Published the 14th Annual IRG Rail Report on Monitoring the Rail Services Market

The report provides an overview of market developments and conditions in the rail sector in 2024.

ZAGREB, 13 May 2026 - The Independent Regulators’ Group - Rail (IRG Rail), which brings together railway regulatory authorities from 31 European countries, including the Croatian Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM), has published its 14th Annual Report on Monitoring the Rail Services Market.

The report covers developments in 2024 and is based on data collected by the national regulatory authorities of all IRG Rail member states. It provides an annual overview of market developments and economic conditions in the rail sector, as well as comparative analysis of market development and competitiveness across countries and over time.

In 2024, a total of 4.63 billion train-kilometres was recorded across IRG Rail member countries, representing a slight increase compared with both 2023 and 2019. Diverging trends can be observed between passenger and freight transport. Passenger rail services continued to grow, with passenger-kilometres increasing by six per cent, significantly exceeding pre-pandemic (2019) levels. By contrast, rail freight transport continued the downward trend that began in 2023, recording a two per cent decrease in net tonne-kilometres in 2024. A particularly notable decline was observed in international freight traffic, which fell by five per cent and reached its lowest level since 2015.

Charges for the minimum access package (MAP) per train-kilometre increased in 2024 for both passenger and freight services. While charges for passenger services have risen continuously over the past five years, at an average annual rate of three per cent, freight charges increased by six per cent in 2024, marking the first increase following a period of slight decline between 2020 and 2023. Revenues of railway undertakings increased in both segments, with growth in passenger services primarily driven by rising demand, while freight revenues were largely affected by higher costs linked to inflation.

The report comprises two documents: the “Main Report”, presenting consolidated findings at European level, and the “Working Document”, which provides detailed country-level data and comparative analysis. An accompanying Excel spreadsheet containing the underlying dataset is also available. All documents can be accessed via the official IRG Rail website.

Since 2013, IRG Rail has published annual reports on the monitoring of the rail services market, prepared by the Market Monitoring Working Group on the basis of data provided by national regulatory authorities. These reports serve as a key instrument for tracking developments in the rail market and supporting regulatory activities at both national and European level.