25 years of the Deutsche Bahn AG : A state group in precarious Constitution

The Pensioner Günter Voss wanted to know it exactly. He bought a Bahncard 100 for 1275 euros, and was launched on 16. July 2018 a three-month train journey across the Republic. The Pensioner drove a total of 91 ICE between all the major cities. He visited with regional trains in the province as well as the border regions of Emden on Zwickau and Passau to Basel. The balance sheet of the former police officer who has for years passionately railway, has subsided after 92 days: "the performance of The German railway very considerably."

On 5. In January 1994, Deutsche Bahn AG as a successor to the Confederation and of the Imperial Railways at the Start. The railway reform should be a great success. But 25 years later, many are blatantly developments: a run-down network, unreliable transport, personnel and Zugmangel, angry customers, frustrated employees, and the debacle of the large-scale project Stuttgart 21. It is a swirl of state is holes group, with 310 000 employees, 700 affiliated companies, and Financial in the billions.

The railway system is flawed

No traveller problems remain hidden. The biggest Nuisance for him, as for millions of travelers: the lateness Chen trains. Also Voss has 901 delay minutes alone with his ICE-meticulously recorded. "The most reliable in the ICE 3, but, unfortunately, often uncomfortable, crowded, was," says the 80-Year-old. Sometimes there was standing room only and barely room for Luggage. In one case, an overmanned train had to be evacuated, even.

In more than 30 TV contributions, described by Voss in his experience. The rail - Fan who was once full of enthusiasm cycled even along the first ICE-new line all the way from Hannover to Stuttgart, has suggestions for improvement: "The Railways must be rapidly expanded, and the train needs more trains to the positive growth of passenger numbers in the future to better cope."

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For example, the acquisition of French double-Decker TGV should be considered-fast trains in the neighbouring country on high-traffic routes such as Paris-Lyon. "Furthermore, ICE would need to be at least at weekends and on public holidays reservation is required, as it is in France long ago, without exception, of all the days for the TGV common," says Voss. To control the long-distance traffic he found, moreover, Central co-ordination make sense.

200-page strategy

good advice for better transport, not rail, it is missing 25 years after the Start of the DB AG, verily. Group chief Executive Richard Lutz wants to create with his "Agenda for a better railway," the turning point. "The Track has all the chances to be the transport of the future: Reliable, comfortable, digital, and environmentally friendly," upbeat right from the beginning of the 200-page strategy paper.

The Agenda describes a number of measures: to increase network capacity and punctuality-more trains for long-distance transport, additional staff, improvement of the situation in the freight and regional traffic, new digital offerings, and by 2023, the economic stabilization. The Problem: The largest state in the group the money for the plan of action. Alone in the Budget for 2019 is a gap of more than two billion Euro gap, the mountain of debt of 20 billion euros, could rise. Alone for the large-scale project Stuttgart 21, the group has to Finance now more than three billion euros from its own Fund.

selling group

To March is possible to share Lutz should demonstrate to the Supervisory Board, in which representatives of the Federal government and the unions to determine the rate, a way out of financial misery. The sale of parts of the group such as the British rail and Bustochter Arriva, with its 55,000 employees, or the Logistics company Schenker (of 72,000 Employees), both of which are traveling internationally, it is an Option. The billions in revenue that could be put in the action plan and the DB could focus on the core business of a reliable train service.

Video 04.01.2019, 10:27 Uhr00:30 Min.Train driver and rail, some to the collective agreement

The Federal Minister of transport, Andreas Scheuer (CSU) has held thus far covered. His state Secretary, Enak Ferlemann, however, has already practiced substantial criticism at the state of the group, and "fundamental reforms" announced. The question is, how far these reforms. For mandatory professionals keep a reorganisation at 33.000 km long state-owned rail network, which is managed together with the more than 5000 stations and all of the turbines from the railway group.

30 billion for the network

The facts are undisputed. Since 2009 alone, the DB Netz AG has received for the maintenance of the infrastructure of about 30 billion Euro from the state Treasury. Nevertheless, the state of the network is getting worse and worse, as recently, the Federal court of auditors recognised in a special report. The auditors criticise the lack of incentives, insufficient monitoring and ineffective sanctions of the previous system and warn the Bundestag, insistently in front of it to give to the group under these conditions for up to a further 25 billion euros to 2024 for the Network.

the Opposition looks like. The greens and the FDP have long called for an independent power company, especially since DB-competitors complaining to the Rail about discrimination by DB Netz even before the court. In the coalition of the trade unions close to the SPD locks but for years, against the separation, because in the case of a "busting" of the group disadvantages for the approximately 50,000 employees when the mains is to be feared.

The Federal government should expand on dividend

A state-owned and non-profit grid company, which maintains routes to maintain, dispense and tracks fair awards to all applicants, also keeps the passenger Association Pro Bahn for the best solution. The previous design of the DB Netze AG to enter in the next few years, billions in profits with high charges and subsidies, is for the Pro Bahn Chairman Karl - Peter Naumann missed: "It is not clear why a natural monopoly make a profit and to distribute."

In Berlin, always rolls somewhere a ICE through the image for more pictures of view 1 of 23Foto: Imago25.05.2018 09:04Willkommen at Hackescher Markt! The Yellow court below attention, there's a long White rolls through the top of the image.Back Next

Per track, in addition to the structural reform, further proposals: The Federal government should, in future, waive dividends in the DB, the path of prices should be lowered to promote rail transport of solid as well as the VAT in the long-distance transport of 50 km or deleted can be reduced. That would make rail travel cheaper. Alone since 2003, the normal rates of the DB are increased by 50 percent, much more than the Inflation rate.

little chance against the Truck

the transport of goods by Rail, which is the most powerful high losses is A great site, finally. The rehabilitation of DB Cargo is several times failed, however, experts no Surprise. As Europe's largest freight railroad, under the existing conditions, little chance of cheap Truck. Especially since the rail network has been cut off since the railway reform of around 6000 kilometers, while many billions of euros have been invested in the construction of even more roads.

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delays and cancellations of trains, The railway has to pay for their bad services

Thomas the French component of

all in all, many of the levers for a new course. So the Federal government could increase the Truck toll rates and put more revenue into Expansion and modernisation of the Railways, as other countries already do. Many experts agree that Without a bold reversal of policy, the environment-friendly rail transport, the railway is not come as necessary – and also the next statement for railway reform hardly be more positive.