Last year, the NMBS transported 171.8 million train passengers, almost a third less than in 2019, before the corona pandemic. The transport company would normally have incurred an operating loss of 401.9 million euros, but thanks to government support that could be limited to 98.1 million euros.
In 2020 – which started with a few normal months before the corona crisis broke out – there was an operating loss of 360 million euros, or 71.6 million euros after government support.
“2022 is also expected to be a difficult year from a financial point of view,” says the NMBS in a press release. High inflation and high energy prices in particular weigh heavily. The railway company expects a new operating loss of more than 200 million euros. She is once again counting on government compensation.
In the longer term, there is optimism. We expect to be able to reconnect with the number of travelers before the corona crisis by 2024, and to reach the number of leisure travelers from 2019 again from 2023. In 2019, the NMBS transported a record number of 253.4 million passengers in total.