The Deutsche Bahn has made in the past year, less profit – but at the same time increasing sales and passenger booked figures. In comparison to the previous year, the profit decreased by 29.2 percent to 542 million euros, the group announced on Thursday at its annual press conference. However, sales increased by 3.1 percent to 44,02 billion euros.

The number of passengers in long-distance traffic increased by 2018 for the fourth Time in a row. They amounted to approximately 148 million passengers, up from 5.7 million or four per cent more than in 2017. The railway expects that this Trend will continue: “in 2019, we may be in the long-distance transport for the first time, over 150 million travelers will welcome,” said group chief Executive Richard Lutz. Europe-wide, about 2.6 billion passengers used 2018 the trains of the Deutsche Bahn, an increase of 17 million compared to the previous year.

The passenger records in long-distance transport will, however, be bought with numerous special offers. The net financial debt of the Federal group increased to the end of December compared to the year-on-Year to 926 million euros, to around € 19.5 billion.

in addition to the debt even more delays hit the headlines recently. Lutz pointed out that in spite of all the problems with the quality of the traffic on the Rail to be determined. This is causing but “growing pains”, for example on the rail network. You work on it, to be punctual, after 2018, more than one in four long-distance trains, too late. “The lever, the shifting, and the train is better, but unfortunately.”

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Well, the international forwarding Agency Schenker as well as the business with the rail network, which also benefited from the demand of competition cars. In contrast, the freight train remained in the crisis, and doubled the loss of almost 200 million euros, although the demand of the economy was also high. Rail chief Lutz pointed, among other things, on the rail network, which will always be charged more. “The capacity will remain the Central theme in the next few years,” said Lutz. In the coming years, the Federal government plans to invest one billion more than in the past in the redevelopment of the network.

the net profit is not sufficient to pay dividend

The private investment in vehicles or in the staff – the railway will annually adjust over 20,000 employees – can’t cope on their own. The net profit of 542 million euros, not even enough to pay the dividend of EUR 650 million to the Federal government. Since the organization this year alone, 2.2 billion euros for the investment in higher punctuality, prepares the car for the sale or IPO, the international transportation subsidiary, Arriva.

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Lutz had called for more money for the group by the state. The negotiations between the group and the Federal government regarding funding for repairs and expansion work is currently underway. (AFP, Reuters)