Tourism has been massively expanded in the canton of Uri in recent years, said Urban Camenzind, Uri's Director of Economic Affairs, in his greeting message at the general meeting of the Furka-Bergstrecke AG Steam Railway (DFB AG) last Saturday in Andermatt.
 
The Furka Mountain Steam Railway is an important service provider for Uri tourism.
 
The profit of the DFB AG last year can also be shown.
 
At around 30,000 francs, the annual profit is three times as high as in 2020, the DFB AG writes in a statement.
 
In the driving and catering business together, the company generated around 1.2 million francs last year.
 
About the same amount was collected in the form of contributions from the Furka Mountain Route Association and donations.
 
The foundation and the association financed projects worth almost one million Swiss francs.
 
Of the Covid loan received in 2021, 200,000 francs had already been repaid in March 2022.
 
If business goes well, the rest will be repatriated in late summer 2022, according to the press release.
 
The steam railway transported 22,721 passengers last year, around 4,500 more than in 2020.
 
The figures of the pre-pandemic years, when almost 30,000 passengers were transported annually, but the DFB has not yet come close to them, it continues.
 
Additional Revenues Also in Gastronomy and Souvenirs
 
Travellers are the core business of the DFB, without travellers there would be no turnover from transport services, said Chairman of the Board of Directors Ernst Künzli at the Annual General Meeting.
 
According to Künzli, however, the ancillary businesses (gastronomy/souvenirs) are also becoming increasingly important for the steam railway.
 
The annual report provided interesting information on this.
 
The average revenue per passenger rose from 43 francs in 2019 to 53 francs in 2020 and now to 60 francs in 2021.
 
In 2021, 432 trains ran on the Furka mountain line, 67 more than the year before, despite cancellations due to storm damage.
 
The steam locomotives covered 4,197 kilometres, slightly less than in the previous year.
 
According to Managing Director Josef Hamburger, extensive work is planned on and off the line in the current year.
 
The bistro in the DFB station Realp has been in operation since last Thursday.
 
Another highlight is the festival "30 years since the commissioning of the Realp-Tiefenbach section" on 13 and 14 Aug 2022 in Realp.
 
Change in the Board of Directors after two virtual general meetings in 2020 and 2021, shareholders were once again able to meet in person.
 
Peter F. Amacher from Beinwil am See AG was newly elected to the Board of Directors.
 
He replaces Walter Knobloch, who has announced his resignation after eleven years of service.
 
The remainder of the Board of Directors was re-elected for a further three-year term of office in globo.
 
Author unknown.