On 16 December 2024, the European Union Railway Agency (ERA) released the Rolling Stock Fleet Study, a key document providing strategic insights into the size and characteristics of the European rolling stock fleet by leveraging data from ERA registers, open sources and sector organisations.
The study addresses critical gaps in the understanding of the technical and economic characteristics of the European fleet, thus providing insights to support innovation projects, improve efficiency in rail operations and explore future rolling stock needs particularly relevant in light of the European ambition to double rail freight and triple high-speed passenger transport by 2050.
Across the European Union, rolling stock of various designs, sizes, and technologies form the backbone of the multimodal transport vision. The ERA study sheds light on the characteristics of the European rolling stock fleet—traction vehicles, wagons, coaches, and special vehicles— with the aim to improve policy decisions that impact the fleet.
The study also provides an accurate answer to one of the key questions for the European rail sector: What is the real size of the European rolling stock fleet? The study reveals that there are ~835.000 vehicles with a valid registration as of mid 2024 (~130 000 traction vehicles, ~635 000 wagons, ~18 000 special vehicles, ~45 000 coaches).
The in-depth analysis of the ERA Registers, complemented with open source and sector organisation data, contributes to informed decision-making, ensuring that the rail sector can meet future challenges with robust, fact-based fleet insights.
“This study is an important milestone for the European railway sector,” said Josef Doppelbauer, the ERA’s Executive Director. “By deepening our understanding of the rolling stock fleet and how it is managed, we can take better informed actions to foster a truly interoperable rail system that meets the demands of tomorrow. And ERA remains committed to enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of the EU’s rail system.”
The results of this study are expected to have beneficial implications for the decision-making process at European level. ERA’s initiative reduces the resources required to gather vehicle information, ultimately accelerating the adoption of advanced technologies and fostering a more interoperable rail network.
ERA Rolling stock fleet study 2024
English (1.84 MB - PDF)About the EU Agency for Railways
The European Union Agency for Railways was established in Valenciennes in 2004, and has 200 employees representing more than 22 European Member States. ERA has been providing EU Member States and the European Commission with technical assistance in the development and implementation of the Single European Railway Area. This comprises enhancing technical interoperability and harmonising rules, promoting simplified access for customers, developing a common approach to safety and safety culture, advising on telematics applications and ERTMS (European Rail Traffic Management System), monitoring National Safety Authorities and Notified Bodies and facilitating the exchange of information between the railway actors in Europe.
Since 16th June 2019 the EU Agency for Railways is mandated to issue single safety certificates and vehicle (type) authorisations valid in multiple European countries and to ensure an interoperable European Rail Traffic Management System.
About Data Registers managed by ERA
The European Union Agency for Railways is tasked to assess the interoperability level of the European Union rail system using information included in the Agency registers. Three registers are of particular importance to assess the interoperability of the rolling stock fleet:
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era [dot] europa [dot] eu (press[at]era[dot]europa[dot]eu)
Rail meets data: ERA maps the European rolling stock fleet and provides strategic insights to the rail sector
English (254.09 KB - PDF)