tkm). This level is almost the same as the peak reached in 2018, which was 400 billion tkm. However, there was a slight decrease of 0.5% compared to the 399 billion tkm in 2021.
Analyzing the quarterly performance, rail freight experienced a clear recovery throughout 2021, with the strongest growth in the second quarter (+21%), followed by an 8% increase in the third quarter. In 2022, the first and second quarters showed promising growth rates of 4% and 2% respectively compared to the corresponding quarters of 2021. However, the trend reverses in the third quarter, with no change in performance, followed by a significant decline of 5% in the fourth quarter.
The report further delves into country-specific statistics, revealing that among the 25 EU nations with rail transport, 14 experienced decreased tonnage transported via rail in 2022 compared to the previous year. Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, and Greece faced the most significant reductions, with declines of 39%, 24%, 22%, and 20%, respectively.
Conversely, Denmark emerged as a leader in increased tonnage, recording a notable uptick of 12%. Croatia and Bulgaria followed suit with increases of 7% and 6%, respectively.
This comprehensive overview is based on the detailed Statistics Explained article on rail freight statistics published by Eurostat last week. The data not only highlight the overall scenario but also shed light on the performance of individual EU countries in rail freight transport.
