Will the general reconstruction of Deutsche Bahn work in practice?

According to the Federal Audit Office, problems at Deutsche Bahn have only intensified in recent years. “After four seemingly lost years, the railway system has become even less reliable and the economic situation of DB AG has deteriorated further,” said Kai Scheller, chairman of the Audit Chamber, during the presentation of a special report. on the railway structure. . “The crisis within the DB is becoming chronic, putting the entire rail system at risk.”

The Federal Finance Control criticizes the significant increase in non-punctuality in long-distance transport, especially over the past year, as well as the group’s growing level of indebtedness. With infrastructure in many places in need of upgrading, the federal government’s goals of doubling ridership and increasing rail freight to 25% by 2030 are in jeopardy.

The Audit Bench demands from the federal government “a general vision containing precise objectives and representing a scenario for the systematic elimination of the backlog in action”. It should clearly state “what kind of railroad and how much railroad the federal government wants to get – and at what price”.

“Point by point”

The Audit Bench plans to send a new special report to the Bundestag. Many of his points have already featured in an earlier report from 2019, such as criticism of Deutsche Bahn’s extensive foreign investment.

Since then, however, a number of changes have been initiated: the group wishes to separate from its logistics subsidiary Schenker in order to focus more on its core business. In addition, the federal government and the railways plan, in the medium term, a general renovation of important transport nodes and an improvement in transport reliability.

“Now we have to go through everything point by point, which we actually do systematically,” said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). “The secondary areas are currently being put in order so that the general rehabilitation of the busiest corridors can begin quickly.”

According to the Audit Bench, “a long-awaited general reconstruction” could be a step in the right direction. “It remains to be seen whether this will work in practice – for example, the planned implementation is controversial among experts and associations,” the document says.

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