Rail lines in France

France: Rail lines was 27,716 total route-km in 2021. ▼ Falling

Latest (2021)
27,716 total route-km
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
7th
of 104 countries
All-time high
33,698 total route-km
in 2009
All-time low
27,716 total route-km
in 2021
Years of data
26
1995–2021

Rail lines in France, 1995–2021

010.0k20.0k30.0k1995200820211995: 32.0k total route-km1996: 31.9k total route-km1997: 31.9k total route-km1998: 31.8k total route-km1999: 29.2k total route-km2000: 29.3k total route-km2001: 29.5k total route-km2002: 29.4k total route-km2003: 29.3k total route-km2004: 29.3k total route-km2005: 28.5k total route-km2006: 29.6k total route-km2007: 30.0k total route-km2008: 30.0k total route-km2009: 33.7k total route-km2010: 29.9k total route-km2011: 30.1k total route-km2012: 29.4k total route-km2013: 30.0k total route-km2015: 28.9k total route-km2016: 29.2k total route-km2017: 29.2k total route-km2018: 28.2k total route-km2019: 28.2k total route-km2020: 27.9k total route-km2021: 27.7k total route-km

Source: Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Measured in total route-km.

Analysis

France recorded 27,716 total route-km for rail lines in 2021. That is the lowest value across all 26 years on record.

That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 7.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rail lines in France peaked at 33,698 total route-km in 2009 and was at its lowest, 27,716 total route-km, in 2021.

That places France 7th out of 104 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 26 years of available data.

Rail lines in France, year by year

Annual values for Rail lines (total route-km) in France, 1995 to 2021.
Year total route-km Change
1995 31,997 total route-km
1996 31,910 total route-km -0.3%
1997 31,879 total route-km -0.1%
1998 31,793 total route-km -0.3%
1999 29,171 total route-km -8.2%
2000 29,330 total route-km +0.5%
2001 29,503 total route-km +0.6%
2002 29,410 total route-km -0.3%
2003 29,327 total route-km -0.3%
2004 29,304 total route-km -0.1%
2005 28,470 total route-km -2.8%
2006 29,620 total route-km +4.0%
2007 29,976 total route-km +1.2%
2008 29,959 total route-km -0.1%
2009 33,698 total route-km +12.5%
2010 29,929 total route-km -11.2%
2011 30,071 total route-km +0.5%
2012 29,406 total route-km -2.2%
2013 29,979 total route-km +1.9%
2015 28,866 total route-km -3.7%
2016 29,237 total route-km +1.3%
2017 29,248 total route-km +0.0%
2018 28,241 total route-km -3.4%
2019 28,157 total route-km -0.3%
2020 27,872 total route-km -1.0%
2021 27,716 total route-km -0.6%

France compared with similar countries

  • France's 27,716 total route-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,756 total route-km, 7.4× the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • France's 27,716 total route-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,619 total route-km, 7.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 31,350 total route-km 29,171 total route-km 31,997 total route-km 5
2000s 29,860 total route-km 28,470 total route-km 33,698 total route-km 10
2010s 29,237 total route-km 28,157 total route-km 30,071 total route-km 9
2020s 27,794 total route-km 27,716 total route-km 27,872 total route-km 2

Countries ranked near France

  1. 4 India 68,103 total route-km compare
  2. 5 Canada 48,150 total route-km compare
  3. 6 Germany 33,401 total route-km compare
  4. 8 Ukraine 21,626 total route-km compare
  5. 9 South Africa 20,953 total route-km compare
  6. 10 Poland 18,620 total route-km compare

See the full ranking of 104 places →

More infrastructure data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is rail lines in France?
Rail lines in France was 27,716 total route-km in 2021, according to Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC).
What is the highest rail lines recorded in France?
The highest recorded value was 33,698 total route-km in 2009.
What is the lowest rail lines recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 27,716 total route-km in 2021.
How does France rank for rail lines?
France ranks 7th out of 104 countries with data for 2021.
Is rail lines rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France data come from?
The figures come from Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC), published as part of Rail lines (total route-km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Rail lines in France. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 22 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/rail-lines-total-route-km/france/

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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.