Waldemar Tomaszewski· ECR

Overestimated

More than 2,000 major accidents occur annually in Member States' railway networks.

Omissions

• The MEP did not specify the reference year for the statistic
• The most recent available data (2024) shows 1,507 accidents, significantly below the claimed 2,000
• Historical data shows the figure above 2,000 was accurate for years like 2011 and 2014, but not for recent years
• The figure of 1,507 represents 'significant railway accidents' as defined by ERA/Eurostat criteria

Sources

• PrimaryEurostat - Railway safety statistics in the EUIn 2024, there were 1,507 significant railway accidents in the EU
• PrimaryEuropean Union Agency for Railways (ERA) - Report on Railway Safety and Interoperability in the EU 2024The report covers data up to 2022 and references significant railway accidents data reported by Member States
• SecondaryThe Guardian - How safe are Europe's railways?According to ERA, in 2011, there were 2,342 significant railway accidents reported in the EU
• SecondarySafer-LC Project - Railway Safety Performance in the European UnionIn 2014, in total 2,076 significant railway accidents occurred in the EU Member States