How much European countries spend on their rail network

The German railway lobby organisation Allianz Pro Schiene has been calculating the annual per capita investment in rail infrastructure for Germany and numerous other European countries since 2005. It is supported in this by the consulting firm SCI Verkehr. Since 2014, there has been a steady increase in investment in Germany.

In 2021, per capita investment reached a record level of 124 euros - although this included an increase in equity for Deutsche Bahn. In 2014, per capita investment in rail in Germany was still at 49 euros. Geißler predicted that per capita investment could be between 174 and 215 euros in the coming year.

According to the association's analysis, Luxembourg invests the most money per capita in its rail network at 512 euros, while Austria spent 336 euros per capita on its rail infrastructure last year. The UK also invested almost twice as much money in its rail network as Germany, at 215 euros per capita.