The Dutch Railways (NS) suffered a net loss of 185 million euros in the first half of this year. The cause is the sharp drop in the number of train passengers due to the corona pandemic. Without the financial support from the State, the loss would amount to nearly 1.1 billion euros, the Dutch Railways reports.
Immediately after the announcement of the corona measures on March 12, the number of train travelers fell by 90 percent. Following the relaxation of the measures and the return to the regular timetable, this number has increased to approximately 40 percent of the normal number of passengers.
In the first six months of 2019, the profit was still 94 million euros. Revenue in the first two months of 2020 also developed positively, according to the Dutch Railways.
‘Only normal again after 2024’
CEO Roger van Boxtel expects that passenger numbers will only be back to the level of 2019 after 2024, while fixed costs continue. “The Dutch public transport sector has to adapt, but will not survive without further support.”
The Dutch Railways says it wants to keep the train ticket affordable. To get people on the train again, new subscriptions will be introduced for commuters who work from home more often due to corona. At the end of June, the Dutch Railways announced that it would have to cut 1.4 billion euros in the coming years and that there will probably be 2300 jobs to disappear.
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