Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany

Germany: Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed was 38,783 Kilometre in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
38,783 Kilometre
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
1st
of 49 countries
All-time high
44,050 Kilometre
in 1990
All-time low
35,804 Kilometre
in 2002
Years of data
32
1990–2021

Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany, 1990–2021

010.0k20.0k30.0k40.0k1990200520211990: 44.0k Kilometre1991: 41.1k Kilometre1992: 40.8k Kilometre1993: 40.4k Kilometre1994: 41.3k Kilometre1995: 41.7k Kilometre1996: 40.8k Kilometre1997: 38.4k Kilometre1998: 38.1k Kilometre1999: 37.5k Kilometre2000: 36.6k Kilometre2001: 36.0k Kilometre2002: 35.8k Kilometre2003: 41.5k Kilometre2004: 40.2k Kilometre2005: 38.2k Kilometre2006: 38.2k Kilometre2007: 38.0k Kilometre2008: 37.8k Kilometre2009: 37.9k Kilometre2010: 38.8k Kilometre2011: 38.7k Kilometre2012: 38.6k Kilometre2013: 38.7k Kilometre2014: 38.7k Kilometre2015: 38.6k Kilometre2016: 38.7k Kilometre2017: 38.8k Kilometre2018: 39.0k Kilometre2019: 39.1k Kilometre2020: 38.8k Kilometre2021: 38.8k Kilometre

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Kilometre.

Analysis

Germany recorded 38,783 Kilometre for length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in 2021.

That represents a change of up 0.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany peaked at 44,050 Kilometre in 1990 and was at its lowest, 35,804 Kilometre, in 2002.

Germany ranks 1st of 49 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.

Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany, year by year

Annual values for Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany, 1990 to 2021.
Year Kilometre Change
1990 44,050 Kilometre —
1991 41,113 Kilometre -6.7%
1992 40,815 Kilometre -0.7%
1993 40,397 Kilometre -1.0%
1994 41,257 Kilometre +2.1%
1995 41,718 Kilometre +1.1%
1996 40,826 Kilometre -2.1%
1997 38,385 Kilometre -6.0%
1998 38,126 Kilometre -0.7%
1999 37,525 Kilometre -1.6%
2000 36,588 Kilometre -2.5%
2001 35,986 Kilometre -1.6%
2002 35,804 Kilometre -0.5%
2003 41,531 Kilometre +16.0%
2004 40,202 Kilometre -3.2%
2005 38,206 Kilometre -5.0%
2006 38,206 Kilometre +0.0%
2007 38,005 Kilometre -0.5%
2008 37,798 Kilometre -0.5%
2009 37,934 Kilometre +0.4%
2010 38,750 Kilometre +2.2%
2011 38,712 Kilometre -0.1%
2012 38,648 Kilometre -0.2%
2013 38,654 Kilometre +0.0%
2014 38,659 Kilometre +0.0%
2015 38,630 Kilometre -0.1%
2016 38,696 Kilometre +0.2%
2017 38,803 Kilometre +0.3%
2018 38,995 Kilometre +0.5%
2019 39,068 Kilometre +0.2%
2020 38,800 Kilometre -0.7%
2021 38,783 Kilometre -0.0%

Germany compared with similar countries

  • Germany's 38,783 Kilometre is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,357 Kilometre, 11.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
  • Germany's 38,783 Kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,962 Kilometre, 9.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 40,421 Kilometre 37,525 Kilometre 44,050 Kilometre 10
2000s 38,026 Kilometre 35,804 Kilometre 41,531 Kilometre 10
2010s 38,762 Kilometre 38,630 Kilometre 39,068 Kilometre 10
2020s 38,791 Kilometre 38,783 Kilometre 38,800 Kilometre 2

Countries ranked near Germany

  1. 2 France 27,564 Kilometre compare
  2. 3 Ukraine 19,760 Kilometre compare
  3. 4 Poland 19,625 Kilometre compare
  4. 4 Poland 19,625 Kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 50 places →

More reference data data for Germany

All data for Germany →

Frequently asked questions

What is length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany?
Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany was 38,783 Kilometre in 2021, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed recorded in Germany?
The highest recorded value was 44,050 Kilometre in 1990.
What is the lowest length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed recorded in Germany?
The lowest recorded value was 35,804 Kilometre in 2002.
How does Germany rank for length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed?
Germany ranks 1st out of 49 countries with data for 2021.
Is length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed rising or falling in Germany?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Germany data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in Germany. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/length-of-railway-lines-by-maximum-permitted-speed/germany/

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About this data

Indicator
Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed
Unit
Kilometre
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
50 places, 1,626 data points, 1990–2024
Last refreshed