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.
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. In this Annex data for all the undertakings operating in Spain are included,
Annex II (annual data)–passenger transport. In this Annex data for all the undertakings operating in Spain are included,
Annex III – (quarterly data) goods and passengers. In this Annex only data for the undertakings over the thresholds indicated in the Regulation are included,
Annex IV and V( data every five years) regional statistics on goods and passengers and rail network.
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 undertakings.
3.6. Statistical population
The population under study is formed by all the railway companies, both public and private, which provides services for the transport of goods and/or passengers by rail within the national territory. Undertakings whose only business is to provide services for the transport of passengers by metro, tram and/or light rail are excluded.
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
At INE Spain, the compilation and dissemination of the data are governed by the Statistical Law No. 12/1989 "Public Statistical Function" of May 9, 1989, and Law No. 4/1990 of June 29 on “National Budget of State for the year 1990" amended by Law No. 13/1996 "Fiscal, administrative and social measures" of December 30, 1996. Both laws make compulsory all statistics included in the National Statistics Plan, which are statistics for state purposes.
The Statistical Law No. 12/1989 specifies that INE Spain cannot publish, or make otherwise available, individual data or statistics that would enable the identification of data for any individual person or entity.
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics 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
INE Spain provides information on the protection of confidentiality at all stages of the statistical process: INE Spain questionnaires for the operations in the national statistical plan include a legal clause protecting data under statistical confidentiality.
Notices prior to data collection announcing a statistical operation notify respondents that data are subject to statistical confidentiality at all stages. For data processing, INE Spain employees have available the INE Spain data protection handbook, which specifies the steps that should be taken at each stage of processing to ensure reporting units' individual data are protected.
8.1. Release calendar
The advance release calendar that shows the precise release dates for the coming year is disseminated in the last quarter of each year.
The data are released simultaneously according to the advance release calendar to all interested parties by issuing the press release.
At the same time, the data are disseminated at INE Spain websitealmost immediately after the press release is issued. Also some predefined tailor-made requests are sent to registered users. Some users could receive partial information under embargo as it is publicly described in the European Statistics Code of Practice.
The frequency of data dissemination is quarterly and annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
The results of the statistical operations are normally disseminated by using press releases that can be accessed via both the corresponding menu and the Press Releases Section in the web.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
The quarterly and annual results of this operation since 2010 are available at INE Spain website. It can be accessed through INEbase/Services/Transport. It can also be accessed directly through the following link.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
The primary organisation of the information follows the theme-based classification of the Inventory of Statistical Operations of the State General Administration . The basic unit of INEbase is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities that lead to obtaining statistical results on a determined sector or subject based on the individually collected data. Also included in the scope of this definition are synthesis preparation.
All tables and historical series are available in this website, section INEbase/Services/Transport. It can be accessed through the following link.
In 2023, a total of AC1=32,925 accesses to the ETF website were registered.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Users can make customised requests. The policy of attention to customised requests is to analyse whether the conditions of statistical secrecy and significance are met. After this analysis, a feasibility report is prepared and sent to the petitioner.
The requests will be made through the User Service Area.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
The methodological documentation can be consulted in this link.
In 2023 the number of accesses to the methodological documentation was AC2=578.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Fields 10.6 to 17 of this document are the user-oriented quality report for this operation.
11.1. Quality assurance
Quality assurance framework for INE Spain statistics is based on the ESSCoP, the European Statistics Code of Practice developed by EUROSTAT. The ESSCoP includes 15 principles, in three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with some indicators which make possible to measure it. In order to evaluate quality, EUROSTAT provides different tools: the indicators mentioned above, Self-assessment based on the DESAP model, peer review, user satisfaction surveys and other proceedings for evaluation.
The production process of the Railway Transport Statistics is designed to guarantee the quality of the information used, as well as of the results obtained from it. For this, in all the phases of the process different quality controls have been designed, such as the detection of invalid values and other permanent controls on the flow of information. The Railway Transport Statistics are carried out in accordance with community guidelines, complying with the Code of Practice implemented by Eurostat and taking into account the necessary measures to ensure that the published data meet the required quality standards.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Rail Transport Statistics is a census whose source is all the rail transport companies operating in the national territory, which guarantees reliable information and high quality statistics. This allows to provide information that no other statistical source provides with the same level of detail.
Rail Transport Statistics fullfils all quality dimensions: relevance, accuracy, reliability, timeliness, punctuality, coherence, comparability, accessibility and clarity.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
The Rail Transport Statistics covers the information needs of different groups of users:
Ministries and other public bodies
Territorial administrations
Researchers and universities
Individuals
Each of these users has different needs according to the destination and usefulness of the information they need.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
INE Spain carries out general user satisfaction surveys every three years, being 2019 the last reference year year. The purpose of these surveys is to find out what users think about the quality of the information of INE Spain statistics and the extent to which their needs of information are covered. In addition, additional surveys are carried out in order to acknowledge better other fields such as dissemination of the information, quality of some publications...
At INE Spain website, in its section Methods and Projects / Quality and Code of Practice / INE quality management / User surveys are available surveys conducted to date.( next link)
12.3. Completeness
The survey meets the information requirements according to Regulation (EU) 2018/643 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 April 2018 on rail transport statistics (recast).
It is included in the National Statistical Plan 2021-2024 in the section on Information on Companies and in the European Statistical Programme 2023-2027: Transport statistics.
R1 (Rate of available mandatory statistical results) = 100%.
As far as possible, unmet needs are incorporated into the survey when methodological updates are made.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
The different processes of the statistics are aimed at eliminating or reducing as much as possible the errors, both in the collection phase (follow-up of the response rate) and in subsequent phases of editing and validation. As it is a census, this statistic does not present sampling errors.
13.2. Sampling error
As it is a census, there are no sampling errors.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Special attention is paid to recording, coding, editing and non-response, achieving in 2023 a 100% response rate, both per unit and per item, A4=0% and A5=0%.
14.1. Timeliness
Approximately 7 months elapse between the reference date of the information and the date of publication of the annual results and 2 months for the quarterly results. Therefore, TP2=7 months for annual data and TP2=2 months for quarterly data.
14.2. Punctuality
The data are delivered punctually on the date announced in the structural publications calendar. Therefore TP3=0.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
The availability of a methodology, a design and a common process of collection, editing, estimation in all its geographical scope, guarantees the comparability of the results both nationally and internationally.
15.2. Comparability - over time
As there have been no methodological changes, all the indicators of the statistics are comparable over time since 2004, being in January 2023 the number of comparable elements CC2= 19 for the annual series and 76 for the quarterly series.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
There is currently no crossing between sectors.
15.4. Coherence - internal
The consistency between variables is contrasted in all phases of the statistical process.
The estimated budget appropriation necessary to carry out this statistic in 2023 is 24.33 thousand euros. The burden on respondents, according to the information received from them, is one person working week per year.
17.1. Data revision - policy
INE Spain has a policy which regulates the basic aspects of statistical data revision, seeking to ensure process transparency and product quality. This policy is laid out in the document approved by INE Spain board of directors on 13 March of 2015, which is available on the INE Spain website, in the section "Methods and projects/Quality and Code of Practice/INE’s Quality management/INE’s Revision policy" (link).
This general policy sets the criteria that the different type of revisions should follow: routine revision- it is the case of statistics whose production process includes regular revisions-; more extensive revision- when methodological or basic reference source changes take place-; and exceptional revision- for instance, when an error appears in a published statistic-.
Only final data are published.
17.2. Data revision - practice
Only final data are published. If an error is detected, it is corrected and users are warned about it.
18.1. Source data
The information is obtained from a survey of companies involved in the transport of goods and passengers.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Data collection is carried out quarterly and annually.
18.3. Data collection
INE Spain collects the data using a questionnaires that is sent by mail to all the respondents. This questionnaire contains the definitions and explanations needed to fill it in.
18.4. Data validation
Validation rules are established between related variables and in a single variable by comparison over time, given that the published historical series are homogeneous, and therefore comparable both temporally and geographically.
18.5. Data compilation
Once the questionnaires have been collected from the corresponding sampling units and after the editing and validation phases, INE Spain processes the information, aggregating it at national level for dissemination.
18.6. Adjustment
No data adjustment is carried out.
No further 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. In this Annex data for all the undertakings operating in Spain are included,
Annex II (annual data)–passenger transport. In this Annex data for all the undertakings operating in Spain are included,
Annex III – (quarterly data) goods and passengers. In this Annex only data for the undertakings over the thresholds indicated in the Regulation are included,
Annex IV and V( data every five years) regional statistics on goods and passengers and rail network.
1 October 2024
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 undertakings.
The population under study is formed by all the railway companies, both public and private, which provides services for the transport of goods and/or passengers by rail within the national territory. Undertakings whose only business is to provide services for the transport of passengers by metro, tram and/or light rail are excluded.
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.
The different processes of the statistics are aimed at eliminating or reducing as much as possible the errors, both in the collection phase (follow-up of the response rate) and in subsequent phases of editing and validation. As it is a census, this statistic does not present sampling errors.
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)
Once the questionnaires have been collected from the corresponding sampling units and after the editing and validation phases, INE Spain processes the information, aggregating it at national level for dissemination.
The information is obtained from a survey of companies involved in the transport of goods and passengers.
The frequency of data dissemination is quarterly and annual.
Approximately 7 months elapse between the reference date of the information and the date of publication of the annual results and 2 months for the quarterly results. Therefore, TP2=7 months for annual data and TP2=2 months for quarterly data.
The availability of a methodology, a design and a common process of collection, editing, estimation in all its geographical scope, guarantees the comparability of the results both nationally and internationally.
As there have been no methodological changes, all the indicators of the statistics are comparable over time since 2004, being in January 2023 the number of comparable elements CC2= 19 for the annual series and 76 for the quarterly series.
