Statistics Explained

Archive:Passenger transport statistics

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Data from September 2010, most recent data: Further Eurostat information, Main tables and Database.

This article provides details relating to recent trends for passenger transport statistics. It presents information on a range of different passenger transport modes, such as road, rail, air and maritime, within the European Union (EU). 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 car as a means of passenger transport across the EU has resulted in increased congestion and pollution.

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, GDP grew faster than the volume of inland passenger transport between 2000 and 2008 (see Table 2). Most notably GDP grew about one third faster than the rate of growth for the volume of inland passenger transport in Slovakia and Hungary. The main exceptions 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

A reliance on the car for making journeys 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. More than a fifth 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 those Member States that joined the EU in 2004 or 2007, in particular, Bulgaria and Poland. 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 Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom (where the share of the car in total inland passenger transport fell 1.4 percentage points), France (-1.9 points) and Belgium (-5.0 points).

Rail passengers

There were 371 930 million passenger-kilometres travelled on national railway networks within the EU-27 in 2007; this figure was considerably higher than the 20 295 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 (including 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 close to half (46.3 %) of the EU’s passenger total. The number of international passenger-kilometres travelled by French passengers was, at 7 546 million passenger-kilometres, almost twice the level for Germany (3 870 million passenger-kilometres), which in turn recorded a figure that was more than double that for the United Kingdom (1 690 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 (see Table 3). France, Sweden and Denmark – all at more than 1 000 passenger-kilometres per inhabitant – registered the longest average distances travelled on national railways in 2008. In terms of international rail travel, the highest distances covered were for Luxembourg, Austria and France (the only Member States to report averages above 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 breakdowns 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 2009 (65.9 million), followed by Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport (57.7 million), and then Frankfurt airport, Madrid’s Barajas airport and Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport (all with between 50.6 million and 43.5 million passengers) – see Figure 2.

With the exception of Barajas, the overwhelming majority (about 90 %) of passengers through the other four largest airports in the EU were on international flights. In contrast, national (domestic) flights accounted for 39.3 % of the passengers carried through Barajas in 2009. There were also relatively high proportions of passengers on national flights to and from Paris’ Orly airport (54.8 %), Barcelona airport (40.6 %) and Rome’s Fiumicino airport (37.6 %).

Just over 750 million passengers were carried by air in 2009 in the EU-27 (see Table 4); the number of air passengers had stagnated in 2008, while the number of air passengers fell by 5.9 % in 2009.

The United Kingdom reported the highest number of air passengers in 2009, with almost 199 million or 3.2 passengers per inhabitant (which was more than 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 (8.4 and 7.1 passengers carried per inhabitant).

Maritime passengers

Table 4 shows the number of maritime passengers, with ports in the EU-27 handling 413 million passengers in 2008; this marked a slight reduction of 0.3 % compared with 2007. Greek and Italian ports handled more passengers in 2008 than those of any other Member State (accounting for 22.1 % and 21.8 % of the EU-27 total respectively); they were followed by Danish ports (data for 2009) 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 in 2009), followed by Greece (8.1), Denmark (7.9, 2009) and Estonia (6.9); in the remaining Member States, other than Sweden, Finland (2009) and Italy, the number of maritime passengers per inhabitant averaged less than one in 2008.

Data sources and availability

The majority of inland passenger transport statistics are based on movements of vehicles in each reporting country, 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 gross domestic product (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 undertakings.

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 monthly, quarterly and annual frequencies, 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 data 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 Union. 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, while two European Commission proposals for regulations have been made concerning passenger rights in the field of bus and coach travel (2008/0237 (COD)) and sea and inland waterway passenger transport (2008/0246 (COD)).

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.

A mid-term review of ‘European transport policy for 2010’ (COM(2001) 370) was presented in the form of a Communication to the Council and the European Parliament, titled ‘Keep Europe moving – sustainable mobility for our continent’ (COM(2006) 314). The review made a number of suggestions for new areas of policy development, including: intelligent transport systems to make mobility greener and more efficient; a debate on how to change the mobility of people in urban areas; an action plan to boost inland waterways, and; a programme for green power in cars.

Around 80 % of the EU’s population lives in an urban area. The mid-term review therefore also suggested that local, regional and national authorities could benefit from studying best-practices in urban areas for a range of issues, including: transport infrastructure; congestion and traffic management; public transport services; infrastructure charging; urban planning; safety; security, and; cooperation with the surrounding region.

These ideas were expanded upon in September 2007 when the European Commission published a Green paper titled, ‘Towards a new culture for urban mobility’ (COM(2007) 551 final. The document addressed, for example, how: the quality of collective transport could be improved; the use of clean and energy efficient technologies could be increased; walking and cycling could be promoted, and; the rights of passengers on public transport could be protected. In September 2009 an ‘Action plan on urban mobility’ ((COM(2009) 490) was adopted by the European Commission. It proposed 20 different measures to encourage and help local, regional and national authorities to achieve their goals for sustainable urban mobility. Many of the proposals were linked to finding practical alternatives to the private use of cars, they included:

  • raising the quality and accessibility of public transport services and increasing their capacity to respond flexibly to changes in transport needs;
  • making walking and cycling more attractive by offering more favourable conditions;
  • reducing the demand for travel, for example, by reversing the trend for housing, jobs, and schools to disperse to places which are hard to reach except by car;
  • actively managing car use in congested areas;
  • making transport an essential component of strategies for spatial planning, economic development and social cohesion;
  • fostering new, flexible working time arrangements;
  • encouraging the creation of door-to-door transport systems which people can use as an integrated network.

However, intra-urban transport is only one element of passenger transport policy and the enlargement of the EU has created additional opportunities for inter-urban passenger travel by rail, road or airplane, which may be strengthened through a range of infrastructure developments, including, among others, extensions to high-speed rail networks or increased air traffic capacity and coordination (the ‘single European sky’ policy). Furthermore, while congestion and pollution are often cited as problems linked to an excessive amount of traffic in urban areas, rural areas are more often characterised by concerns over the frequency and continuing availability of public transport services.

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

Methodology / Metadata

Other information

Source data for tables and figures (MS Excel)

External links

See also

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