National Association of Railroad Passengers: www.narprail.org

Per-Capita Spending on Rail in Other Countries

The United States ranks low among industrial nations in terms of its spending on rail spending -- both in whole terms and per capita.

Population density is not entirely a determining factor -- on the chart below, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Canada all spend more than the U.S. per capita, yet have lower population densities. Estonia is slightly more densely populated than the U.S., yet invests over twice as much in rail per capita. Some states in the U.S. have population densities closer to that of some of the other countries.

Even as a society, you get what you pay for. Is it any wonder that the passenger rail system in the U.S. is so skeletal compared to other countries?

Selected Countries, US Dollars, 1999
Capital and Operating Support from Governments to Major National Railways

  Belgium
834.39  
   Norway
24.92  
   Poland
3.13  
  Austria
117.30  
   Spain
22.76  
   South Korea
3.11  
  Switzerland
162.65  
   Hungary
21.06  
   Turkey
1.55  
  Luxembourg
160.69  
   Czech Republic
20.08  
   Portugal
1.48  
  France
67.66  
   Germany
18.60  
   Saudi Arabia
0.82  
  Slovenia
46.98  
   Romania
15.75  
   Cameroon
0.23  
  Italy
46.09  
   Yugoslavia
13.83  
   Algeria
0.20  
  Netherlands
44.36  
   Estonia
7.67  
   Senegal
0.17  
  Ireland
43.75  
   Finland
5.95  
   Chile
0.17  
  Sweden
39.09  
   China
5.21  
   Malaysia
0.16  
  Croatia
37.40  
   Canada
5.09  
   Taiwan
0.15  
  Britain
36.98  
   United States
3.28  
   Mali
0.02  
  Slovakia
26.27  

Notes:

  • US spending includes 2000 federal appropriatons for the Federal Railroad Administration (including for Amtrak and high-speed programs) and state payments to Amtrak.
  • Canada includes VIA Rail Canada only, for 2000.
  • Information from 1998 for Sweden and Taiwan.
  • Information from 1997 for Luxembourg, Cameroon, Mali, Senegal, and Malaysia.
Sources:
  • International Union of Railways (UIC), Paris, for spending figures except:
    • United States, from appropriations information.
    • Canada, from Transport Canada.
    • Britain, from Department of Transport, Local Government, and Regions.
    • China (includes infrastructure spending only), from International Railway Journal.
  • Time Almanac (2000) for population figures.
  • Yahoo.com for exchange rates (March 19, 2002; historical information from same source used where available).

Here is the same information in chart form, with countries ranked by spending per capita (red bars, left scale). Note how population density (blue line, right scale) has no discernable pattern -- meaning there is no significant link between rail spending and population density, as some maintain.