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How the Swiss take to the trains more than any other European nation

The Local
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How the Swiss take to the trains more than any other European nation
FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

People in Switzerland ride trains more frequently than residents of other European countries

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A report from Eurostat, Europe’s Statistical Office, shows that Swiss residents took a train an average of 71 times in 2018, riding nearly 2,400 kilometres.

This means that the Swiss are Europe's most frequent rail travelers per capita, exceeding Austria — ranked in the second place — by nearly 1,000 kilometres. Residents of Switzerland’s other neighbours, France and Germany, covered 1,393 and 1,182 kilometres, respectively.

Switzerland has 5,200 kilometres of main railway lines and 1,000 km of mountain railways.

Despite recent problems with late and cancelled trains, Switzerland has a mostly efficient railway system.

This month, it has added new services to its international routes to France, Germany and Italy. 

Train travel is popular in the Alpine nation, even though tickets are among the most expensive in Europe.

And there is an interesting fact associated with Swiss rail travel: with around 2,050 trains passing through every day, Zurich –Altstetten is the busiest railway line in the world, according to official figures.
 

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