Deutsche Bahn made an operating loss
of €2.9 billion in 2020, the German rail company has announced, with the
majority of the loss (€1.7 billion) coming from its long-distance business.
Passenger numbers fell by 42 per cent
from a record 2019 to 1.5 billion passengers in 2020.
Despite the pandemic, the German
government increased capital expenditure to a new record €14.4 billion during the
year and this is expected to increase again in 2021, to fund upgrading rail
infrastructure but also to invest in new trains and ICE maintenance depots.
CEO Dr Richard Lutz said “expanding,
upgrading and digitalising the rail system on a broad scale was the right path
to take”.
"This strategy is making rail
noticeably better," he said. "Despite Covid-19, we have made
progress."
The company said that customer
satisfaction at DB Long-Distance reached an all-time high in 2020.
It expects business to improve
in 2021 but is still likely to see heavy losses this year before operating
profits return in 2022.
"I am confident that people will
start taking our trains again and transporting more freight by rail than ever
before," said Lutz. "We are an eco-friendly option – a vaccine for
climate change."