Publication of the 8th Rail Market Monitoring Survey Report
The European Commission’s Rail Market Monitoring Survey (RMMS) reports on the evolution of the rail market and services supplied by railway undertakings, the framework conditions of the railway market, the state of the railway network in the European Union, the utilisation of access rights as well as barriers and limitations for services and infrastructure. civity supported the preparation of data and figures and has also drafted the accompanying Staff Working Document.
The Rail Market Monitoring Survey (RMMS) Report is published every two years by the European Commission, based on the data provided by the Member States and complementary sources. In September 2023, the 8th version was published, consisting of a high-level report, and a detailed analysis in the accompanying Commission Staff Working Document (SWD). All data and figures are also available in an excel file.
The 8th report and the accompanying SWD document focus on developments between 2015 and 2020, with a special look at the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic had a significant impact on the European rail sector in 2020, particularly on passenger services, as the demand declined due to travel restrictions and confinement measures. Passenger kilometres dropped from 412 billion passenger kilometres in 2019 to 223 billion passenger kilometres in 2020, equivalent to a decline of 46% in the EU27. Freight services registered a smaller impact, as the provision of goods had to be maintained due to its crucial role for basic services. The total tonne kilometres declined from 439 billion in 2019 to 404 billion in 2020, equivalent to an 8% in the EU27.
The report furthermore shows that rail represented only 0.4% of GHG emissions from all transport modes in the EU27 in 2020 and continues to be the only mode which has almost continuously reduced its emissions since 1990. This underlines the key role of the rail sector in the transition to a more sustainable economy.
The RMMS report was published by the European Commission on the website of DG MOVE.