Archive:Railway safety statistics

Data from November 2016. Most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database. Planned update: November 2017

This article takes a look at recent annual statistics on rail transport accidents in the European Union (EU). Safety in rail transport has steadily enhanced over the years until 2013. However, in 2014 and 2015, the number of accidents started increasing. On the contrary, the number of victims (killed or injured persons) continues its decline.

Figure 1: Number of persons killed in railway accidents, 2014-2015
Source: Eurostat (rail_ac_catvict), see Country codes

Main statistical findings

Table 1: Number of persons killed and injured by type of accident and category of persons in EU-28, 2015
Source: Eurostat (rail_ac_catvict)

Table 2: Rail traffic performance and number of significant accidents in EU-28, 2015
Source: Eurostat (rail_ac_catnmbr) (rail_ac_catvict) (rail_go_typeall) (rail_pa_total) (rail_go_quartal) (rail_pa_quartal)

Table 3: Fatalities by category of persons, 2015
Source: Eurostat (rail_ac_catvict)

Table 4: Fatalities by type of accident, 2015
Source: Eurostat (rail_ac_catvict)

Figure 2: Train passengers killed per billion passenger-kilometres, 2014-2015
Source: Eurostat (rail_ac_catvict) (rail_pa_total) (rail_pa_quartal), see Country codes

In 2015, there were 1 739 persons killed or seriously injured in railway accidents in the EU-28, 14 % less than in 2014. Suicides are in principle excluded from these statistics, but not all Member States can identify them in the statistics sent to Eurostat.

A total of 2 269 significant train accidents were registered in theEU-28 in 2015, representing an increase of 3.7 % compared to 2014. The upturn observed in 2014 compared with the regular declining trend since 2004 is confirmed in 2015.

Four Member States responsible for more than half of the victims in the EU-28

To measure the relative safety of rail transport, the number of accidents and the related number of victims have to be linked to traffic performance (expressed in passenger-kilometres and tonne-kilometres).

In absolute terms, Table 2 shows that two countries accounted for more than one third of all rail victims registered in the EU-28 in 2015, namely Poland and Germany. When considering the average number of persons killed or injured per accident, the ratio is lower than 1.3 in all EU, EFTA and Candidate countries; the ratio at EU level being 0.8.

When analysing the relation between passenger transport performance and rail safety using the number of passengers killed per passenger-kilometre, two countries record ratios of ten times higher than the EU-28 average (0.06 passengers killed per billion passenger-kilometres). These Member States are Bulgaria (1.29) and Czech Republic (0.74).

Ireland, Luxembourg and Liechtenstein are the only countries for which no victim (killed or injured persons) was registered in 2015. .

Two types of accident caused 99 % of fatalities

For all participating countries, the most common type of accident with victims relates to accidents caused by rolling stock in motion or to those happening at level-crossings. In 2015, these two categories represented 97 % of the total amount of victims and 99 % of the fatalities (Table 1).

Only a minority (12 %) of rail accident victims in the EU-28 were actually passengers travelling on trains or railway employees. The majority, the remaining 88 %, was constituted of ‘other persons’ (e.g.: level-crossing users or unauthorised persons on railway premises).

At country level, 227 fatalities were registered in Poland, 146 in Germany and 108 in Hungary (Table 3). For the three countries, the majority of fatalities were linked to accidents caused by ‘rolling stock in motion’ (76 % for Poland, 63 % for Germany and 77 % for Hungary) (Table 4).

Within the European Union, the highest share of fatalities due to collisions in the total number of fatalities was recorded in Denmark (10 %), followed by Sweden (6 %).

Low number of fatalities per billion passenger-kilometres

As the number of passengers killed in rail accidents is very low each year, it is important to keep in mind that one single accident - or even one single victim - can have a big impact when comparing countries or the annual number of passengers killed per billion passenger-kilometres.

Bulgaria registered the highest ratio in 2015 (1.29 passengers killed per billion passenger-kilometres) ahead of Czech Republic (0.74): all the other reporting countries recorded a ratio below 0.6 in 2015 (Figure 2). For a large majority of countries, this indicator increased or remained stable between 2014 and 2015. Only Spain, Poland, Switzerland and Turkey showed this ratio decrease in 2015 compared to 2014.

Data sources and availability

Data availability

The figures presented in this publication have been extracted from the Eurostat rail transport database on 16/11/2016. It includes statistics on rail accidents in the Member States, EFTA and Candidate countries, collected according to Regulation (EC) No 91/2003. Please note that all accidents are significant accidents.

Country-specific notes - country characteristics of data availability

(see country codes)

CY: No railway transport
MT: No railway transport

Methodology

Table 2 and Figure 2: quarterly transport performance data have to be provided only by the railway undertakings covered by so called detailed reporting (transport performance above the thresholds set in the Regulation – 500 million tonne-km or 200 million passenger-km). Railway undertakings which are below the thresholds may be included either in the detailed reporting or in the simplified reporting. It means that quarterly transport performance figures do not include smaller undertakings under simplified reporting.

Definitions

Definitions presented here are those of the 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.

Significant accident

Any accident involving at least one rail vehicle in motion, resulting in at least one killed or seriously injured person, or in significant damage to stock, track, other installations or environment, or extensive disruptions to traffic. Accidents in workshops, warehouses and depots are excluded.

Significant damage to stock, track, other installations or environment

This means damage that is equivalent to EUR 150 000 or more.

Serious injury accident

Any accident involving at least one rail vehicle in motion, resulting in at least one killed or seriously injured person. Accidents in workshops, warehouses and depots are excluded.

Level crossing accident

Any accident at level crossings involving at least one railway vehicle and one or more road vehicles, other users of the road such as pedestrians or other objects temporarily present at or near the track.

Accident to persons caused by rolling stock in motion

Any accident to one or more persons that are either hit by a railway vehicle or part of it or hit by an object detached from the vehicle. Persons that fall from railway vehicles are included, as well as persons that fall or are hit by loose objects when travelling on-board vehicles.

Person killed (Fatality)

Any person killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result of an accident, excluding suicides. It includes passengers, employees and others persons specified or unspecified person involved in a rail injury accident.

Person seriously injured

Any person injured who was hospitalised for more than 24 hours as a result of an accident, excluding attempted suicides.

Rail passenger

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.

Others

As a category of victim, "others" includes, for example, level crossing users and trespassers.

Symbols

:	not available
-	not applicable
0	actual zero or very negligible transport
c	confidential data

Context

The content of this statistical article is based on data collected within the framework of the EU rail transport statistics Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 on rail transport statistics.

The basic legal act was amended by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1192/2003 on rail transport statistics.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Strong recovery in rail freight transport performance in the first nine months of 2010 - Statistics in focus 10/2012
The fall in rail freight transport performance slowed down towards the end of 2009 - Statistics in focus 11/2011
Goods transport by rail declining by the end of 2008 - Statistics in focus 19/2010
Railway passenger transport decreased slightly at the beginning of 2009 - Statistics in focus 15/2010

Main tables

Transport, see:

Railway transport (t_rail)

Rail transport of passengers (ttr00015)

Database

Transport, see:

Railway transport (rail)

Railway transport measurement - passengers (rail_pa)

Railway transport - accidents (rail_ac)

Other information

Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 of 16 December 2002 on rail transport statistics
Regulation (EC) No 1192/2003 of 3 July 2003 amending Regulation (EC) No 91/2003 on rail transport statistics

For more data and metadata on rail accidents, please also see:

- Rail accidents by type of accident (ERA data) (tran_sf_railac):
- Rail accidents statistics (ESMS metadata file — tran_sf_rail_esms)

Notes

On 27.11.2012 Eurostat signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the European Rail Agency (ERA) whose role has significantly increased in the recent years regarding rail accidents data reporting. See Directive 2014/88 of 9 July 2014 amending Directive 2004/49/EC.