The rail infrastructure of Great Britain is managed by Network Rail (being absorbed into Great British Railways), with passenger services operated by a fragmented system of private franchises — though the government has been progressively bringing operators under public control following years of delays and financial difficulties.
Network length
16,000 km
Number of operators
25
British rail company that operates most train services on the East Coast Main Line.
British rail company that operates train services in the west of England and south Wales as well as services between London and that region. It also operates the Night Riviera sleeper service.
British train company that operates services on the West Coast Main Line.
British state-owned rail company operating in East London and Essex
Rail company operating the Caledonian Sleeper night train
Rail company operating in Great Britain
Train company operating in England's East Midlands region
High-speed international train service connecting major hubs in France, Belgium, Germany, the Uk and the Netherlands.
Fast airport shuttle train to London Gatwick Airport
British state-owned rail company operating in the east of England
Train operating company in Britain running trains running trains on the southern end of the East Coast Main Line,
Rail company running fast and frequent services between London Heathrow airport and London Paddington.
British open-access operator running trains between Hull and London
London rail network operated by First Group
Fast, long-distance open-access operator in the UK
Train operating company in the 🇬🇧 UK
State-owned British rail company ooperating in the north of England
British state-owned rail company running trains in the South-east of England
British rail operator running train services in the greater London area
British state-owned railway company running trains in London and south-west England
Train operating company in Great Britain
Train operating company running trains in the north of England and Scotland
Train company owned by the Welsh government and running services in Wales
British state-own rail company running trains in the West Midlands and on the West Coast Main Line
Best-in-class booking tools and APIs for European train tickets.
Sweden's rail network spans over 14,000 km, managed by state infrastructure body Trafikverket. The market is partially open, with SJ dominating long-distance services alongside operators like Vy and Snälltåget.
+ 16Switzerland is renowned for having one of the world's most punctual and densely used rail networks, with infrastructure managed by the Federal Office of Transport alongside SBB CFF FFS as the dominant national operator. The network is notable for its seamless integration of mainline, regional, and mountain railways — including iconic rack-railways and narrow-gauge lines. Switzerland has an great choice of international train services, including high-speed Lyria services to Paris, Eurocity trains to northern Italy, ICE trains to Germany and Railjets to Austria.
+ 27České dráhy (ČD) is the country's national rail operator, but there is an increasing number of private operators running both long-distance trains and local services in Czechia.
Czechia is well conntected to its neighbours by long-distance daytime rail services and European Sleeper runs a night train from Brussels via Berlin to Prague. České dráhy ComfortJet services operate between Bratislava and Czechia.
+ 7The Hungarian national rail operator and the dominant player in providing train travel in Hungary is MÁV. They operate both a standard-gauge and narrow-gauge network, half of it being electrified. The second largest operator and infrastructure owner is GySEV.
+ 3The railway infrastructure of Slovakia is maintained by Železnice Slovenskej republiky (or ŽSR for short) while the the state-owned national rail operator for passenger trains is Železničná spoločnosť Slovensko (ZSSK). However, a good number of both long-distance and regional trains are run by other operators. A unified tariff and timetable system administered by ŽSR ensures a smooth move between each operator's trains.
+ 2Spain has the largest high-speed network in Europe with the connection between Madrid and Barcelona being its busiest line. The rail network is maintained by ADIF while the dominant state-owned operator is Renfe. Yet while Renfe dominates on long-distance routes, there are also local and regional routes administered by the Spanish regions. Spain stands out within Europe’s rail network in having not two, but three different gauges (tracks): traditional Spanish broad-gauge, Western "normal" gauge for high-speed services, and narrow-gauge for local and mountain railways.
+ 1Norway's infrastructure is managed by Bane NOR, with Vy as the dominant passenger operator. Following a 2017 reform, concessions on several corridors have been awarded to Go-Ahead Norge and SJ Norge through competitive tendering.
+ 3The Principality of Monaco has one station at Monaco Monte-Carlo. Rail services to and through the country are provided by French national operator SNCF.
The Netherlands has one of Europe's most intensively used rail networks, with infrastructure managed by ProRail. NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) dominates Intercity and Intercity direct services, while regional concessions are operated by Arriva, Connexxion, and Keolis on lines outside the main network.
+ 11Denmark's relatively compact rail network is managed by Banedanmark, the state infrastructure body. DSB (Danske Statsbaner) is the primary operator for intercity and regional services, with private operators like GoCollective and Midtjyske Jernbaner serving select regional lines.
+ 6Belgium's rail network is managed by Infrabel, with NMBS/SNCB (the national operator) running virtually all passenger services across the country. As a major transit hub at the heart of Europe, Belgium is a key node for international services. From Brussels Midi station Eurostar, ICE, IC direct and TGV services run into Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France. Night trains to Germany and the Czech Republic are offered by ÖBB and European Sleeper.
+ 7The German national rail operator is Deutsche Bahn (DB). While Deutsche Bahn dominates long-distance routes in Germany, when it comes to regional trains, only about half of all services are provided by DB. The rest is run by about 40 other operators. DB also offers many cross-border services into Germany's neighbouring countries while international night train services are provided by ÖBB and European Sleeper.
+ 41ÖBB (Österreichische Bundesbahnen) is the rail national operator in Austria running long-distance and regional services. About 50% of ÖBB's operations are international and its excellent night train network even covers routes that do not touch Austria at all.
+ 6Rail services in the Principality of Liechtenstein are run by Austrian national operator ÖBB. The main line runs from Buchs in Switzerland to Feldkirch in Austria and fast international services cross the country generally without stopping in Liechtenstein. However, slower regional services connect the Principality's main station at Schaan-Vaduz with the country's neighbours.
France operates one of Europe's most celebrated rail networks, anchored by its high-speed TGV lines which connect Paris to major cities at speeds up to 320 km/h. Infrastructure is managed by SNCF Réseau, while passenger services are dominated by SNCF Voyageurs, though the market has been opened to competition since 2021 with operators like Trenitalia and Renfe now running services on select corridors.
+ 8The Italian state operator is Trenitalia, which operates a wide network of high-speed trains (generally branded Le Frecce) as well as regional and local services. On high-speed lines Trenitalia faces tough competition from private operator Italo and there are other independent Italian regional operators, such as Trenord which operate quite extensive networks in their own right.
+ 4Luxembourg's compact rail network is managed by CFL (Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois), which serves as both infrastructure manager and national operator. Notably, since 2020 Luxembourg made all public transport — including trains — free of charge, making it the first country in the world to do so nationally. First class tickets still incur a small fee, and can be booked via All Aboard.
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