Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT)

Transport Statistics Section

46 Pireos St. & Eponiton St. 185 10, Piraeus

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.

  TRANSPORT OF GOODS BY RAIL

  Movement of goods using railway vehicles between the place of loading and the place of unloading.

  TRANSPORT OF PASSENGERS BY RAIL

  Movement of passengers using railway vehicles between the place of embarkation and the place of disembarkation. The transport of passengers by metro, tram and/or light rail is excluded.

Goods transported by rail are classified according to the 20 divisions of goods following the 'Standard Goods Classification for Transport Statistics 2007’ with effect from reference year 2008.

Prior to 2007, the types of goods reported as being transported by rail were those defined by NST/R (Standard Goods for Transport Statistics). From reference year 2008 onwards, NST2007 classification is valid as set out in Commission Regulation 1304/2007 amending Regulation 91/2003 with respect to the establishment of NST2007 as the unique classification for transported goods in certain transport modes.

The codes to be used are the 2-digits of the 20 divisions (with a leading zero for groups 01 to 09).

The classification of goods as dangerous is defined in the regulations concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by rail, usually known as the RID, as adopted under Council Directive 96/49/EC of 23 July 1996 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States with regard to the transport of dangerous goods by rail and subsequent amendments (OJ L 235, 17.9.1996, p. 25. of Directive as last amended by Commission Directive 2001/6/EC (OJ L 30, 1.2.2001, p. 42).

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.

Railway undertakings providing transport of passengers or goods.

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 companies providing transport of passengers and/or goods on National territory.

Data on passenger and freight transport are collected from the railway undertakings operating at national territory within thresholds mentioned in the rail regulation.
Data on traffic are collected from the infrastructure management Organization.

Operational railway network on national territory.

Data on passengers and goods are covered from 2004 onwards.

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:

• Annex I –goods transport collected for a reference period of one year with a deadline for data transmission of five months after the end of the reference period,
• Annex II –passenger transport, yearly data with eight months deadline after the end of reference perio,
• 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 and 18 months respectively after the end of reference period and,
• Annex VIII goods and passengers transport for small undertakings with respectively five and eight months deadline after the end of reference period.

National level:

• Law 3832/2010 (Government Gazette No 38, Issue Α): "Hellenic Statistical System - Establishment of the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) as an Independent Authority", as amended and in force
• Regulation on the Operation and Administration of the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), 2012, (Government Gazette No 2390 B, 28 August 2012),
• Regulation on the Statistical Obligations of the Agencies of the Hellenic Statistical System (Government Gazette No 4083 B, 20 December 2016),
• Greek Commitment on Confidence in Statistics (Government Gazette 40 A, 29 February 2012),
• Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council, on European statistics, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2015/759,
• European Statistics Code of Practice (CoP), revised edition 2017.

The legal framework concerning the organization and operation of ELSTAT is available at the following website (Legal framework). 

European level:

• Regulation (EU) 2018/643 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on rail transport statistics.
• Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 December 2002 on rail transport statistics.
• Comission Regulation (EC) No 1192/2003 of 3 July 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on rail transport statistics.
• Comission Regulation (EC) No 332/2007 of 27 March 2007 on the technical arrangements for the transmission of railway transport statistics.
• Regulation (EU) 2016/2032 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 amending Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 on rail transport statistics, as regards the collection of data on goods, passengers and accidents.
• Comission Regulation (EC) No 1304/2007 of 7 November 2007 amending Council Directive 95/64/EC, Council Regulation (EC) No 1172/98, Regulations (EC) No 91/2003 and (EC) No 1365/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council with respect to the establishment of NST 2007 as the unique classification for transported goods in certain transport modes.

Not applicable.

National level:

The issues concerning the observance of statistical confidentiality by ELSTAT are arranged by articles 7,8 and 9 of the Law 3832/2010 as in force, by Articles 8, 10 and 11(2) of the Regulation on Statistical Obligations of the agencies of the Hellenic Statistical System and by Articles 10 and 15 of the Regulation on the Operation and Administration of ELSTAT available at the following wesite (Statistical confidentiality).

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.

Right to access the data collected for rail transport statistics has exclusively only the staff of ELSTAT employed for that purpose and designated by act of the President of ELSTAT.

ELSTAT takes all necessary measures for the protection of confidential data, from the collection of data to its publication.

Not applicable in the case of Rail Transport Statistics since ELSTAT does not publish rail transport data.

The release calendar of ELSTAT is available at the following website (Release calendar).

ELSTAT' s dissemination policy.

ELSTAT protects and does not disseminate the data it has obtained, or it has access to, which enable the direct or indirect identification of the statistical units by the disclosure of individual information directly received for statistical purposes or indirectly supplied from administrative or other sources. ELSTAT takes all appropriate preventive measures so as to render impossible the identification of individual statistical units by technical or other means which might reasonably be used by a third party. Statistical data that could potentially enable the identification of the statistical unit are disseminated by ELSTAT if and only if:

• These data have been treated, as specifically set out in the Regulation on the Statistical Obligations of the ELSS agencies, in such a way that their dissemination does not prejudice the statistical confidentiality.
• The statistical unit has given its consent, without any reservations, for the disclosure of data. ELSTAT may grant researchers, conducting statistical analyses for scientific purposes, access to data that enable the indirect identification of the statistical units concerned. The access is granted provided the following conditions are satisfied:
  • an appropriate request together with a detailed research proposal in conformity with current scientific standards have been submitted;
  • the research proposal indicates in sufficient detail the legitimate purpose of the research, the set of data to be accessed, the methods of analysing them, the persons who will have access to the                 data and the time needed for the research;
  • a contract specifying the conditions for access, the obligations of the researchers, the measures for respecting the confidentiality of statistical data and the sanctions in case of breach of these  obligations has been signed by the individual researcher, by his / her institution, or by the organization commissioning the research, as the case may be, and by ELSTAT.

Information on the access to confidential data for scientific purposes is available at the following website (Scientific provision data).

Rail Transport Data are not disseminated at National level.

Based on Regulation EU 643/2018 Rail Transport Data are transmitted to Eurostat on a quarterly, annually and on a five year basis. Besides Eurostat, Rail transport data are also disseminated to other European and International Organizations for statistical purposes on a quarterly and annual basis.

Not applicable. ELSTAT does not disseminate Rail Transport Data.

ELSTAT does not publish rail transport statistics data.

Rail Transport statistics are not being disseminated by ELSTAT. Only what Eurostat disseminates in eurobase.

 Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Reference Manual on Rail Transport Statistics.

Glossary for transport statistics, 5th edition 2019.

At National level, ELSTAT's Quality policy and Quality Guidelines documentation is followed. Specific quality management documentation for rail transport statistics is not available.

• ELSTAT Quality Policy.
• ELSTAT Quality Guidelines.

At European level: Rail Transport Manual

• Rail Transport Reference Manual.

ELSTAT follows Eurostat's methodological guidelines in order to assure rail transport data of good quality.

Main railway companies responsible for sending rail transport data to ELSTAT perform percentage difference (0-20%) and time series validation checks.

ELSTAT follows National and European quality policies and guidelines:

• ELSTAT Quality Policy.
• ELSTAT Quality Guidelines.
• Quality Assurance Framework of the European Statistical System.

Rail Transport Statistics are compiled in accordance with the recommendations that are provided in the relevant European Regulation.

Besides time series comparisons for consistency, quality assessment is also based on Eurostat's quality reports and mirror checks.

Rail Transport Data are provided to users only upon request, in accordance with the Statistical Confidentiality Policy and the Dissemination Policy of ELSTAT.

The degree of satisfaction of users is assessed by their comments and remarks expressed:

• at the annual Users’Conferences organized by ELSTAT,
• at the meetings of the Advisory Committee of the Hellenic Statistical System (SYEPELSS), in which participate representatives of bodies using statistics, and
• through the User Satisfaction Survey conducted by the competent Statistical Data Dissemination Section of ELSTAT.

Greek Rail Transport Statistics cover the total set of variables defined by Regulation EU 2018/643.

Railway Transport Statistics are compiled by a census survey based on administrative data. The overall accuracy is considered good.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

• Annual statistics on goods transport — detailed reporting (ANNEX A/ANNEX I) - Five months after the end of reference period,
• Annual statistics on passenger transport — detailed reporting (ANNEX C/ANNEX II) – Eight months after the end of reference period,
• Quarterly statistics on goods and passenger transport (ANNEX E/ANNEX III) – Three months after the end of reference period,
• Quinquennial regional statistics on goods and passenger transport (ANNEX F/ANNEX IV) – Twelve months after the end of reference period,
• Quinquennial statistics on traffic flows on the rail network (ANNEX G/ANNEX V) - Eighteen months after the end of reference period,
• Level of transport activity in goods and passengers transport (ANNEX L/ANNEX VIII) – Five months after the end of reference period.

Efforts are made so that data are sent to Eurostat within the respective deadlines. For 2023 data transmission was made without delays.

Not applicable.

Comparability over time is respected however big differences can occur due to extraordinary circumstances that affect rail freight or passenger transportation. Whenever needed explanations are given.

Cross domain data comparisons are not always easy or possible due to the Geographical position of Greece and how it affects each mode of transport. Greek railway network is limited to specific regions of the Country.

Datasets are checked to ensure internal consistency. The aggregates are consistent with their main sub-aggregates.

The cost related to ELSTAT's employees involved in Rail Transport statistics is estimated at approximately 1550 euros/year. Cost and burden for Rail companies cannot be assessed.

The Data revision - policy applied in all ELSTAT’s surveys.

If necessary ELSTAT proceeds to data revision based on Eurostat’s guidelines and EU Regulation 643/2018.

The Hellenic Railway Regulatory Authority provides ELSTAT with the list of railway companies conducting freight and passenger transportation. Based on this list ELSTAT contacts Railway Companies and collects all necessary data in order to compile rail transport statistics.

• Annual statistics on goods transport — detailed reporting (ANNEX A/ANNEX I) – Once a year,
• Annual statistics on passenger transport — detailed reporting (ANNEX C/ANNEX II) – Once a year,
• Quarterly statistics on goods and passenger transport (ANNEX E/ANNEX III) – Once every quarter,
• Quinquennial regional statistics on goods and passenger transport (ANNEX F/ANNEX IV) – Once every five years,
• Quinquennial statistics on traffic flows on the rail network (ANNEX G/ANNEX V) - Once every five years,
• Level of transport activity in goods and passengers transport (ANNEX L/ANNEX VIII) – Once a year.

The main railway company in Greece and the only one conducting passenger transport is well informed of the requirements of EU Regulation 643/2018. It is included in the list of recipients of EDAMIS notifications for data transmission and provides ELSTAT with data tables in the format requested by Eurostat (csv. files).  

For smaller railway undertakings that perform freight transport below the threshold of 200 million tonne-km or 500 000 tonnes, ELSTAT sends them a letter requesting the transmission of their data via an excel questionnaire.

Data sent to ELSTAT by Railway Companies are checked for their accuracy and reliability by the competent staff of ELSTAT and then they are submitted to Eurostat where more checks are performed.

Data collection is based on a census data collection and no imputations or adjustments are needed. Besides data quality checks, the only processing is aggregation of data of the different railway companies and creation of the data files in the format accepted by EDAMIS environment.

No adjustment is needed.

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