Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed was 16,189 Kilometre in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
16,189 Kilometre
Change on year
down 1.5%
World rank
8th
of 49 countries
All-time high
17,020 Kilometre
in 2002
All-time low
15,795 Kilometre
in 2006
Years of data
35
1990–2024
Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in United Kingdom, 1990–2024
Source: Eurostat. Measured in Kilometre.
Analysis
United Kingdom recorded 16,189 Kilometre for length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.5% on the previous year and down 0.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in United Kingdom peaked at 17,020 Kilometre in 2002 and was at its lowest, 15,795 Kilometre, in 2006.
That places United Kingdom 8th out of 49 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | Kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 16,924 Kilometre | — |
| 1991 | 16,909 Kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 16,843 Kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 16,854 Kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 16,873 Kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1995 | 16,999 Kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1996 | 17,001 Kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 16,991 Kilometre | -0.1% |
| 1998 | 16,994 Kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 16,984 Kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2000 | 17,008 Kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 16,986 Kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 17,020 Kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 16,950 Kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 16,458 Kilometre | -2.9% |
| 2005 | 15,810 Kilometre | -3.9% |
| 2006 | 15,795 Kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 15,814 Kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2008 | 16,160 Kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 16,126 Kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 16,223 Kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 16,210 Kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2012 | 16,195 Kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 16,195 Kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 16,202 Kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 16,241 Kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 16,253 Kilometre | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 16,320 Kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 16,289 Kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2019 | 16,480 Kilometre | +1.2% |
| 2020 | 16,519 Kilometre | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 16,457 Kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 16,430 Kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 16,433 Kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 16,189 Kilometre | -1.5% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 16,189 Kilometre is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,357 Kilometre, 4.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 16,189 Kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,962 Kilometre, 4.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16,937 Kilometre | 16,843 Kilometre | 17,001 Kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 16,413 Kilometre | 15,795 Kilometre | 17,020 Kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 16,261 Kilometre | 16,195 Kilometre | 16,480 Kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 16,406 Kilometre | 16,189 Kilometre | 16,519 Kilometre | 5 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in United Kingdom?
- Length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed in United Kingdom was 16,189 Kilometre in 2024, according to Eurostat.
- What is the highest length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed recorded in United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 17,020 Kilometre in 2002.
- What is the lowest length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 15,795 Kilometre in 2006.
- How does United Kingdom rank for length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed?
- United Kingdom ranks 8th out of 49 countries with data for 2024.
- Is length of railway lines by maximum permitted speed rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this United Kingdom 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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