Last year, a record number of carriers operated on Czech rails, while private ones continued to strengthen their position at the expense of ČD.
The document shows that 122 carriers operated in the Czech Republic last year, the most in history. While in recent years there have always been an increase of at most five more carriers per year, last year there were fifteen more carriers on the market compared to 2019. They provided passenger and freight transport. The total also includes transport for construction companies working on rail infrastructure.
The market share of CD has continued to decline and last year it stood at 86 per cent. A decade ago, it was almost 100 per cent. Last year’s year-on-year drop of almost five percentage points was the highest yet, even though last year was marked by the pandemic.
For the market, the increase of carriers is a blessing. It means a greater range and diversity of services. It is also important that new carriers bring investors to the market,” he says.
Transit operators didn’t run as often last year because of the pandemic. As one of the state’s largest investors, the railway administration’s revenues from “track use” fees dropped significantly. While the administration collected CZK 3.7 billion the year before last, it collected less than CZK 3.3 billion last year.