Last year, the Austrian railways ÖBB recorded a drop in profit and sales

Last year, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) saw a significant drop in passenger numbers. While 477 million people used their services in 2019, last year there were 287 million. Revenues fell by 322 EUR million year-on-year to 4.083 EUR billion and operating profit from 169 million to EUR 59 million. According to the Austrian Federal Railways, they made a profit thanks to their own savings and state aid of around EUR 200 million. Last year, with its own austerity package and other extraordinary effects, ÖBB contributed € 378 million to its profits, offsetting the € 696 million drop caused by the new coronavirus pandemic. In passenger rail transport, the number of passengers has dropped significantly since March 2020, up from 82% less year-on-year in April. In contrast, freight recovered after the first high spill during the first lockdown. While the volume of transported cargo decreased by 22% in April, it gradually increased and reached a year-on-year increase of 8% in November. "2020 was everything else, not just an easy year, we also had to drive carefully," Andreas Matthä, head of ÖBB, told APA. Given the importance of the railways for mobility and supply, they have done their utmost to prevent a new crisis - the railways. The group managed to compensate for last year's slumps and close the balance "with a slight plus". Matthä thanked the government for creating a sector-wide railway support package, helping all transport companies in Austria.