01/2025
Train movement and accidents
In this number...
Following the mobility restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a steady recovery in rail passenger transport, although the recovery has been more uneven in the case of freight.
n recent years, there has been a notable increase in the number of medium-distance and high-speed train passengers, with Spain having the most extensive high-speed rail network in the European Union.
Among the goods considered dangerous, flammable liquids and liquefied gases predominated, particularly since 2017.
Accidents involving rail transport mainly affected people who were neither passengers nor employees, and were concentrated at level crossings or caused by moving rolling stock. In 2023, 24 fatalities and 23 serious injuries were recorded, figures below the 2010-2023 average.
During 2023, 6.5 people per day died by suicide related to railways across the EU. In Spain, one person died every three days.
Sources: INE (Rail Transport Statistics, Passenger Transport Statistics) y Eurostat.
Train movement
Uneven recovery of passengers and freight
Train movement data for the last five years reflect the impact of mobility restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a sharp decline in 2020 for both passengers and freight — though more pronounced in the case of passengers (-26.1% compared to -13.5%).
The following two years saw a recovery in both areas, passenger and freight, while in 2023 the trends shifted, as the number of train movements for total passengers continued to rise but freight experienced a new decline, in this case by 11.7%.
Did you know… ?
Spain has the most extensive high-speed network in the EU with 3,190 km, followed by France (2,748 km) and Germany (1,163 km).
Medium distance gained the most travellers
Nearly 700 million passengers used the railways during 2024, representing 12.4% of the total number of public transport users throughout the year and 4.6% more than the previous year.
Most of the passengers used commuter services (85.3%), but the biggest increase in the last six years in proportion has taken place in medium-distance trains (61.8%), gaining more than 20 million compared to 2019.
Long-distance transport accounted for 6.9% of all rail passengers. Within this, 80.8% of passengers travelled on high-speed trains. This type of transport has gained 16.6 million passengers compared to 2019, while the rest of long-distance rail has seen a decrease of nearly three million passengers. This can be explained both by the entry of new high-speed passenger transport companies and by the conversion of conventional long-distance routes into high-speed routes.
Freight transport
44.1% of the cargo was unidentifiable goods
Unidentifiable goods (44.1%), metallurgy and metal products (18.5%), as well as grouped goods of different types (7.1%) predominated among goods transported by rail.
Flammable liquids led by tonnage among hazardous goods
Among the goods considered hazardous, flammable liquids, compressed, liquefied or dissolved gases under pressure, and corrosive substances predominated.
Train movement involving this type of goods (flammable liquids and gases) has experienced a sustained upturn since 2017.
Accidents and suicides
More significant accidents but less serious
During 2023, 77 significant accidents were recorded compared to an average of 60 for the 2010-2023 period. Most accidents involved rolling stock in motion, followed by derailments.
For statistical purposes, a significant accident is considered when it involves at least one rail vehicle in motion and results in at least one fatality or serious injury; causes serious damage to equipment, rail infrastructure, or other facilities or environments; or leads to serious traffic disruptions.
In 2023, nearly all types of accidents saw an increase compared to the average of the series, with the exception of those involving people and moving rolling stock — which totalled 21, compared to an average of 25.5, where most accidents were concentrated.
Of these accidents, 23 were considered serious (involving at least one railway vehicle in motion and one fatality or serious injury), although in this case, the figure was below the average for the period considered, which was 26.
In terms of damage severity, level crossing accidents ranked second, above derailments.
Suicides on the railway network
In addition to accidents, and as part of railway transport safety, the statistics record data on suicides related to or involving the railway network.
According to Eurostat data, there were 2,371 railway-related suicides in the European Union in 2023. Of these, 98 took place in Spain.
Each day, 6.5 people died for this reason across the EU, and in Spain, such incidents occurred nearly once every three days. In relative terms, the incidence was 2.04 per million inhabitants, one of the lowest figures in the EU when considering the population of each country, with an average of 5.28.
The highest values in terms of population data were recorded in the Czech Republic (18.01 per million inhabitants), Slovakia (12.89), and the Netherlands (10.67).
The danger of level crossings
Accidents related to train mobility or railway infrastructure mostly affected people who were neither passengers nor employees or contractors.
In 2023, there were 24 fatalities. Most of them (20) were neither travellers nor employees. There were also 23 serious injuries, none of which involved passengers and only one involved an employee or contractor. These figures were below the 2010-2023 average, which was 32 fatalities and 26 serious injuries.
The type of accident that accounted for most fatal cases occurred at level crossings; while in the case of serious injuries, most involved moving rolling stock.
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