THE Swiss are the world's keenest railway users. The distance covered by rail passengers in 2005 amounted to 2,039km for every person in the country, according to the International Union of Railways. In the 87 countries for which data are available, the countries where railway use is heaviest have some factors in common: good rail coverage; efficient systems; and less appealing alternatives. No surprise that people in rich western countries such as Japan and France travel a lot. But, so do those in poor, large countries such as Belarus or India, where rail networks are often the legacy of a communist government, or colonial power. By contrast, in rich and big America where the car is king, annual rail travel amounts to a paltry 29.9km per person.

EPA