Coronavirus costs Belgian rail almost €400 million

Coronavirus costs Belgian rail almost €400 million
Credit: Belga

The coronavirus crisis will have an impact of €398 million on the figures of Belgian railway company SNCB, according to Federal Minister of Mobility François Bellot.

Instead of an operating profit of €108 million, as had been predicted before the crisis broke out, an operating loss of an expected €290 million will be booked this year, Bellot said in the Parliamentary Committee on Mobility.

Due to the crisis, the railway company is losing millions in income, because far fewer people took the train. In the first weeks of the crisis, the number of passengers fell to 90,000 per day, one tenth of the normal number.

Since the relaxations, the number of passengers has gradually increased, and a week ago, SNCB reported about 347,000 passengers per day.

Over the year as a whole, the rail company expects more than a quarter less revenue from domestic traffic, Bellot said.

The Brussels Times


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