After an increase in the number of passengers between May and September, in October again we saw a decline. 18.5 m people chose rail transport which is 12.7 m (40.5%) less than in the previous year. As compared to September 2020, this number decreased by 3 m travellers (14.2%).
The transport performance amounted to 981.3 m pass-km, while the operational performance reached nearly 14.4 m train-km. As compared to October 2019, these results are lower by 47.5% and 1.7% respectively. As compared to September 2020, the transport performance was lower by 21.4% and the operational performance increased by 3, 4%.
The number of passengers over ten months of 2020 amounted to 183.4 m. It is more than 1/3 less than during the same period of the previous year. Till now the transport performance in 2020 reached to 11.2 bn pass-km (which means a decrease by nearly 40%), while the operational performance amounted to 131.6 m train-km (which means a decrease by 7%). The average distance travelled by a passenger was 61 km, as compared to 67 km in 2019.
- Unfortunately, October is another month in which the COVID-19 pandemic has a huge impact on the results in passenger transport. After several months of slow growth of the number of passengers, it fell down again. However, when we look at monthly transport statistics, we see that October is another month in an upward trend in rail freight. But when compared to 2019 we see slight declines in freight. It means that the situation for freight carriers has stabilized after a difficult second quarter – comments Ignacy Góra, the President of the Office of Rail Transport. – The potential of rail freight is visible in new developments in intermodal transport and entry of new carriers into the market. For many rail operators the role of international transport is growing and this also may set a direction for rail transport developments for the next years – adds Ignacy Góra.
In October 20.8 m tonnes of goods were transported by rail. It is 1.1 m tonnes (5.7%) more than in September 2020, but 0.6 m tonnes less (3%) than in October 2019. The transport performance reached nearly 4.9 bn tonne-km and the operational performance was 7.3 m train-km. These were increases As compared to September 2020, the transport performance increased by 4.6% (206 m tonne-km) and the operational performance rose by 4.6% (0.3 m train-km). As compared to October 2019, the transport performance decreased by 2.8% (134 m tonne-km) and the operational performance fell by 3% (from 0.2 m train-km). The average distance was 235 km which is a decrease by 3 km as compared to September 2020. In October 2019 the average distance was the same.
Since the beginning of the year the weight of transported goods was 183 m tonnes, which is a decrease by 8.1% as compared to 2019. The values of transport performance and operational performance are 42.8 bn tonne-km and 63.4 m train-km (i.e. these values fell by 9.3% and 8.4% respectively).
Detailed data on rail passenger transport can be found in the Passenger transport statistics section and on rail freight in the Freight statistics section.