Rail lines in Switzerland

Switzerland: Rail lines was 4,122 total route-km in 2021. ▲ Rising

Latest (2021)
4,122 total route-km
Change on year
up 12.3%
World rank
32nd
of 104 countries
All-time high
4,122 total route-km
in 2021
All-time low
3,143 total route-km
in 1999
Years of data
27
1995–2021

Rail lines in Switzerland, 1995–2021

01.0k2.0k3.0k4.0k1995200820211995: 3.2k total route-km1996: 3.2k total route-km1997: 3.2k total route-km1998: 3.2k total route-km1999: 3.1k total route-km2000: 3.2k total route-km2001: 3.2k total route-km2002: 3.2k total route-km2003: 3.2k total route-km2004: 3.4k total route-km2005: 3.4k total route-km2006: 3.6k total route-km2007: 3.3k total route-km2008: 3.6k total route-km2009: 3.6k total route-km2010: 3.6k total route-km2011: 3.6k total route-km2012: 3.6k total route-km2013: 3.6k total route-km2014: 4.0k total route-km2015: 4.0k total route-km2016: 4.0k total route-km2017: 4.1k total route-km2018: 4.0k total route-km2019: 3.6k total route-km2020: 3.7k total route-km2021: 4.1k total route-km

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

Analysis

Switzerland recorded 4,122 total route-km for rail lines in 2021. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.

That represents a change of up 12.3% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, rail lines in Switzerland peaked at 4,122 total route-km in 2021 and was at its lowest, 3,143 total route-km, in 1999.

Switzerland ranks 32nd of 104 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 27 years of available data.

Rail lines in Switzerland, year by year

Annual values for Rail lines (total route-km) in Switzerland, 1995 to 2021.
Year total route-km Change
1995 3,232 total route-km
1996 3,234 total route-km +0.1%
1997 3,184 total route-km -1.5%
1998 3,151 total route-km -1.0%
1999 3,143 total route-km -0.3%
2000 3,216 total route-km +2.3%
2001 3,225 total route-km +0.3%
2002 3,222 total route-km -0.1%
2003 3,231 total route-km +0.3%
2004 3,381 total route-km +4.6%
2005 3,399 total route-km +0.5%
2006 3,563 total route-km +4.8%
2007 3,349 total route-km -6.0%
2008 3,557 total route-km +6.2%
2009 3,599 total route-km +1.2%
2010 3,574 total route-km -0.7%
2011 3,551 total route-km -0.6%
2012 3,558 total route-km +0.2%
2013 3,611 total route-km +1.5%
2014 4,019 total route-km +11.3%
2015 3,976 total route-km -1.1%
2016 4,034 total route-km +1.5%
2017 4,051 total route-km +0.4%
2018 4,047 total route-km -0.1%
2019 3,647 total route-km -9.9%
2020 3,672 total route-km +0.7%
2021 4,122 total route-km +12.3%

Switzerland compared with similar countries

  • Switzerland's 4,122 total route-km is above the median for high income countries, which is 3,756 total route-km, 1.1× the median. (38 countries reporting)
  • Switzerland's 4,122 total route-km is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 3,619 total route-km, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3,189 total route-km 3,143 total route-km 3,234 total route-km 5
2000s 3,374 total route-km 3,216 total route-km 3,599 total route-km 10
2010s 3,807 total route-km 3,551 total route-km 4,051 total route-km 10
2020s 3,897 total route-km 3,672 total route-km 4,122 total route-km 2

Countries ranked near Switzerland

  1. 29 Austria 4,962 total route-km compare
  2. 30 Uzbekistan 4,732 total route-km compare
  3. 31 South Korea 4,308 total route-km compare
  4. 33 Thailand 4,092 total route-km compare
  5. 34 Bulgaria 4,031 total route-km compare
  6. 35 Algeria 4,000 total route-km compare

See the full ranking of 104 places →

More infrastructure data for Switzerland

All data for Switzerland →

Frequently asked questions

What is rail lines in Switzerland?
Rail lines in Switzerland was 4,122 total route-km in 2021, according to Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC).
What is the highest rail lines recorded in Switzerland?
The highest recorded value was 4,122 total route-km in 2021.
What is the lowest rail lines recorded in Switzerland?
The lowest recorded value was 3,143 total route-km in 1999.
How does Switzerland rank for rail lines?
Switzerland ranks 32nd out of 104 countries with data for 2021.
Is rail lines rising or falling in Switzerland?
Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Switzerland 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 Switzerland. Statizoid, drawing on Railisa Database, International Union of Railways (UIC). Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://infrastructure.statizoid.com/stat/rail-lines-total-route-km/switzerland/

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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.