List of countries by rail transport network size

This list of countries by rail transport network size based on International Union of Railways data ranks countries by length of rail lines worked at end of year updated with other reliable sources. These figures also include urban/suburban mass-transport systems, as well as lines which are not used for passenger services.[1]

Rail network divided by area of country

List

Rank	Country	Length (km)	Electrified length (km)	Historical peak length (km)	Area (km²) per km track	Population per km track	Nationalised or Private	Data year	Notes
1	United States	202,500	2,025[2]	414,000[3]	65.55	2,060	Both	2017	[4]
—	European Union[n 1]	225,625	132,576	189,297[n 2]	20.46	2,347	Both	2016–17	[4]
2	China	160,000	100,000[6]	176,400	75.6[6]	10,945[6]	Nationalised	2017	[6]
3	Russia	144,000	49,000	150,000	199.98	1,678	Nationalised	2017	[7]
4	India	123,000	64,000	134,125	48.8	19,656	Both	2014	[8]
5	Canada	64,000	129		214.48	674	Private	2017	[9]
6	Brazil	49,000	9,025		299.6	7,225	Private	2014
7	Germany	40,625	22,500	64,000	9.26	2,145	Both	2017	[4]
8	Argentina	36,917	190	47,000	77.45	1,117	Nationalised	2014	[9]
9	Australia	33,168	3,393		231.91	742	Both	2017	[10]
10	France	29,273	15,687	42,500	22.78	2,374	Both	2017	[4]
11	Japan	27,311	20,534		16.10	5,451	Both	2015	[9]
12	South Africa	26,000	4,225	8,105	58.28	2,577.29	Nationalised	2017	[11]
13	Ukraine	20,952	9,801		28.81	2,140	Nationalised	2016	[4]
14	Poland	19,209	11,874	27,000 (1954)[12]	16.28	2,001	Nationalised	2017	[4]
15	Mexico	19,166	22		114.43	6,697	Private	2008	[9]
16	Iran	16,998	2,200		148.41	6,816	Nationalised	2014	[13][14]
17	Italy	16,788	13,106		17.95	3,614	Both	2016	[4]
18	United Kingdom	16,320	5,357	34,000 (before Beeching Axe)	14.86	4,047	Both (Franchised)[lower-alpha 1]	2017	[4]
19	Spain	15,949	9,699		31.73	2,920	Nationalised	2017	[4]
20	Kazakhstan	15,530	4,200		175	1,146	Nationalised	2016	[4]
21	Myanmar (Burma)	11,025			171.07	12,127		2006	[9]
22	Sweden	14,180	11,939	16,900 (around 1938)[15]	32	705	Both	2020	[16]
23	Romania	10,774	3,292		22.13	1,823	Both	2017	[4]
24	Turkey	12,740	5,467		76	7,821	Nationalised	2018	[4][17]
25	Czech Republic	9,567	3,237[18]		8.24	1,106	Nationalised	2017	[4]
26	Indonesia	5,529	418		223.31	27853	Nationalised	2008	[9]
27	Pakistan	8,100	286 (currently inactive)	8,122	102.18	22759	Nationalised	2015	[19]
28	Hungary	7,945	2,889		11.71	1,233	Nationalised	2017	[4]
29	Egypt	7,024	62		144	13,888	Nationalised	2017	[20]
30	Chile	6,634			128.2	2,931		2006
31	Sudan	6,084			339.81	5,640		2006
32	Finland	5,926	3,270		57.06	929	Nationalised	2017	[4]
33	North Korea	5,735	~3,500		23.03	4,595	Nationalised	2006	[9]
34	Austria	5,527	3,826		15.18	1,587	Both	2017	[4]
35	Cuba	5,476			21.84	2,215		2007
36	Belarus	5,459	874		38.03	1,741		2016	[4]
37	Switzerland	5,196	5,196	5,632	7.95	1,585	Mainly privately operated but thoroughly subsidised (~25%) by taxes and by federal, cantonal, and municipal subsidies.	2015	[4]
38	Turkmenistan	5,080			153.44	1,585		2014
39	Saudi Arabia	4,900			1,522.44	19,219		2007
39	Thailand	4,900	107		126.04	16,084		2017	[9]
41	Uzbekistan	4,580			105.77	6,488		2011
42	Algeria	4,440	283		536.43	9,306		2016	[20]
43	South Korea	4,165	2,522		19.08	9348	Nationalised	2009	[9]
44	New Zealand	4,128	506	5,689	64.64	1,070		2018	[9]
45	Democratic Republic of the Congo	4,096			585.19	16,463		2008
46	Bulgaria	4,030	2,880		27.54	1,762		2017	[4]
47	Norway	3,848	2,622		83.12	1,350	Both (Franchised)	2017	[4]
48	Serbia	3,764	1,279		23.48	1,866	Nationalised	2017	[4]
49	Slovakia	3,626	1,587		13.52	1,499		2017	[4]
50	Belgium	3,602	2,960	5,000 (10,000 including regional tramways)	8.48	3,140	Nationalised	2016	[9][21]
51	Nigeria	3,600			261.84	44,904		2006
52	Vietnam	3,364			141.12	27,765		2007
53	Mozambique	3,249			256.54	6,604		2008
54	Zimbabwe	3,136	313		130.25	4,190	Nationalised	2010
55	Netherlands	3,055	2,314		13.59	5,591	Semi privatised	2017	[4]
56	Uruguay	2,993			58.88	1,121		2006
57	Bolivia	2,866			383.32	3,638		2007
58	Bangladesh	2,835			50.79	53,392		2008
59	Angola	2,761		2,764	451.54	6,911		2006	[9]
60	Tanzania	2,722			348.02	15,866		2006
61	Croatia	2,604	985		21.71	1,595		2017	[4]
62	Portugal	2,546	1,633		36.13	4,049	Nationalised	2017	[4]
63	Kenya	2,541			228.4	17,643		2013	[22]
64	Namibia	2,382			346.05	877		2006	[9]
65	Greece	2,240	764		58.91	4,808		2017	[4]
66	Tunisia	2,165			75.57	5,326		2018	[20]
67	Syria	2,139			86.57	11,078		2008
68	Morocco	2,109	1,022		211.74	16,946		2017	[20]
69	Azerbaijan	2,068	1,278		41.88	4,666		2015	[4]
70	Iraq	2,032			215.71	15,587		2006
71	Peru	2,020			636.25	14,585		2008
72	Denmark	1,987	640		21.69	2,893	Nationalised	2017	[4]
73	Ireland	1,931	53	5,600	36.39	2,477	Nationalised	2017	[4]
74	Lithuania	1,911	122		33.8	1,490		2017	[4]
75	Latvia	1,860			35.11	1,048		2017	[4]
76	Malaysia	1,849	207		178.40	15,324		2010	[9]
77	Mongolia	1,810			864.15	1,560		2008
78	Taiwan	1,782	1,300	5,000	21.25	13638	Both	2018	[23]
79	Colombia	1,663			648.85	27,770		2007
80	Georgia	1,576	1,288		44.23	2,360		2016	[4]
81	Sri Lanka	1,508			43.51	13,696		2010
82	Israel	1,384	56[24]		15.01	6,355	Nationalised	2017	[20][25]
83	Uganda	1,244			930.65	122,780		2002
84	Zambia	1,237			608.42	10,547		2006
85	Slovenia	1,209	503		16.75	1,709		2017	[4]
86	Estonia	1,161	132	3,000	38.96	1,134	Both	2017	[4]
87	Moldova	1,151			29.4	3,084		2017	[4]
88	Bosnia and Herzegovina	1,018	565		50.29	3,445		2017	[4]
89	Cameroon	977		1,104	486.63	23,367		2015	[26]
90	Ecuador	966			293.54	14,810		2006	[9]
91	Ghana	953			250.30	25,429		2006
92	Senegal	906			217.12	16,534		2015	[22]
93	Botswana	888			655.1	2,488		2014
94	Guatemala	885			123.04	16,228	Private	2004	Operations Halted since 2006
95	Madagascar	848			692.27	28,573		2015	[22]
96	Guinea	837			293.74	11,926		2006	[9]
97	Gabon	810			330.45	1,858		2007
98	Malawi	797			148.66	18,696		2007
99	Republic of the Congo	795			430.19	5086		2006
100	Benin	758			148.58	11,581		2006
101	Mali	729			1,701.22	22,606		2013
102	Mauritania	728			1,415.80	4,753		2008
103	Armenia	703	703		42.31	4,168		2016	[4]
104	Honduras	699			160.36	11,753		2006	[9]
105	North Macedonia	683	313		37.65	3,037		2017	[4]
106	Ethiopia	659	659	784	1,675.72	150,935		2016	[27]
107	Cambodia	650			278.52	24,994		2018	[28]
108	Côte d'Ivoire	639			504.64	30,889		2007
109	Burkina Faso	622			440.84	25,291		2006
109	Jordan	622			143.64	15,598		2017	[20]
111	Tajikistan	616			232.31	11,167		2007
112	Fiji	597			30.61	1,442		2006	[9]
113	Togo	568			99.97	10,613		2006	[9]
114	El Salvador	562			37.44	10,221		2007
115	Dominican Republic	517			94.14	18,141		2006	[9]
116	Liberia	490			227.28	8,151		2006	[9]
117	Kyrgyzstan	417			479.38	13,446		2012	[4]
118	Panama	355			212.45	9,594		2006	[9]
119	Venezuela	336			2,714.43	87,458		2006
120	Albania	334			86.07	8,602		2016	[4]
121	Eritrea	306			384.31	17,170		2006	[9]
122	Eswatini	301			57.69	3,940		2008
123	Costa Rica	278			183.81	16,416		2007	[9]
124	Luxembourg	275	275		9.4	2,148	Nationalised	2017	[4]
125	United Arab Emirates	264			316	21,893	Private	2019
126	Montenegro	250			55.25	2,490		2017	[4]
127	Hong Kong	218			5.08	33,165	Private	2014	[29]
128	Suriname	166			986.87	3,163		2001	[9]
129	Singapore	161			3.94	28,682		2012	[30]
130	Guyana	127			1,149.57	4,197		2001 est.	[9]
131	Djibouti	92		80	252.17	9,203		2016	[31]
132	Sierra Leone	84			854.05	69,857		2001	[9]
133	Philippines	76	47	1,100[32]	626.30	196,270	Both	2019
134	Afghanistan	75			8,696.40	418,827		2011	[33]
135	Jamaica	65			40.41	9,948		2003	[9]
136	Saint Kitts and Nevis	58			5.22	1,040		2006	[9]
137	Nepal	57			2,582.12	514,035		2017	[34]
138	Paraguay	38			11,298.67	173,056		2006	[9]
139	Puerto Rico (US)	17		370	143.65	38,810		2006	[9]
140	Brunei	13			443.46	30,692		2001 est.	[9]
141	Liechtenstein	9.5			17.78	4,017		2017	[9]
142	Western Sahara	5			53,200.00	106,200		2008	see Mauritania Railway
143	Nauru	3.9			4.20	2,000		2001	[9]
144	Laos	3.5			59,200.00	1,557,550		2005	see Friendship Bridge
145	Monaco	1.7	1.7		1.18	20,588		2019	[9]
146	Lesotho	1.6			10,118.33	723,667		1995	[9]
147	Vatican City	0.3	0	0.3	1.47	3,333		2019
	World	1,370,782			372.12	4,814		2006	[9]

In 2014, Network Rail, which owns the railway infrastructure in Great Britain, was reclassified as a "public sector body" and its financial liabilities are now formally included as part of the national debt.[35] Much debate continues if this constitutes as the "nationalisation" of Network Rail. Private firms continue to operate the majority of train services under government franchises or concessions.

Territories currently without a rail network

Andorra
Bahrain – under construction as part of Gulf Railway
Bermuda – Bermuda Railway operated 1931 to 1948
Bhutan
Burundi
Chad – see Rail transport in Chad for proposals
Cyprus – Cyprus Government Railway operated 1905 to 1951
East Timor
The Gambia
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti – rails still in Port-au-Prince from railway from factories to port, left out of service since 1970's.
Iceland – see Rail transport in Iceland for former and proposed future railways
Kuwait – under construction as part of Gulf Railway
Lebanon - Lebanese Railway from 1890 until 1970 (future projects to build a railway from Tyr to Tripoli)
Libya – 1912 to 1965; (network under construction in 2008–2011, but works stalled, see Libyan Railways)
Malta – operated 1883 to 1931
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Niger – see Rail transport in Niger for proposals. A railway apparently was under construction in 2014.
Oman – under construction as part of Gulf Railway
Papua New Guinea
Rwanda – Isaka–Kigali Standard Gauge Railway planned to open in 2022
Samoa
San Marino – an electric railway linked Rimini (Italy) and San Marino City until 1944
Solomon Islands
Somalia – Mogadishu–Villabruzzi Railway existed from 1914 to 1941
Suriname – plans exist to reopen the Lawa Railway
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago – Trinidad Government Railway from 1876 until 1968; Trinidad Rapid Railway was planned but scrapped
Tuvalu
Vanuatu – formerly on Efate
Yemen

Notes

The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU is included as a separate entity because it has many attributes of independent nations, being much more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur.[5] Transport and trans-European networks are among shared competence between EU and member states. As the EU is not a country, the United States is the first ranked country on these lists.
The sum of all countries of the European Union appearing in this article.

References

Primary source: UIC data

Lewandowski, Krzysztof (2015). "New coefficients of rail transport usage" (PDF). International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT). 5 (6): 89–91. ISSN 2277-3754.
http://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/Articles%202005/SuperiorRail.pdf
"The Geography of Transport Systems". New York Routledge. Archived from the original on 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2015-11-22.
"Country Profiles". United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
CIA (2014). "The World Factbook". Retrieved 15 March 2015. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has certain attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, currency (for some members), and law-making abilities, as well as diplomatic representation and a common foreign and security policy in its dealings with external partners. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook.
"中国铁路的"成绩单"". 中国铁路的“成绩单”. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
"Russian Raiways".
"CIA Factbook".
"The World Bank". data.worldbank.org. The World Bank. 2014. Retrieved 2017-02-20.
"Trainline 5" (PDF). Canberra: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. November 2017. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-925531-80-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2019-06-07.
"South Africa: Transnet Freight rail 2017" (PDF). Transnet. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-06-15.
"Analiza geopolityczna aktualnego stanu sieci kolejowej w Polsce" (in Polish). March 25, 2015. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
"Islamic Republic Of Iran Railways :: راه آهن جمهوري اسلامي ايران". Rai.ir. Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2014-05-17.
The figure includes passenger, commercial and industrial railroads; More information can be found at Islamic Republic of Iran Railways
"Banguiden. Kort svensk järnvägshistoria" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-04-12.
{{cite web|url=https://www.trafikverket.se/resa-och-trafik/jarnvag/Sveriges-jarnvagsnat/Bandata/%7Caccessdate=2020-05-12%7Clanguage=sv
"TCDD Annual Report 2018" (PDF). tcdd.gov.tr. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2018-05-26.
https://www.sydos.cz/cs/rocenka-2017/rocenka/htm_cz/cz17_382000.html
"Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2016-12-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
"Rail infrastructure: length of network". Eurostat. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
"Infrabel Key Figures 2016" (PDF). Infrabel. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2018-12-24.
"Rail Infrastructure in Africa: Financing Policy Options" (PDF). African Development Bank Group. 2015. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
"Statistical Abstract of Transportation & Communications – Mileage of Railways in Taiwan Area". MOTC, ROC(Taiwan). Retrieved 2020-03-11.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-jerusalem-tel-aviv-fast-rail-link-finally-begins-operations-1001311940
Weissman, Shahar. "Annual Report, 2017" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Railways. p. 24. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
"Case Sudy: Camrail" (PDF). The World Bank. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
"Chinese, Ethiopian firms sign railway project deal|Africa|chinadaily.com.cn". usa.chinadaily.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
"Railway Services". 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
https://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/publications/rds2014.pdf
"Ministry of Transport, Singapore – Gain new perspectives on land, sea and air transport issues in Singapore". Archived from the original on 2014-04-06. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
Mahdi Miad. "Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway Line to Start Early 2016 | DP World – Doraleh Website". dpworld-doraleh.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2017-05-07.
Inquirer, Philippine Daily. "Sad saga of PNR". opinion.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2019-05-17.
"Afghanistan opens first ever train route". Telegraph.co.uk. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 2014-11-04.
Poonam Neupane (2017-12-28). "Railways in Nepal with History, Research, Present Condition & Future Plan". imnepal.com. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
Budget (19 March 2014). "Budget 2014: fears of more austerity in spite of growth". Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-05-20.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[cite-uk-nationalisaton-17] In 2014, Network Rail, which owns the railway infrastructure in Great Britain, was reclassified as a "public sector body" and its financial liabilities are now formally included as part of the national debt.[35] Much debate continues if this constitutes as the "nationalisation" of Network Rail. Private firms continue to operate the majority of train services under government franchises or concessions.

[EU_note-6] The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states that are located primarily in Europe. The EU is included as a separate entity because it has many attributes of independent nations, being much more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur.[5] Transport and trans-European networks are among shared competence between EU and member states. As the EU is not a country, the United States is the first ranked country on these lists.

[EU_note_2-7] The sum of all countries of the European Union appearing in this article.

[lewandIJEIT-1] Lewandowski, Krzysztof (2015). "New coefficients of rail transport usage" (PDF). International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT). 5 (6): 89–91. ISSN 2277-3754.

[2] ttp://www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/Articles%202005/SuperiorRail.pdf

[3] "The Geography of Transport Systems". New York Routledge. Archived from the original on 2018-02-17. Retrieved 2015-11-22.

[unece-4] "Country Profiles". United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Retrieved 2019-06-06.

[5] CIA (2014). "The World Factbook". Retrieved 15 March 2015. Although the EU is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association such as ASEAN, NAFTA, or Mercosur, and it has certain attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, currency (for some members), and law-making abilities, as well as diplomatic representation and a common foreign and security policy in its dealings with external partners. Thus, inclusion of basic intelligence on the EU has been deemed appropriate as a new, separate entity in The World Factbook.

[Chinab-8] "中国铁路的"成绩单"". 中国铁路的“成绩单”. Retrieved 2019-01-13.

[9] "Russian Raiways".

[10] "CIA Factbook".

[CIA-11] "The World Bank". data.worldbank.org. The World Bank. 2014. Retrieved 2017-02-20.

[12] "Trainline 5" (PDF). Canberra: Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics. November 2017. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-925531-80-0. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2019-06-07.

[13] "South Africa: Transnet Freight rail 2017" (PDF). Transnet. 18 February 2017. Retrieved 2018-06-15.

[14] "Analiza geopolityczna aktualnego stanu sieci kolejowej w Polsce" (in Polish). March 25, 2015. Retrieved 2020-04-01.

[15] "Islamic Republic Of Iran Railways :: راه آهن جمهوري اسلامي ايران". Rai.ir. Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2014-05-17.

[16] The figure includes passenger, commercial and industrial railroads; More information can be found at Islamic Republic of Iran Railways

[18] "Banguiden. Kort svensk järnvägshistoria" (in Swedish). Retrieved 2018-04-12.

[19] {{cite web|url=https://www.trafikverket.se/resa-och-trafik/jarnvag/Sveriges-jarnvagsnat/Bandata/%7Caccessdate=2020-05-12%7Clanguage=sv

[tcdd.gov.tr-20] "TCDD Annual Report 2018" (PDF). tcdd.gov.tr. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2018-05-26.

[21] ttps://www.sydos.cz/cs/rocenka-2017/rocenka/htm_cz/cz17_382000.html

[22] "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-02-09. Retrieved 2016-12-05.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

[eustat-23] "Rail infrastructure: length of network". Eurostat. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2019-06-10.

[INFKPI-24] "Infrabel Key Figures 2016" (PDF). Infrabel. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-24. Retrieved 2018-12-24.

[adbg-25] "Rail Infrastructure in Africa: Financing Policy Options" (PDF). African Development Bank Group. 2015. Retrieved 2019-06-14.

[26] "Statistical Abstract of Transportation & Communications – Mileage of Railways in Taiwan Area". MOTC, ROC(Taiwan). Retrieved 2020-03-11.

[27] ttps://en.globes.co.il/en/article-jerusalem-tel-aviv-fast-rail-link-finally-begins-operations-1001311940

[ir-report-2017-28] Weissman, Shahar. "Annual Report, 2017" (PDF) (in Hebrew). Israel Railways. p. 24. Retrieved July 7, 2018.

[29] "Case Sudy: Camrail" (PDF). The World Bank. Retrieved 2019-06-14.

[chinadaily-30] "Chinese, Ethiopian firms sign railway project deal|Africa|chinadaily.com.cn". usa.chinadaily.com.cn. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2017-05-07.

[31] "Railway Services". 2018-11-03. Retrieved 2019-06-10.

[32] ttps://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/psp/publications/transport/publications/rds2014.pdf

[Land_Transport_Overview_–_Rail-33] "Ministry of Transport, Singapore – Gain new perspectives on land, sea and air transport issues in Singapore". Archived from the original on 2014-04-06. Retrieved 2014-11-04.

[dpworld-doraleh-34] Mahdi Miad. "Ethiopia-Djibouti Railway Line to Start Early 2016 | DP World – Doraleh Website". dpworld-doraleh.com. Archived from the original on 2017-07-31. Retrieved 2017-05-07.

[35] Inquirer, Philippine Daily. "Sad saga of PNR". opinion.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2019-05-17.

[36] "Afghanistan opens first ever train route". Telegraph.co.uk. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 2014-11-04.

[37] Poonam Neupane (2017-12-28). "Railways in Nepal with History, Research, Present Condition & Future Plan". imnepal.com. Retrieved 2019-04-30.

[38] Budget (19 March 2014). "Budget 2014: fears of more austerity in spite of growth". Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-05-20.

Lists of countries by transport rankings
Road	Roadways length Traffic-related death rate Vehicles per capita Expressway length
Rail	Railways length Rail usage
Other	Heliports Merchant marine Pipelines Waterways
List of international rankings List of top international rankings by country Lists by country