Archive:Railway safety statistics
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This article takes a look at recent annual statistics on rail transport accidents in the European Union (EU). Safety in rail transport steadily enhances over the years: in 2010, the number of accidents has significantly decreased compared to 2009 (-6.7 %). However, the number of victims remained stable over the same period (+0.8 %).
Main statistical findings
In 2010, there were 2 593 persons killed or seriously injured in railway accidents in the EU-27, around 0.8 % more than in 2009. 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 around 2 752 significant train accidents were registered in the EU-27 in 2010, representing a decrease of 6.7 % compared to 2009: this is in line with the regular declining trend observed since 2004.
Three Member States responsible for almost half of the victims in the EU-27
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, three countries accounted for almost 42 % of all rail victims registered in the EU-27 in 2010, namely Poland, Romania and Germany. The picture is different when considering the average number of persons killed or injured per accident. The high ratio recorded by Ireland (2 persons killed or injured per accident) is not significant due to the very low number of accidents (4). The rates observed in Belgium (5.9) and, to a lesser extent, in Greece (1.3) are clearly above the EU-27 average (0.9). For the Candidate Countries and EFTA countries, this ratio is always below the EU average with the only exception of Turkey (1.1).
When analysing the relation between passenger transport performance and rail safety using the number of passengers killed per passenger-kilometre, four countries record ratios of about four times or more the EU-27 average (0.20 passengers killed per billion passenger-kilometres). This group of Member States is made up of Belgium (1.70), Spain (0.76), Romania (0.76) and Greece (0.75). Of the Candidate and EFTA countries, Croatia registers the highest ratio, with 0.58 passengers killed per billion passenger-kilometres in 2010.
Luxembourg and Liechtenstein are the only countries for which no victim was reported in 2010.
Two types of accidents caused 96 % of fatalities
For all participating countries, the most common types of accident for which victims are registered are accidents caused by rolling stock in motion and those happening at level-crossings. In 2010, these two categories represented around 86 % of the total amount of victims and 96 % of the fatalities.
Only a minority (slightly more than 23 %) of rail accident victims in the EU-27 were actually passengers travelling on trains or railway employees. The majority, the remaining 77 %, was constituted of ‘other persons’ (e.g.: level-crossing users or unauthorised persons on railway premises). However, several types of accidents are especially serious for passengers and employees. This is the case for derailments and fires in rolling stock (100 % of the fatalities caused by these two types of accidents were registered among passengers and employees) as well as for collisions (83 %).
In 2010, at country level, there were 285 fatalities in Poland, 155 in Germany and 139 in Romania: for these countries, the majority of victims were linked to ‘rolling stock in motion’ (81 % for Poland, 70 % for Romania and 66 % for Germany).
Within the European Union, the highest share of fatalities due to collisions in the total number of fatalities was recorded in Belgium (54 %), especially marked by the train collision in Buizingen in February 2010.
At EU-27 level, only one person lost his live in 2010 in an accident due to fire in rolling stock (in Romania).
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.
Belgium registered the highest ratio in 2010 (1.7 passengers killed per billion passenger-kilometres). All the other reporting countries recorded a ratio under 0.8 in 2010. For a majority of countries, this indicator improved or remained constant between 2009 and 2010.
Data sources and availability
Data availability
The figures presented in this publication have been extracted from the Eurostat rail transport database. It includes the statistics on rail accidents in the Member States, collected according to the Regulation 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 Graph 2: quarterly transport performance data (used when related annual data are not available) 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 n°1192/2003 (EC) 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 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 91/2003 on rail transport statistics.
The basic legal act was amended by Commission Regulation 1192/2003 on rail transport statistics.
Further Eurostat information
Publications
- Railway passenger transport decreased slightly at the beginning of 2009 - Statistics in focus 15/2010
Main tables
- Rail transport of passengers (ttr00015)
Database
- Transport, see:
- Railway transport (rail)
- Railway transport - accidents (rail_ac)
Dedicated section
Methodology / Metadata
- Railway transport - accidents (ESMS metadata file - rail_ac_esms)
- Illustrated glossary for transport statistics - 4th edition
Other information
- Regulation 91/2003 of 16 December 2002 on rail transport statistics
- Commission Regulation 1192/2003 of 3 July 2003 amending Regulation 91/2003 on rail transport statistics