Rush of passengers

Passenger record and 330 new trains at ÖBB

Railroad boss Andreas Matthä: "We have to invest."

(Bild: Michael Fritscher)

For the first time, almost 500 million passengers boarded ÖBB trains and Postbuses last year, 15 million more than in the previous record year of 2019. However, high costs put pressure on profits and punctuality deteriorated noticeably. Massive investments are now being made.

ÖBB CEO Andreas Matthä set an all-time record last year, increasing passenger numbers by a good ten percent to 494 million. "The desire to travel has quickly returned, and climate awareness is also increasing, with the climate ticket as the keyword. And the parking sticker in Vienna has brought additional commuters."

Debt burden at over 32 billion euros
There was a decline in freight transport due to the slowing economy. In addition, the costs for electricity rose by 55 million euros and those for personnel (already 45,000 across the Group) by 270 million euros. All in all, this slowed pre-tax profits by 42 percent to just under 112 million euros. The federal government supported infrastructure and passenger transportation with a total of 3.7 billion euros (+5.1 percent). Nevertheless, Deutsche Bahn's debt burden continued to rise to more than 32 billion euros.

Punctuality also suffered, slipping from 86 percent to 80 percent on long-distance services. Half of this was due to the frequent rail strikes in Germany, but the other half was home-made, according to Matthä. There were too few operational trainsets. Six billion euros are therefore being invested in new equipment. No fewer than 330 trains have been ordered by 2027, mainly double-decker sets for long-distance and local services, night trains and even some battery-powered locomotives.

30 new trains this year
According to the plan, 30 new trains will be added this year to cope with the expected increase in passenger numbers. The rapid transit system in Vienna will also be renovated at a cost of 1.3 billion euros by 2027. For example, the platforms will be extended because the railroad also wants to use longer new trainsets. Better control technology should also make a 2.5-minute interval possible.

The expansion of the Koralm, Semmering and Brenner base tunnels continues. The Koralm route should be the first to be completed by the end of 2025.