The Swiss once again travelled further by rail than any other nationality in 2009, according to figures released on Tuesday.

Each Swiss resident travelled 2,291 kilometres, equivalent to the distance from Bern to Moscow, said the public transport umbrella organisation Litra. The Japanese, who came second, covered only 1,995km.

The next best placed in Europe were the French, who each travelled 1,370km.

However, the Japanese took the train more often than the Swiss, with each resident making 71 trips, against only 49 for the Swiss.

Each year Litra collates figures for distance and trips taken, and the Swiss and Japanese regularly come out as the most enthusiastic rail users.

The figures are supplied only by rail companies which belong to the International Union of Railways. In Switzerland, they are the Swiss Federal Railways and the private BLS line; other private lines which account for about 13 per cent of passenger traffic are not included.

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