Statistics Explained

Archive:Passenger transport statistics

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Data from September 2011, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.

This article provides details relating to recent trends for passenger transport statistics within the European Union (EU). It presents information on a range of different passenger transport modes, such as road, rail, air and maritime transport. Among these, the most dominant mode of passenger transport is that of the car, likely fuelled by a desire to have greater mobility and flexibility. The high reliance on the use of the car as a means of passenger transport across the EU has resulted in increased congestion and pollution in many urban areas and on many major transport arteries.

Table 1: Modal split of inland passenger transport (1)
(% of total inland passenger-km)
Table 2: Volume of inland passenger transport
(index of inland passenger transport volume relative to GDP (2000=100))
Table 3: Rail passenger transport
Figue 1: Rail passenger transport, 2008 (1)
(passenger-km per inhabitant)
Figure 2: Top 15 airports, passengers carried (embarked and disembarked), EU-27, 2009
(million passengers)
Table 4: Air and sea passenger transport (1)

Main statistical findings

Passenger cars accounted for 83.3 % of inland passenger transport in the EU-27 in 2008, with buses and coaches (9.4 %) and railways, trams and metros (7.3 %) both accounting for slightly less than a tenth of the total volume of traffic (as measured by the number of inland passenger-kilometres (pkm) travelled by each mode) – see Table 1.

In the vast majority of EU Member States, gross domestic product (GDP) grew faster than the volume of inland passenger transport between 2000 and 2008 (see Table 2). This was most notably the case in Slovakia and Hungary, where GDP grew about one third faster than the rate of growth for the volume of inland passenger transport. The main exceptions to this general pattern were Lithuania and Latvia where the rate of growth in the volume of inland passenger transport was between one quarter and one third faster than the rate of growth for GDP; other exceptions were recorded for Poland, Portugal and Greece.

It should be noted that the analysis above refers only to inland transport by car, bus or train and that a significant proportion of international passenger travel is accounted for by maritime and air transport passenger services, while in some countries national (domestic) maritime and air transport passenger services may also be of note.

Road passengers

Reliance on cars for passenger transport was particularly high in Lithuania, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Slovenia, where it accounted for upwards of 86 % of all inland passenger-kilometres in 2008. At least 20 % of the inland passenger-kilometres travelled in Hungary and Bulgaria were by bus or coach.

Between 2000 and 2008 there was a marked increase in the use of passenger cars among many of the Member States that joined the EU in 2004 or 2007, in particular, Bulgaria and Poland, while Hungary was an exception to this development. In contrast, the relative importance of cars as a mode of inland passenger transport fell in ten of the EU-15 Member States. The most sizeable reductions in the relative importance of the car between 2000 and 2008 were recorded in Luxembourg (where the share of the car in total inland passenger transport fell 1.3 percentage points), Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom (-1.4 points), France (-1.9 points) and Belgium (-5.0 points).

Rail passengers

There were 367 251 million passenger-kilometres travelled on national railway networks within the EU-27 (excluding the Netherlands) in 2008; this figure was considerably higher than the 20 388 million passenger-kilometres travelled on international journeys. More than a tenth of all inland passenger-kilometres travelled in Hungary, Austria and France were made on rail networks; these figures include trains, trams and underground railways/metros.

Approximately two thirds of all rail travel (national and international combined) was accounted for by the four largest EU Member States (note that neither Cyprus nor Malta has a railway network), with France and Germany together accounting for more than two fifths of the EU’s passenger rail travel. The number of international passenger-kilometres travelled by French passengers in 2009 was, at 9 983 million passenger-kilometres, more than twice the level for Germany (4 162 million passenger-kilometres), which in turn recorded a figure that was more than double that for the United Kingdom (1 641 million passenger-kilometres). In order to compare the relative importance of rail transport between countries, the data can be normalised by expressing passenger volumes in relation to population. France, Sweden and Denmark registered the longest average distances travelled on national railways in 2009, each of these countries averaging more than 1 000 passenger-kilometres per inhabitant. In terms of international rail travel, the highest average distances covered by rail were recorded for Luxembourg, Austria, France and Belgium (the only Member States to report averages over 100 passenger-kilometres per inhabitant). These figures may reflect, among others, the proximity of international borders, the importance of international commuters within the workforce, access to high-speed rail links, and whether or not international transport corridors run through a particular country.

Note that an article on transport accidents provides more detailed information in relation to rail accidents, including a breakdown of EU-27 data according to the type of victim and accident.

Air passengers

London Heathrow was the busiest airport in the EU-27 in terms of passenger numbers in 2010 (65.7 million), followed by Paris’ Charles-de-Gaulle airport (58.0 million), and then Frankfurt airport, Madrid’s Barajas airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport (all with between 52.6 million and 45.1 million passengers) – see Figure 2.

With the exception of Barajas, the overwhelming majority (at least 88 %) of passengers through the other four largest airports in the EU were on international flights. In contrast, national (domestic) flights accounted for 37.7 % of the passengers carried through Barajas in 2010. There were also relatively high proportions of passengers on national flights to and from Paris Orly (53.0 %), Barcelona airport (39.9 %) and Roma Fiumicino (35.2 %).

Just under 800 million passengers were carried by air in 2010 in the EU-27 (see Table 4). The number of air passengers carried in the EU-27 had stagnated in 2008, fell by 5.9 % in 2009, and rebounded by 6.0 % in 2010.

The United Kingdom reported the highest number of air passengers in 2010, with almost 193 million or 3.1 passengers per inhabitant (which was approximately double the EU-27 average). Relative to population size, the importance of air travel was particularly high for the popular holiday islands of Cyprus and Malta (8.7 and 7.9 passengers carried per inhabitant).

Maritime passengers

Table 4 also shows that ports in the EU-27 handled almost 404 million maritime passengers in 2009; this marked a reduction of 2.2 % compared with 2008 following a fall of 0.3 % in 2008 (compared with 2007). Italian and Greek ports handled more passengers in 2009 than in any other Member State (accounting for 23.0 % and 21.9 % of the EU-27 total respectively); they were followed by Danish ports and then, with roughly similar numbers, ports in Sweden, the United Kingdom and Germany.

Relative to national population, the importance of maritime passenger transport was particularly high in Malta (18.9 passengers per inhabitant), followed by Denmark (7.9), Greece (7.8) and Estonia (6.8); in the remaining Member States, other than Sweden, Finland and Italy, the number of maritime passengers per inhabitant in 2009 averaged less than 1.0 in each of the remaining EU Member States.

Data sources and availability

The majority of inland passenger transport statistics are based on vehicle movements in each of the reporting countries, regardless of the nationality of the vehicle or vessel involved (the ’territoriality principle’). For this reason, the volume measure of passenger-kilometres is generally considered as a more reliable measure, as a count of passengers entails a higher risk of double-counting, particularly for international transport. The methodology used across the Member States is not harmonised for road passenger transport. As such, the figures, especially those for the smallest reporting countries, may be somewhat unreliable.

The modal split of inland passenger transport identifies transportation by passenger car, bus and coach, and train; it generally concerns movements on the national territory, regardless of the nationality of the vehicle. The modal split of passenger transport is defined as the percentage share of each mode and is expressed in passenger-kilometres (pkm), which represent one passenger travelling a distance of one kilometre. For the purpose of this article, the aggregate for inland passenger transport excludes domestic air and water transport services (inland waterways and maritime).

The volume of inland passenger transport (measured in pkm) may also be expressed in relation to GDP; within this article the indicator is presented in constant prices for the reference year 2000, providing information on the relationship between passenger demand and economic growth, with the series indexed on 2000=100, so that the annual intensity of passenger transport demand can be monitored relative to economic developments.

Rail passengers

A rail passenger is any person, excluding members of the train crew, who makes a journey by rail. Rail passenger data are not available for Malta and Cyprus (or Iceland) as they do not have railways. Annual passenger statistics for national and international breakdowns generally only cover larger rail transport enterprises, although some countries use detailed reporting for all railway operators.

Air passengers

Air transport statistics concern national and international transport, as measured by the number of passengers carried; information is collected for arrivals and departures. Air passengers carried relate to all passengers on a particular flight (with one flight number) counted once only and not repeatedly on each individual stage of that flight. Air passengers include all revenue and non-revenue passengers whose journey begins or terminates at the reporting airport and transfer passengers joining or leaving the flight at the reporting airport; but excludes direct transit passengers. Air transport statistics are collected with a monthly, quarterly and annual frequency, although only the latter are presented in this article. There are also air transport passenger statistics on the number of commercial passenger flights made, as well as information relating to individual routes and the number of seats available. Annual data are available for most of the EU Member States from 2003 onwards.

Maritime passengers

Maritime transport data are available for most of the period from 2001 onwards, although some EU Member States have provided data since 1997. Maritime transport statistics are not transmitted by the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Hungary, Austria or Slovakia, as none of these has any maritime traffic. A sea passenger is defined as any person that makes a sea journey on a merchant ship; service staff are not regarded as passengers, neither are non-fare paying crew members travelling but not assigned, while infants in arms are also excluded. Double-counting may arise when both the port of embarkation and the port of disembarkation reports data; this is quite common for the maritime transport of passengers, which is generally a relatively short distance activity.

More detailed definitions of the statistical terms used within transport statistics are available in the Illustrated glossary for transport statistics, 4th edition, 2010.

Context

EU transport policy seeks to ensure that passengers benefit from the same basic standards of treatment wherever they travel within the EU. With this in mind the EU legislates to protect passenger rights across the different modes of transport.

Legislation for aviation (Regulation 261/2004 establishing ‘common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delays of flights’) and rail travel (Regulation 1371/2007 on ‘rail passengers’ rights and obligations’) are already in force. For bus and coach travel, Regulation 181/2011 was adopted in February 2011 and will apply from March 2013; for sea and inland waterway passenger transport, Regulation 1177/2010 was adopted in November 2010 and will apply from December 2012.

Passengers already have a range of rights covering areas as diverse as: information about their journey; reservations and ticket prices; damages to their baggage; delays and cancellations; or difficulties encountered with package holidays. Specific provisions have also been developed in order to ensure that passengers with reduced mobility are provided with necessary facilities and not refused carriage unfairly.

In March 2011 the European Commission adopted a White paper, the ‘Roadmap to a single European transport area – towards a competitive and resource efficient transport system’ (COM(2011) 144 final). This comprehensive strategy contains a roadmap of 40 specific initiatives for the next decade to build a competitive transport system that aims to increase mobility, remove major barriers in key areas and fuel growth and employment. More information on the White paper is available in the transport introduced article.

Further Eurostat information

Publications

Main tables

Transport, volume and modal split (t_tran_hv)
Volume of passenger transport relative to GDP (tsien070)
Car share of inland passenger transport (tsien090)
Modal split of passenger transport (tsdtr210)
Railway transport (t_rail)
Rail transport of passengers (ttr00015)
Road transport (t_road)
People killed in road accidents (tsdtr420)
Air transport (t_avia)
Air transport of passengers (ttr00012)

Database

Regional transport statistics (tran_r)
Victims in road accidents at regional level (tran_r_acci)
Maritime transport of passengers at regional level (tran_r_mapa_nm)
Air transport of passengers at regional level (new methodology) (tran_r_avpa_nm)
Maritime transport of passengers at regional level (old methodology) (tran_r_mapa_om)
Air transport of passengers at regional level (old methodology) (tran_r_avpa_om)
Annual national and international railway passenger transport by region of embarkation and region of disembarkation (tran_r_rapa)
Transport, volume and modal split (tran_hv)
Volume of passenger transport relative to GDP (tran_hv_pstra)
Modal split of passenger transport (tran_hv_psmod)
Railway transport (rail)
Railway transport measurement - passengers (rail_pa)
Railway transport - Accidents (rail_ac)
Road transport (road)
Road transport measurement - passengers (road_pa)
Road transport - accidents (road_ac)
Maritime transport (mar)
Maritime transport - Passengers (mar_pa)
Air transport (avia)
Air transport - Accidents (avia_ac)
Air transport measurement - passengers (avia_pa)

Dedicated section

Methodology / Metadata

Other information

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

External links

See also

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