ÖBB Annual Report 2025

51 Group Management Report MR8 | Österreichische Bundesbahnen-Holding Aktiengesellschaft Consolidated Financial Statements | Group Management Report 8 According to the latest Schienen-Control report, RCA’s market share of productive rail freight transport services in Austria was 57.3% in 2024. This represents a further decline of 0.3 percentage points compared to the prior year. 20 Internationally, the situation in rail freight transport is difficult in 2025. In many Eastern European countries, transport volumes are in sharp decline. The trend is also negative in Germany and Switzerland this year. State railways in neighboring countries such as Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic recorded declines in transport volumes in the first half of 2025. The decline in volumes is particularly pronounced at DB Cargo, which transported 16% less than in the first half of 2024. 21 Some rail freight companies outside the major state railways are also under severe pressure. The private RO Helrom had to file for insolvency in July 2025. Wiener Lokalbahnen Cargo was sold to the Hungarian CER Cargo Group against a background of high losses. The state-owned Steiermarkbahn is struggling with a sharp decline in freight volumes and is looking for a strategic partner. 22 Rail freight transport continued to suffer from construction and other infrastructure restrictions in 2025. Important factors in Austria were the closure of the Tauern Railway until June and the closure of the new Western line between Vienna and St. Pölten for almost four weeks between May and June. This reduces capacity on the railway and often requires expensive detours. Over the next few years, the major general renovation project in Germany will also impact the Austrian rail freight companies. Due to the closures of the Passau–Obertraubling and Nuremberg–Regensburg lines, the Linz–Passau– Regensburg–Nuremberg corridor will be affected for almost the entirety of 2026. In the following year, the German corner (Rosenheim–Salzburg) will be closed 23 . The closure of these important corridors toward Germany severely restricts the available routes, which will lead to conflicts between passenger and freight traffic and once again necessitate large-scale detours. In the tough intermodal competition, these restrictions can result in a sustained shift of traffic to the roads. However, road transport prices also continued to rise in 2025. While the price of diesel has fallen, freight forwarders in many EU countries are expecting higher toll costs. 24 Development of freight transportation performance and prices Transport volumes by rail and road in Austria Road transportation prices Europe (net tkm, index Q1 2021 = 100) (index Q1 2020 = 100) *preliminary estimate. Source: Statistik Austria, ASFINAG, Transporeon Insights, own calculations. 20 Rail Control. 21 Semi-annual reports, UIC. 22 Deutsche Verkehrszeitung, Österreichische Verkehrszeitung, Orf.at. 23 DB. 24 IRU. ÖBB-Holding/Konzernstrategie, Unternehmensentwicklung und -organisation TLP grün (ÖBB-Konzern intern) Road and rail transportation volume [index Q1 2021 = 100] 3 80 85 90 95 100 105 110 115 120 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025* Rail Road ÖBB-Holding/Konzernstrategie, Unternehmensentwicklung und -organisation TLP grün (ÖBB-Konzern intern) Road transportation prices [index Q1 2021 = 100) 4 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 135 1. 2. 3. 4. . 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Road 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Rail Road 4 4. 95 100 105 110 115 120 125 130 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 4. 1. 2. 3. 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Rail Road