Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of 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
18,989 Kilometre
in 1970
All-time low
15,795 Kilometre
in 2006
Years of data
37
1970–2024

Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1970–2024

05.0k10.0k15.0k20.0k1970199720241970: 19.0k Kilometre1980: 18.0k Kilometre1990: 16.9k Kilometre1991: 16.9k Kilometre1992: 16.8k Kilometre1993: 16.9k Kilometre1994: 16.9k Kilometre1995: 17.0k Kilometre1996: 17.0k Kilometre1997: 17.0k Kilometre1998: 17.0k Kilometre1999: 17.0k Kilometre2000: 17.0k Kilometre2001: 17.0k Kilometre2002: 17.0k Kilometre2003: 16.9k Kilometre2004: 16.5k Kilometre2005: 15.8k Kilometre2006: 15.8k Kilometre2007: 15.8k Kilometre2008: 16.2k Kilometre2009: 16.1k Kilometre2010: 16.2k Kilometre2011: 16.2k Kilometre2012: 16.2k Kilometre2013: 16.2k Kilometre2014: 16.2k Kilometre2015: 16.2k Kilometre2016: 16.3k Kilometre2017: 16.3k Kilometre2018: 16.3k Kilometre2019: 16.5k Kilometre2020: 16.5k Kilometre2021: 16.5k Kilometre2022: 16.4k Kilometre2023: 16.4k Kilometre2024: 16.2k Kilometre

Source: Eurostat. Measured in Kilometre.

Analysis

The most recent figure for length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is 16,189 Kilometre, measured 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 number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 18,989 Kilometre in 1970 and was at its lowest, 15,795 Kilometre, in 2006.

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 8th of 49 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 37 years of available data.

Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of lines in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1970 to 2024.
Year Kilometre Change
1970 18,989 Kilometre
1980 17,983 Kilometre -5.3%
1990 16,924 Kilometre -5.9%
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 of Great Britain and Northern Ireland compared with similar countries

  • United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'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 of Great Britain and Northern Ireland'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

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 18,989 Kilometre 18,989 Kilometre 18,989 Kilometre 1
1980s 17,983 Kilometre 17,983 Kilometre 17,983 Kilometre 1
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 of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

  1. 6 Italy 16,879 Kilometre compare
  2. 7 Spain 16,257 Kilometre compare
  3. 8 United Kingdom 16,189 Kilometre compare
  4. 10 Türkiye 11,417 Kilometre compare
  5. 11 Sweden 10,902 Kilometre compare

See the full ranking of 50 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 16,189 Kilometre in 2024, according to Eurostat.
What is the highest length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The highest recorded value was 18,989 Kilometre in 1970.
What is the lowest length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
The lowest recorded value was 15,795 Kilometre in 2006.
How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of?
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 8th out of 49 countries with data for 2024.
Is length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
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 of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
The figures come from Eurostat, published as part of Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of lines. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Eurostat. Retrieved 13 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/length-of-railway-lines-by-number-of-tracks-and-electrification-of-lines/united-kingdom/

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About this data

Indicator
Length of railway lines by number of tracks and electrification of lines
Unit
Kilometre
Source
Eurostat
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Eurostat)
Coverage
50 places, 1,737 data points, 1962–2024
Last refreshed