Global Rail Companies Put Plans in Place to Lure New Riders
Photo Credit: One of France's high-speed tracks at Gare de l'Est, a major railway station in Paris An Amtrak train / Nelso Silva
Skift Take
This summer travel season could be enormously successful for railway companies if schemes they've created for the post-pandemic-era can capture travelers' interest. A big "if."
Big numbers have been traveling so far this summer. Airports are filling up again, cars — and traffic — are returning to the roadways. But what about the rails?
Many railway companies certainly need a huge rebound in passenger figures. Numerous rail companies have been battered by the pandemic from ridership to finances.
Just look to Japan as an example. During 2020 for the most recent figures, passengers using services run by Japan Railways dropped 68 compared to the previous year. Two of Japan's largest railway companies projected massive losses for the fiscal year ending on March 31: East Japan Railways was expecting to be in the red $4 billion (418 billion yen) while West Japan Railways was likely to post a $2.2 billion (240 billion yen) deficit.
And in Switzerland, the national railway company, the Schweizerische Bundesbahnen, saw a drop of 1.32 million riders daily in 2020 in addition to a 28.9 percent fall in passenger revenues.
But rail services are fighting b
