The United States has more railway track than China and India combined. Most of it carries freight, not passengers.
How to Play: Guess if the country on the right has MORE or LESS railway track than the one on the left.
Name A
Name B
Top 10 Longest Railway Networks
Railway network length includes all operating standard- and broad-gauge track, freight and passenger combined. Large continental countries dominate.
| # | Name | Railway Length (km) | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 250,000 | km |
| 2 | China | 155,000 | km |
| 3 | India | 130,000 | km |
| 4 | Russia | 105,000 | km |
| 5 | Canada | 77,932 | km |
| 6 | Germany | 39,000 | km |
| 7 | Australia | 36,064 | km |
| 8 | Argentina | 36,000 | km |
| 9 | Brazil | 28,538 | km |
| 10 | France | 28,364 | km |
Why US Rail Is Mostly Freight
The US rail network is the world’s largest at ~250,000 km, but ~95% is privately-owned freight track. Passenger service (Amtrak) operates over a small fraction. Compare to Japan, where almost all 27,000 km is passenger.
China’s rail expansion has been historic. The country built the world’s largest high-speed rail network from scratch, going from 0 km in 2007 to over 45,000 km by 2024.
European networks are dense per square kilometer because countries are smaller. Belgium has more rail per capita than any country worldwide despite being tiny.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which country has the most railway?
The United States at ~250,000 km, mostly freight. China is second at 155,000 km.
How fast can high-speed rail go?
Production trains in regular service reach 350 km/h (China, Japan). Test runs have exceeded 600 km/h on maglev.
Is Russia's Trans-Siberian Railway in this total?
Yes. The Trans-Siberian (9,289 km Moscow→Vladivostok) is included in Russia’s 105,000 km total.
Why does Belgium have so much rail per capita?
Belgium is small and dense — adding rail to every town gave the highest km-per-square-km ratio in Europe.
Note: Railway network length in km from World Bank and national statistics 2024.
More Wise Games to Try