Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Directorate Territory Statistics - Transport Statistics
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
North Gate - Boulevard du Roi Albert II, 16, 1000 Bruxelles
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
2.1. Metadata last certified
25 March 2021
2.2. Metadata last posted
25 March 2021
2.3. Metadata last update
25 March 2021
3.1. Data description
Mandatory data collection at EU level is based on legal act, the Regulation EU 2018/643 and covers goods and passengers. Data is collected as following:
Annex I (annual data) –goods transport ,
Annex II (annual data)–passenger transport,
Annex III – (quarterly data) goods and passengers,
Annex IV and V (data every five years) regional statistics on goods and passengers and rail network and
Annex VIII (annual data) goods and passengers transport for small undertakings.
The codes of regions used in the region-to-region statistics are indicated in Regulation (EC) 1059/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Railway undertakings providing transport of passengers or goods.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
The main concepts used in rail domain are:
Rail passenger means any person, excluding members of the train crew, who makes a trip by rail. For accident statistics, passengers trying to embark/disembark onto/from a moving train are included. Passenger-km means the unit of measure representing the transport of one passenger by rail over a distance of one kilometer. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country shall be taken into account. Weight means the quantity of goods in tonnestones (1 000 kilograms). The weight to be taken into consideration includes, in addition to the weight of the goods transported, the weight of packaging and the tare weight of containers, swap bodies, pallets as well as road vehicles transported by rail in the course of combined transport operations. If the goods are transported using the services of more than one railway undertaking, when possible the weight of goods shall not be counted more than once. Tonne-km means the unit of measure of goods transport which represents the transport of one tonne (1 000 kilograms) of goods by rail over a distance of one kilometer. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country shall be taken into account. Train means one or more railway vehicles hauled by one or more locomotives or railcars, or one railcar travelling alone, running under a given number or specific designation from an initial fixed point to a terminal fixed point. A light engine, that is to say, a locomotive travelling on its own, is not considered to be a train. Train-km means the unit of measure representing the movement of a train over one kilometre. The distance used is the distance actually run, if available, otherwise the standard network distance between the origin and destination shall be used. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country shall be taken into account.
3.5. Statistical unit
Statistical units for rail transport statistics are all railway stations.
3.6. Statistical population
Data on rail passenger and freight transport are collected directly from railway undertakings operating at national territory. Data on traffic are collected from infrastructure manager Infrabel.
3.7. Reference area
Operational railway network on national territory.
3.8. Coverage - Time
Data on passengers and goods are covered from 2004 onwards.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
The volume and performance of rail freight traffic are measured in tonnes (mass) and tonne-kilometres. Passenger transport by rail is measured in the number of passengers and in passenger-kilometres. Information on the number of train kilometres is also available. Traffic flows on the rail network are measured in number of trains - passenger, freight and others (optional)
The tables consist mostly of annual data. There are some tables providing quarterly and quinquennial (every five years) data.
According to the Rail regulation (EU) 2018/643 data is collected as following: Annual data – Annex I –goods transport collected for a reference period of one year with a deadline for data transmission as 5 months after the reference periodreference period, – Annex II –passenger transport, yearly data with eight months deadline after the end of reference period – Annex III – quarterly data for goods and passengers with a deadline of three months after the end of the reference period, – Annex IV and V data every five years on regional statistics on goods and passengers and rail network with deadline of 12 respectively 18 months after the end of reference period and – Annex VIII goods and passengers transport for small undertakings with 5 respectively 8 months deadline after the end of reference period.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
National level:
KB 2014 - 11399 13 juni 2014:
Koninklijk besluit betreffende de verplichte statistieken van het spoorvervoer uitgevoerd door de Algemene Directie Statistiek - Statistics Belgium
Arrêté royal relatif aux statistiques obligatoires des transports par chemin de fer effectuées par la Direction générale Statistique - Statistics Belgium
Koninklijk besluit betreffende de verplichte statistieken van het spoorvervoer uitgevoerd door de Algemene Directie Statistiek - Statistics Belgium
Arrêté royal relatif aux statistiques obligatoires des transports par chemin de fer effectuées par la Direction générale Statistique - Statistics Belgium
European level:
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
8.1. Release calendar
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
8.2. Release calendar access
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
8.3. Release policy - user access
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
No online database available.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
10.5. Dissemination format - other
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
10.6. Documentation on methodology
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
10.7. Quality management - documentation
According to general rules, procedures and documentation of the NSI.
11.1. Quality assurance
Before data are sent to Eurostat, data are validated according the NSI rules and procedures.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
The figures regarding passenger and freight transport are not being published, due to confidentiality issu
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The figures regarding passenger and freight transport are not being published/disseminated, due to confidentiality issu
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
No surveys on users satisfaction or data needs.
12.3. Completeness
The data collection on rail transport statistics follows the provisions of the Regulation 91/2003. All variables in all data sets are provided.
The figures regarding passenger and freight transport are not being publised or disseminated, due to confidentiality issues.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Overall accuracy of the rail transport statistics data is good. The processing with several plausibilty checks as well as checks done before transmitting data to Eurostat provides a satisfactory accuracy of the data.
13.2. Sampling error
Not applicable for rail transport data collection.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable for rail transport data collection.
14.1. Timeliness
All the statistics required by the provisions of the Regulation 2018/643 are transmitted to Eurostat 3 months after the reference quarter. The annual data is transmitted to Eurostat 8 months afther the reference year.
14.2. Punctuality
All the statistics required by the provisions of the Regulation 2018/643 are mostly available in time before the deadline for the data provisions set up in the legal act.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Not applicable
15.2. Comparability - over time
Results are compared with the previous quarter/year and the same quarter of the previous year.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
There are no cross-domain coherence checks so far.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Results are compared with the previous quarter/year and the same quarter of the previous year.
The response burden is put on the railway undertakings
17.1. Data revision - policy
Before data are sent to Eurostat, data are validated according the NSI rules and procedures.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Revised data are sent to Eurostat.
18.1. Source data
Statistics Belgium is using data from Infrastructure manager Infrabel and the railway undertakings operating at national territory.
Next to these two datasources, other datasources online are used to gather more detailed data that is missing in the data we recieve.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Information needed for the rail transport statistics are collected on a quarterly and yearly basis.
18.3. Data collection
The data transmission is possible via email.
18.4. Data validation
Results are compared with the previous quarters/years.
18.5. Data compilation
After various recodings, inputing missing information and plausibility checks, the data received from the data suppliers are compiled into quarterly/yearly data following the structure of the data sets which are preset by the regulation.
18.6. Adjustment
Not applicable for rail transport data collection
No comments.
Mandatory data collection at EU level is based on legal act, the Regulation EU 2018/643 and covers goods and passengers. Data is collected as following:
Annex I (annual data) –goods transport ,
Annex II (annual data)–passenger transport,
Annex III – (quarterly data) goods and passengers,
Annex IV and V (data every five years) regional statistics on goods and passengers and rail network and
Annex VIII (annual data) goods and passengers transport for small undertakings.
25 March 2021
The main concepts used in rail domain are:
Rail passenger means any person, excluding members of the train crew, who makes a trip by rail. For accident statistics, passengers trying to embark/disembark onto/from a moving train are included. Passenger-km means the unit of measure representing the transport of one passenger by rail over a distance of one kilometer. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country shall be taken into account. Weight means the quantity of goods in tonnestones (1 000 kilograms). The weight to be taken into consideration includes, in addition to the weight of the goods transported, the weight of packaging and the tare weight of containers, swap bodies, pallets as well as road vehicles transported by rail in the course of combined transport operations. If the goods are transported using the services of more than one railway undertaking, when possible the weight of goods shall not be counted more than once. Tonne-km means the unit of measure of goods transport which represents the transport of one tonne (1 000 kilograms) of goods by rail over a distance of one kilometer. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country shall be taken into account. Train means one or more railway vehicles hauled by one or more locomotives or railcars, or one railcar travelling alone, running under a given number or specific designation from an initial fixed point to a terminal fixed point. A light engine, that is to say, a locomotive travelling on its own, is not considered to be a train. Train-km means the unit of measure representing the movement of a train over one kilometre. The distance used is the distance actually run, if available, otherwise the standard network distance between the origin and destination shall be used. Only the distance on the national territory of the reporting country shall be taken into account.
Statistical units for rail transport statistics are all railway stations.
Data on rail passenger and freight transport are collected directly from railway undertakings operating at national territory. Data on traffic are collected from infrastructure manager Infrabel.
Operational railway network on national territory.
The tables consist mostly of annual data. There are some tables providing quarterly and quinquennial (every five years) data.
According to the Rail regulation (EU) 2018/643 data is collected as following: Annual data – Annex I –goods transport collected for a reference period of one year with a deadline for data transmission as 5 months after the reference periodreference period, – Annex II –passenger transport, yearly data with eight months deadline after the end of reference period – Annex III – quarterly data for goods and passengers with a deadline of three months after the end of the reference period, – Annex IV and V data every five years on regional statistics on goods and passengers and rail network with deadline of 12 respectively 18 months after the end of reference period and – Annex VIII goods and passengers transport for small undertakings with 5 respectively 8 months deadline after the end of reference period.
Overall accuracy of the rail transport statistics data is good. The processing with several plausibilty checks as well as checks done before transmitting data to Eurostat provides a satisfactory accuracy of the data.
The volume and performance of rail freight traffic are measured in tonnes (mass) and tonne-kilometres. Passenger transport by rail is measured in the number of passengers and in passenger-kilometres. Information on the number of train kilometres is also available. Traffic flows on the rail network are measured in number of trains - passenger, freight and others (optional)
After various recodings, inputing missing information and plausibility checks, the data received from the data suppliers are compiled into quarterly/yearly data following the structure of the data sets which are preset by the regulation.
Statistics Belgium is using data from Infrastructure manager Infrabel and the railway undertakings operating at national territory.
Next to these two datasources, other datasources online are used to gather more detailed data that is missing in the data we recieve.
data are sent to Eurostat but are confidential and are not published
All the statistics required by the provisions of the Regulation 2018/643 are transmitted to Eurostat 3 months after the reference quarter. The annual data is transmitted to Eurostat 8 months afther the reference year.
Not applicable
Results are compared with the previous quarter/year and the same quarter of the previous year.
