How the pandemic hit the rail business
The pandemic severely disrupted railway traffic from March 2020 onwards. Following the introduction of governmental measures such as lockdowns, curfews and various traffic restrictions, freight and passenger traffic fell by more than 20% in comparison to January 2020.
Levels comparable to those at the beginning of the year were not seen again until July, and traffic volumes were nevertheless lower than in 2019. Traffic dropped by 8% over the year as a whole.
This is shown in the latest annual report published by the global railway organisation UIC with data from Europe, Asia, Middle East and Africa.
In 2020, the number of accidents fell from 3,742 to 4,187 or by 11% compared to 2019. Almost 90% of accidents were caused by third parties, according to the report. (ben)