As if to honour the 175th anniversary of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB)passenger traffic improved in 2022. Admittedly, the result was impacted by a first quarter still under the influence of Covid. But overall, in 2022, There were 423.5 million passengers on all SBB trains.. An average of 1.16 million people per day. This represents an increase of 30.8% compared with 2021. However 12.5% less than in 2019. SBB sold 164.9 million tickets, an increase of 40% over 2021. SBB explains this difference by the persistence of teleworking.
Despite higher passenger numbers, passenger satisfaction remains at a good level: 80.5 out of 100 points. However, this rate is slightly down.
Mainline traffic holding up well
Long-distance services enjoyed the strongest growth. The increase in the number of customers was accompanied by a sharp rise in revenue. Revenues from long-distance services rose by 36.2% to 2.49 billion Swiss francs (the Swiss franc is now at parity with the euro). This will not prevent the company from posting a loss of CHF 47.2 million in 2022 on long-distance services.
All in all, SBB will have lost CHF 245 millionThis was due to soaring energy costs, inflation and the impact of the war in Ukraine. The latter has destabilised supply chains.
Climate change has also affected the financial result of the Swiss railways. Due to low rainfall over the summer, SBB had to buy more electricity to preserve its hydroelectric reservoirs. This is in anticipation of a possible energy shortage in spring 2023.
SBB is continuing its commitment to a low-carbon railway. The company aims to reduce its CO2 by half by 2030. In line with its 2030 strategy, SBB is continuing to develop its offer and services, with more direct connections to Swiss tourist regions and more spaces for bicycles. More day and night trains to be offered internationallyemissions, depending on the possibilities and the new legislation on CO2.
