NS is still losing money: the coming years will remain ‘challenging’

ANPEa train at Almere Centrum station

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 12:24

Dutch Railways is still making losses, according to the half-yearly figures that have been presented. A year ago, there is a recovery. The so-called underlying operating loss went from 225 million to 26 million euros.

The company calls the results “still insufficient for a financially healthy NS”. The coming years therefore remain “financially challenging”, says the company.

President-director Wouter Koolmees points to the changing travel behavior that the NS is dealing with. “The Netherlands is traveling by train more often again, but we still have considerably fewer passengers than before corona. This is also reflected in our financial performance. Our social task remains essential, but is still financially loss-making.”

Less than before corona

In the first half of this year, the total number of kilometers traveled grew by 24 percent compared to the same period last year. This growth can largely be explained by the fact that corona measures were still in place in the first months of last year.

Nevertheless, passenger numbers are still lower than before corona. On an average working day, 1.1 million travelers now take the train. Before corona there were still 1.3 million.

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