Thanks to the high number of passengers, the railway company made a profit of 267 million francs ($304 million) last year.
But it still has a deficit of 11. 26 billion francs, he said at his annual news conference on Monday. Losses from previous years must be recovered. In addition, the company is not in a position to finance long-term investments, adding new rolling stock.
Last year, 1. 32 million passengers traveled each day on federal railroads, up from 1. 16 million in 2022. This means that the record of 2019 has been reached again. As a result, revenue has increased.
For the first time since 2019, long-distance rail traffic generated a profit of CHF 117 million, following a loss of CHF 47 million in 2022. Leisure in specific areas boosted passenger activity. However, consumers criticize the general lack of seats and the lack of cleanliness on the trains.
In addition to the profits of the Real Estate (CHF 281 million) and Energy (CHF 78 million) divisions, passenger transport contributed to this successful year. In 2022, the net result remains a loss of CHF 245 million (2021: CHF 325 million). ; 2020: 617 million Swiss francs).
Monika Ribar, chairwoman of the board of directors, told Bern media that the company emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic in 2023 and recovered faster than expected. They are “confident, blank and on time”, despite the twist of fate in the Gotthard Base Tunnel on 10 August and despite the 20,000 works on railway structures.
Financially sound federal railways would need an annual profit of 500 million Swiss francs. Therefore, the company needs to save around 6 billion Swiss francs by 2030. Three main digitalisation programmes aim to contribute to this. The federal government has also provided money to the company to triumph over coronavirus-related losses in long-distance transportation.
In terms of staff, around a fifth of the workforce will retire by 2030 and around 6,000 workers will want to be replaced. At the same time, federal railroads continue to grow. The diversity of those submitted has increased by 25% since publication. of the Railway 2000 programme.
According to CEO Vincent Ducrot, the expansion of traffic is manageable. However, infrastructure expansion is reaching its limits. For this reason, the Federal Railways are committed to a more flexible and customer-oriented service, as well as a wider use of the network, Ducrot said.
This includes, for example, more direct trains for skiing or sports activities, or for student teams. A 15-minute frequency at rail crossings from 2035 would simplify schedules and solve connection problems without trains having to run faster, the railway chief continued.
The Swiss Federal Railways aim for fast and direct rail connections to other countries in the second half of the century. In addition to the 15-minute interval, door-to-door connections want to be strengthened through the integration of other mobility systems such as trams, on-demand buses and light rail systems.
SBB Cargo’s freight division, which was transferred to Swiss Federal Railways in June, aims to put the company on the path to a sustainable economy. Ribar explained that freight transport saw a 7. 5% drop in volume in 2023 due to disruptions in Germany.
The loss amounted to CHF 40 million (2022: -CHF 188 million). In 2022, an impairment of CHF 128 million was recorded. SBB Cargo International recorded a loss of CHF 2. 5 million. This is due to the economic slowdown in Europe. In addition, the increased demand for railway personnel, as well as construction sites and relocations in Germany, drove up costs.
The infrastructure department recovered thanks to the increase in revenue generated by the exercise of passenger transport prices and recorded a loss of 23 million Swiss francs, 1 million francs less than last year.
Adapted from German via DeepL/dkk/sb
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