The figures published on Thursday by Litra, the Swiss information service for public transport, reveal the Swiss travelled nearly twice as often by rail as people in Luxembourg (40 times), which took second spot. Rail networks in countries at the other end of the scale, such as Estonia, Croatia and Greece, are less well developed, with citizens taking the train on average just five times a year.
In terms of kilometres covered per capita, the Swiss are also well ahead of others, with Austrians (1,489km) and Swedes (1,415km) coming a distant second and third respectively.
The Swiss even increased their train travel from 2018, when they took the train an average 71 times.
However, figures for 2020 are likely to paint a different picture as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Public transport companies had to cut services drastically during a nationwide lockdown in spring and suffered from lower passenger numbers even after restrictions were eased. The Swiss Federal Railways recently announced it was reducing train services to neighbouring Italy, France and Germany as a result of partial lockdowns to fight the second wave in those countries.
Swiss money laundering office registers record number of reports
This content was published on
The Money Laundering Reporting Office Switzerland (MROS) registered a record number of reports of suspicious activity last year.
Two teens accused of planning terror attack released from custody
This content was published on
The Schaffhausen judiciary has released the two teenagers from custody who allegedly planned bomb attacks in Switzerland.
OECD: Sluggish economic activity slowing growth in Switzerland
This content was published on
Sluggish economic activity at the start of the year is weighing on growth in Switzerland, with GDP expected to fall to 1.1% in 2024.
Report finds mistakes which led to Swiss government data breach
This content was published on
Mistakes were made by both the government and internet company Xplain in the case of a criminal cyber-attack on the Bern-based IT business.
Swiss government wants better gender balance in federal administration
This content was published on
New Swiss government personnel management targets say there must be even more female managers in the federal administration.
Swiss national science foundation funded over 5,000 projects in 2023
This content was published on
In 2023, the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) provided a total of CHF961 million worth of funding towards research projects.
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
This content was published on
Switzerland is cutting the number of trains to neighbouring Italy, Germany and France amid partial coronavirus lockdowns.
Swiss take the train more often, and further, than European neighbours
This content was published on
The latest Europe-wide figures confirm Switzerland’s reputation as a country of trains, with average trips and kilometres covered far higher than elsewhere.
This content was published on
The Swiss took the train on average 71 times last year, travelling 2,398 kilometres by rail, according to the latest figures from the European Statistical Office, Eurostat. Measured by distance travelled per capita, Switzerland is a European leader. The average train distance covered by train passengers in Switzerland last year far outstripped its nearest rivals.…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.