Resumen
The paper discusses some of the main factors which are shaping the passenger rail transport demand, distinguishing the ?old? countries and the new members of the European Union. In the EU-15 group, the demand for passenger rail transport has been steadily increasing due to the attractive offer of high-speed rail, rail sector reforms and the relatively high level of funding by the public authorities for the investment of infrastructure and rolling stock. In the Central and Eastern European countries in 2004, there was a downward trend in passenger rail transport between 1990 and 2014, largely due to socio-economic transition factors after 1990, as well as catching up with the development in Western Europe.