Ramboll aids EU Commission DG MOVE on PRIME Benchmarking Report for eighth time

For the eighth consecutive year, Ramboll has been entrusted by the European Commission to support the development of the Prime Benchmarking Report, a vital resource that evaluates and advances the rail sectors challenges and achievements throughout Europe. This annual benchmarking report provides an in-depth analysis and insights regarding the safety, performance, revenues, and expenditures of 22 European rail infrastructure managers, covering the years 2019 to 2023.

Impact of crises on the rail sector

The 2025 report highlights comprehensive data and several key findings from a particularly dynamic and impactful period for the European railway sector. It reflects on how the sector and its crucial role in European mobility responded to significant events, including the outbreak and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the onset of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Coupled with economic challenges such as surging inflation rates, these events have had profound effects on the rail sector.

Train activity nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2022 following the lifting of most travel restrictions, with some infrastructure managers even surpassing their 2019 figures. However, passenger numbers have yet to fully recover due to factors such as remote working and ongoing health concerns.

Freight train activity showed overall resilience in the pandemic but experienced significant declines in the Baltic states, with Lithuania’s LTGI and Estonia’s EVR reporting drops of 66% and 44% respectively. This situation was further exacerbated by geopolitical tensions arising from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Rail punctuality and expenditure

Punctuality rates reveal interesting trends: passenger train punctuality, which improved during the pandemic, reverted to pre-pandemic levels in 2023 and an overall decline over the period, while freight train punctuality improved to an average of 62% across peer groups.

A record-high utilisation has played a significant role in declining passenger train punctuality but also increased infrastructure investments, accommodating for growth in the longer term, but resulting in construction work that place further strain on punctuality in short term.

Financially, the report underscores the importance of continued investment in rail infrastructure maintaining high standards and improving rail performance. But this has become more challenging for infrastructure managers in the current phase of inflation in critical materials like steel and rising energy costs.

Between 2019 and 2023, operational expenditure has seen an average annual decrease of 1.7% in real terms, with deflated financial data. Capital expenditure has seen a less strained budgetary situation, with an average annual increase of 3.4% in real terms throughout the period, supporting an increasing number of large-scale renewal and enhancement projects in the European rail network.

Infrastructure trends across Europe

Ramboll’s expertise ensures that complex datasets like the PRIME annual benchmarking are harmonised and analysed to deliver clear and actionable insights. The PRIME Benchmarking Report supports the European Commission’s vision of fostering green, resilient, and smart mobility systems across Europe by facilitating evidence-based policy making and encouraging knowledge exchange and active collaboration among European Rail Infrastructure Managers.