Fact Brief

Does the US have more train tracks than any other country?

Yes.

The US has roughly 220,000 kilometers of track route, 33% more than second-place China at 165,000 kilometers, and 10% higher than the 201,000 total for the European Union. At 9.4 million kilometers-squared, the US is geographically smaller than China (9.7 million) but larger than the EU (4.2 million).

The North Dakota News Cooperative is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, which are quick, evidence-based fact checks about trending claims relevant to North Dakota.

This yields a kilometer of route for every 43 kilometers-squared of land in the US, for every 59 kilometers squared in China, and for every 21 kilometers squared in the EU.

The vast majority of rail in the US is freight-based, however. China has 50,000 km of high-speed rail, compared to between 0 km and 735 km in the US, depending on classification. Amtrak’s NextGen Acela can reach speeds of 160 mph, above the 155mph necessary to be considered high-speed, but it does so for a limited section of its routes, as it does not operate on a dedicated high-speed track system.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

This fact brief was originally published by Gabriel DeLuca Vinocur with our Gigafact partner, Econofact.

About fact briefs:

Fact briefs are bite-sized, well-sourced explanations that offer clear "yes" or "no" answers to questions, confusions, and unsupported claims circulating online. They rely on publicly available data and documents, often from the original source. Fact briefs are written and published by newsrooms in the Gigafact network. Each brief is limited to 150 words or fewer and is not intended to provide an in-depth analysis, but rather to deliver concise, definitive answers grounded in verified information.

Sources

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration Freight Rail Overview
Global Times China extends railway network to record of 165,000km in 2025
eurostat Total length of railway lines
Worldometer Largest Countries in the World (by area)
World Bank Group Surface area (sq. km) - European Union
Railway Pro China’s high-speed rail network exceeds 50,000 km
Newsweek US Close to High-Speed Rail Breakthrough
International Union of Railways High Speed Rail 2024 Atlas
AFAR Amtrak’s Fastest Train Is Launching This Month on the East Coast

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