Railways serve as a nation’s steel arteries, essential to trade, travel, and development. Their size tells the story of industrial evolution, geographic hurdles, and the scale of national ambition. How vast a country’s network is speaks volumes about its history, terrain, and ambitions.From the vast freight corridors of North America to the high-speed passenger lines of Europe and Asia, these networks tell a story of modern civilization itself. Based on the total length of their routes, these are the top ten largest rail networks worldwide.
1. United States: 250,000 km
America’s rail system is the biggest on the planet, dominated by private giants such as Union Pacific and BNSF. But its primary role is moving goods, not people—passenger travel is still ruled by highways and airlines. Still, given the country’s size and history, the sheer reach of the network is striking.
2. China: 124,000 km
China’s rail system is the world’s second-largest and perhaps its most dynamic. In just two decades, it has carried out the fastest rail expansion in history, building over two-thirds of the globe’s high-speed lines and linking its cities at record speed. This growth underpins both its national development and the Belt and Road Initiative.
3. Russia: 86,000 km
Russia boasts one of the world’s key railway networks, created to span and connect its enormous geography. The Trans-Siberian Railway, the longest line in existence, lies at its heart and spans around 9,300 km across the nation. It serves as a vital economic conduit, transporting Siberian resources throughout the federation to western centers under the supervision of Russian Railways, the state-owned operator.
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4. India: 68,525 km
India boasts the fourth-largest network and operates one of the world’s largest railway systems under a single management—Indian Railways. It is a lifeline for the nation, running over 13,000 passenger trains daily and carrying billions of passengers and millions of tonnes of freight each year.
New high-speed routes and dedicated freight corridors are part of the extensive modernization and development efforts now underway for the network.
5. Canada: 48,000 km
Similar to its southern neighbor, Canada’s extensive network is heavily geared towards freight, particularly for exporting grain, potash, coal, and other natural resources. Despite the comparatively tiny population of the country, the two main railroads, Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC), have tracks that run from the Atlantic to the Pacific and are vital to the national economy.
6. Germany: 43,466 km
In Europe, Germany has the largest and busiest rail system.
Its accuracy, efficiency, and advanced high-speed ICE trains are well known. Largely operated by the state-owned Deutsche Bahn, the network is central to both freight and passenger transport within Germany and across the EU, ensuring seamless cross-border movement.
7. Australia: 40,000 km
Australia’s network is unique. While it includes urban passenger systems in major cities, a significant portion is dedicated to hauling iron ore, coal, and other bulk commodities from mines to coastal ports over incredibly long distances. These heavy-haul freight lines in the Pilbara region are among the most efficient in the world.
8. Argentina: 36,966 km
As a result of its successful history as an agricultural exporter, Argentina has one of the largest networks in Latin America.
Decades of underfunding have left the network in decline, but with Chinese investment, major freight routes are now being revived to drive agricultural and mineral exports.
9. Brazil: 31,143 km
Industrial freight, particularly the transportation of iron ore and agricultural goods like soybeans, is the main focus of Brazil’s railway network. Mining giant Vale operates one of the world’s largest freight railways. Growing efforts are now focused on modernizing and expanding the network to improve logistics and cut the costs of moving exports from the country’s interior.
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10. South Africa: 31,000 km (Approx.)
South Africa’s network is the most developed in Africa. State-owned Transnet Freight Rail dominates the system, which is critical for the export of minerals and resources, particularly coal from the Witbank basin to the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. The network is a vital economic engine for the entire southern African region.
