ÖBB Annual Report 2023

7 Management & Supervisory Board Statement from the Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board Dear reader. “Hot and cold” – this is how the 2023 financial year might be summarised. A record number of pas- sengers in the 2nd half of the year was unfortunately offset by greater quality problems in terms of punctuality and reli- ability than is customary for ÖBB. The high quality standards with which ÖBB has fulfilled its mission in recent years have not only made the company one of the most popular among its customers, but have also made it one of the leading railway undertakings internationally – in both passenger and freight transport. Leaving aside coronavirus-related interruptions, the number of passengers transported has fortunately risen year after year, reaching a new record in 2023. As the number of passengers increases, however, so does the demand for rolling stock, the need to expand the infrastructure and the demand for qualified personnel. ÖBB responded to these growth indicators with extensive investment and recruitment programmes, which, however, for various reasons, could not be implemented at the required speed. This led to a noticeable drop in quality, which now needs to be overcome as quickly as possible. Freight transport also faced difficult geopolitical and economic conditions. Besides all these international factors, the decline in volumes in Austria is due to the unequal conditions in competition with road transport and still characterises the situation on the domestic market today. Difficult market and economic conditions Extreme weather conditions, massive delays in deliveries from vehicle manufacturers and spare parts components, construction operations and strike action at neighbouring railways and a competitive labour market were the main quality-critical challenges in the 2023 financial year. In 2023, ÖBB was once again able to recruit thousands of new employees as one of the country’s largest employers. However, the labour market is highly competitive and competition is fierce. Almost every industry in Austria is affected by the massive shortage of skilled labour. ÖBB therefore not only focuses on the further development of attractive, equal and innovative jobs, but also recognised at an early stage the value and importance of training young people in various skilled trades to ensure sustainable mobility services. All these efforts are more than worthy of support so that the railway can become more resilient with committed and valued employees and meet the growth-related service requirements. However, meeting your own quality standards is not just a question of personnel, but also of hardware and software. There is also not just one reason which led to the complications in the past financial year. In addition to the disruptions already mentioned, such as severe weather conditions in the summer and construction and strike action by neighbouring railways, delivery problems in particular led to cancellations and delays. The delivery time for new rolling stock has increased from four to six years due to geopolitical developments and supply chain problems, as well as high-capacity utilisation. ANDREA REITHMAYER. Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of ÖBB-Holding AG >