Worldwide railway technology - accessible market by segment 2018

The largest single segment of the global accessible railway market is rolling stock, which is expected to have an average annual value of 43.4 billion euros in the period between 2021 and 2023. This was followed by the services market, which is expected to reach around 37.7 billion euros for that same time period.

Accessible market

The accessible railway market refers to the portion of the overall railway supply market that is open to bids from international suppliers. This can be split into four broad areas: signaling systems, railway infrastructure, services such as engineering, consulting and maintenance, and the manufacture of various kinds of trains and locomotives (rolling stock). Excluded from the railway supply market are rail operators, although this function is sometimes outsourced by governments. The total railway supply market is estimated to grow to 125 billion euros between 2021 and 2023.

Total railway market

Europe has the largest accessible railway market, being slightly larger than the value of the American and Asian markets combined. This is due largely to the need to maintain the extensive existing rail network in the more developed European countries, which comprise a significant proportion of the global railway track given the area’s smaller geographic size relative to countries like Canada, China, Russia and the United States. However, investment in new large-scale rail projects exists mainly outside of Europe, with most of the ten-largest projects being located in the Asia Pacific region.