Profits up for metro operator
More and more Athenians are using the three-year-old metro system, boosting the operating company’s profits to a healthy 16.26 million euros in 2002, according to figures released yesterday. Attiko Metro SA said its profits rose 29.88 percent over 2001, when the total operating surplus reached 12.52 million euros. Most of the metro operator’s revenues came from ticket and monthly card sales (49.11 million euros) followed by rent (2.13 million) and advertising (1.65 million). Fines on passengers caught without tickets raised 429,532 euros. According to Attiko Metro, the profits will contribute to interest payments on loans taken out during construction of the underground railway. One third of the company’s expenditures was spent on staff salaries. Meanwhile, 446,524 passengers used the metro on an average day last year, up from 416,164 in 2001. In December 2002, average daily use rose to 530,841. An estimated 80,000 more passengers are expected to use the network every day from next month, when the new Monastiraki station comes into service.
