Belgians in Top Ten of train users

The average Belgian takes the train 21 times a year, and travels a total distance by rail of 1,004 km, putting Belgium in the Top Ten of rail users in Europe + Japan, according to figures published this week by Litra, the Swiss service for information on public transport.

The survey shows wide variations in the frequency of rail travel: while Latvians used the train zero times on average in a year and Greeks only once, the leader-board is headed by Japan on a massive 69 times a year, followed by Switzerland itself on 51.

The same two countries reverse their positions on distance travelled, with Japanese covering 1,912 km a year, and the Swiss 2,274km, far ahead of Belgium in eighth place, and literally miles ahead of Greece on 125km.

The Swiss tables (www.litra.ch) are based on figures for 2012 maintained by the International Union of Railways (UIC), the 207-member organisation based in Paris. Belgium has three members: Thalys, the rail authority SNCB/NMBS and credit clearing house Bureau Central de Clearing in Brussels.