Rail freight industry in Europe - statistics & facts
In 2020, the global rail freight industry was worth 247.4 billion U.S. dollars, projected to rise to around 278.6 billion by 2026. Approximately 3.13 trillion tonne-kilometers of goods were hauled across the European rail network in 2019, making it the second-largest region for rail freight worldwide. Despite its global significance, rail freight still has a ways to go in the region. In the European Union, road and sea cargo recorded higher freight mileages in 2019—over double that of rail—despite rail freight reporting the second-lowest average greenhouse gas emissions. With the increasing concerns over more sustainable transportation in the region—such as the EU’s commitment to cut GHG emissions 55 percent below 1990 levels by 2030—demand for rail freight might rise in the following years.
