Russia vs United States: Rail lines

Russia
85,544 total route-km
in 2021
United States
148,553 total route-km
in 2021
Russia rank
3rd
United States rank
1st

Rail lines over time

  • Russia
  • United States
050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k199520082021

How they compare

United States currently reports 148,553 total route-km against 85,544 total route-km in Russia, a difference of 63,009 total route-km.

That makes United States's figure about 1.7 times Russia's.

Across all 27 years both countries report, United States has been ahead every year.

Russia ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 104 countries.

United States has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade Russia United States Difference Ahead
1990s 86,663 total route-km 197,697 total route-km 111,034 total route-km United States
2000s 85,356 total route-km 194,127 total route-km 108,771 total route-km United States
2010s 85,286 total route-km 160,326 total route-km 75,041 total route-km United States
2020s 85,550 total route-km 148,652 total route-km 63,102 total route-km United States

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher rail lines, Russia or United States?
United States, at 148,553 total route-km against 85,544 total route-km in Russia as of 2021.
What is the difference in rail lines between Russia and United States?
63,009 total route-km, with United States ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Russia and United States?
27 years are reported by both, from 1995 to 2021.
How do Russia and United States rank globally for rail lines?
Russia ranks 3rd and United States ranks 1st of 104 countries.
Where does this data come from?
Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC), published as Rail lines (total route-km). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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Russia vs United States: Rail lines. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/compare/rail-lines-total-route-km/russian-federation/united-states/

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About this data

Indicator
Rail lines (total route-km)
Unit
total route-km
Source
Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC)
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
104 places, 2,110 data points, 1995–2021
Last refreshed

The total length of rail line in the country operated for passenger transport, goods transport, or both.