The charts show how many passengers traveled by train between 2000 and 2009, along with the punctuality rate of trains.
Overall, there was an upward fluctuation in the number of rail passengers during the given period. Additionally, except for the period between 2004 and 2006, more trains ran punctually. Although the punctuality target remained unchanged, it was either achieved or exceeded only from 2002 to 2005 and again during the last two years of the period in question.
At the beginning of the period, 40 billion people traveled by train, after which it had risen steadily, reaching a peak of roughly 49 billion by 2005, despite a slight drop in 2003. Between 2005 and 2008, a gradual decline of about 9 billion passengers was witnessed, with a subsequent recovery to approximately 45 billion in the final year.
During the whole period, the punctuality goal was consistently set at 95%. The percentage of trains being punctual, meanwhile, increased considerably from 92% initially to 96% 4 years later, followed by a substantial fall to the former level in 2005. Thereafter, the figure soared to a high of 97% in 2008 before leveling off toward the end of the time frame.