New Rail Atlas reveals Europe’s rail progress and gaps

The European Rail Atlas will be published every two years and benchmarks 27 countries including EU nations as well as the UK, Norway, and Switzerland using publicly available data. The report assesses performance across eight dimensions: national relevance of rail, operational performance, safety, market competition, infrastructure financing and utilisation, employment and automation, ERTMS digital signalling deployment, and sustainability.

Together, these indicators provide a comprehensive picture of how European rail systems are performing and where structural weaknesses persist. By doing so, the Atlas aims to show each country’s progress towards the EU’s ambitions for opening the rail transport market to competition, improving interoperability and safety, and developing rail infrastructure.

From ambition to delivery: the policy priorities that will shape Europe’s rail future

“The Atlas makes one message unmistakably clear: ambition alone is not enough,” says Friedemann Brockmeyer, Global Head of Transport, Infrastructure, and Mobility at Ramboll Management Consulting. “Countries that have invested consistently and planned beyond political cycles achieve the most seamless, reliable, and integrated networks. By presenting these findings, the Atlas acts a guide to policymakers on a European and national level highlighting where progress is strong, where there are gaps, and what tangible actions can be taken to realise the vision of a single European rail system.”

Many European countries show steady progress towards creating a more integrated rail network, increasing rail use, and reducing emissions, though development remains uneven across the continent. Ramboll’s findings point to several clear policy priorities. Embedding multi-year rail investment plans in legislation, aligning national energy and transport strategies to maximise achieving zero-emissions, accelerating ERTMS deployment on high-traffic and cross-border routes, and strengthening modal shift policies with pricing incentives are all critical to closing the performance and environmental impact gap. In parallel, the rail sector must address workforce challenges by expanding reskilling programmes and promoting gender diversity.

Benchmarking reveals slow digital signalling rollout and clear regional patterns

The Rail Atlas reveals that Switzerland leads Europe in relation to the proportion of journeys and goods carried by rail with a 23 percent share of passenger transport and 38 percent share of freight. This is driven by consistent long-term federal funding and stable investment frameworks beyond political cycles. Austria and Netherlands show similar success stories, underlining how integrated planning, dense networks, and long-term investment can support rail’s role in everyday mobility.

The average rate of ERTMS digital signaling deployment in Europe remains very low, despite its mandatory rollout on the TEN-T core network by 2030. ERTMS plays an important role in enabling seamless cross-border rail travel and significantly reducing signalling related delays.

Overall, the data shows clear regional patterns. Western Europe tends to record higher shares in passenger traffic, supported by dense urban centers and established commuter markets. Eastern Europe places greater importance on freight, with rail playing a central role in transporting raw materials and heavy goods over long distances. Central Europe combines both functions strongly, balancing robust passenger use with competitive freight operations.

Reliability is a strength, but safety, labour, and investment levels vary

Reliability remains a relative strength for the European rail sector: 22 out of 28 countries record passenger train punctuality above 80 percent, with 11 exceeding 90 percent. Yet safety performance varies, reflecting regional differences in infrastructure investment. Western European countries tend to report stronger safety records due to investments in protected level crossings, automated signaling, and detailed safety strategies. Eastern European networks, where passive unautomated crossings remain more common, show higher accident rates, reflecting differences in rail infrastructure rather than overall safety ambition.

Investment levels in rail infrastructure development also differ dramatically. The highest spending country invests 38 times more per capita on rail than the lowest spending country. Luxembourg leads with annual rail investment of €423 per capita, followed by Norway and Austria at more than €320, while several other countries invest less than €60.

Ramboll’s analysis shows that labour and skills remain a challenge. Europe’s rail workforce is ageing, and women represent only 24 percent of employees on average. Addressing gender imbalance and investing in reskilling to meet the growing demands of automation are essential to secure the sector’s future capacity and efficiency potential.

Rail vital to achieving Europe’s economic, social, and environmental goals

The sustainability performance of the European rail industry is closely linked to national energy policies. Electrification rates vary widely, creating large disparities in carbon emissions. The Netherlands, where all trains run on wind power, and Sweden, with its combination of hydro and wind energy, demonstrate how aligning transport and renewable energy strategies can offer zero-emission mobility options.

Huschke Diekmann, Ramboll’s Global Director for Rail, concludes: “Rail development plays a vital role in Europe’s economic, social, and environmental objectives, from improving mobility and supply chain reliability to reducing transport emissions. Ensuring that rail networks remain safe and efficient requires careful planning combined with strong industry and technical insights. Ramboll supports this by providing clients with strategic guidance to understand their options and risks, as well as by planning and designing rail projects suited to local needs and long-term challenges.”

For media inquiries or questions contact: Devapriyo Das, Head of Global Editorial Content at press@ramboll.dk or +45 51612149.