Austria leads EU in rail travel per capita

Austria leads the European Union in rail travel per capita, according to data from ÖBB. In 2025, passengers traveled a total of approximately 12.7 billion passenger-kilometers, averaging nearly 35 million kilometers per day.

ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä noted that the high volume of rail usage highlights the critical role of buses and trains in national mobility. The shift from cars and trucks to rail and bus services results in the avoidance of more than 4 million tons of CO2 annually. Specifically, rail travel in Austria produces over 30 times less CO2 per kilometer than an average car and at least 50 times less than a short-haul flight.

While the transport sector accounts for about one-third of Austria's total energy consumption, the Verkehrsclub Österreich (VCÖ) reports that nearly 90 percent of this is road traffic, which is 92 percent dependent on petroleum. In contrast, ÖBB utilizes 100 percent renewable energy for its trains and stations, with over 90 percent of its passenger trains operating fully electrically.