Between 2010 and 2020, the number of significant railway accidents in the EU fell by 40% to 1 331 accidents, 898 fewer than in 2010. Although this number has been gradually decreasing over this period, the decrease in 2020 was also influenced by the sharp drop in rail passenger transport following the COVID-19 outbreak.
A total of 687 people were killed and 468 were seriously injured in these accidents in 2020 (excl. suicides), with both numbers generally falling since 2010.
This information comes from data on railway safety published by Eurostat today. The article presents a handful of findings from the more detailed Statistics Explained article.
In 2020, the accidents to people caused by rolling stock in motion were the most common ones, representing around a half (51%) of all railway accidents. The other main category was accidents at level crossings (26%), including accidents involving pedestrians.
For more information:
- Eurostat Statistics Explained article railway safety
- Eurostat website section dedicated to transport statistics
- Eurostat database on rail transport safety