“Allianz pro Schiene” records how much public money a state invests in rail infrastructure and uses this to calculate the value for each individual. In the organisation’s 2025 comparison of European countries, Austria’s spending of €359 per citizen brought it up to third place for a third occasion in a row, with Luxembourg and Switzerland once again way out in front in first and second, with per capita outlays of €622 euros €594 respectively.
“Allianz pro Schiene” is a charitable lobby group in Germany that campaigns to promote and improve the rail network. The principal focus of their work is environmental protection. Members are drawn from the non-profit sector, wider civil society and the entrepreneurial side of the rail industry. The investment report does not include every nation in Europe, unfortunately, as such figures are extremely expensive and complicated to research, compare and calculate, but the Allianz strives to extend the list of countries every year to achieve a more comprehensive picture.
What data are used to calculate the figures? The basis for comparison is the public money spent at a national or central state level; funding invested by regions, federal states, cantons and/or private sources are not included in the arithmetic. Only infrastructure expenditure is evaluated (investment in tracks and points, station facilities for passenger and goods traffic, signal towers and systems, along with overhead cables and relevant energy supply networks). Operating expenses and the like are not counted.
So that’s the per capita investment – how do countries stack up in terms of train, tram and metro use? The top of the table hasn’t shifted much for years here either, as a 2025 report has revealed: Austria is once again in second place, with each citizen travelling 2,335 kilometres annually, but Switzerland continues to reign supreme (2,630 km/person) and France comes in third (1,720 km/person). These figures are calculated and published by VCÖ, an Austrian public-benefit organisation specialising in mobility and transport. The data used for the most recent calculation were gathered in 2023 and the next report is due in September.
Both of these comparisons show that Austria is on the right track(s) – not only are there plenty of Austrian firms with a wealth of expertise in the mobility sector that is in great international demand, there is also no shortage of SMEs involved in planning, delivering and modernising rail infrastructure, thereby boosting the country as a business location.
Train travel is a promising alternative for anyone looking for an environmentally friendly option for travel and transport, so investment in rail infrastructure is also an investment in the future.
