Coalition negotiations
Greens are pressing for reforms at Deutsche Bahn
The Greens want to reform Deutsche Bahn to make rail travel more competitive. Photo: Kay Nietfeld / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
In order to make progress on the issue of climate protection, the Greens are calling for reforms at Deutsche Bahn. They want to make train travel more competitive.
The Greens are pressing for reforms at Deutsche Bahn in order to strengthen the railways in competition with the road.
You propose to create a new infrastructure GmbH under the roof of the rail company, which is committed to the common good, as the German press agency learned from negotiating circles during the coalition negotiations. The core of this new GmbH from the three infrastructure divisions would be DB Netz AG. The previous domination and profit transfer agreement with Deutsche Bahn AG is therefore to be abolished. This would relieve DB Netz AG of the “pressure to profit”. The result would be cheaper train path prices for competitors and thus a strengthening of the rail network.
In the coalition negotiations, various models for the future structure of Deutsche Bahn were being discussed, but there was no decision. The FDP and the Greens were pursuing very similar goals, the circles said. In the event of a structural reform, the employees would keep their collective agreements and would continue to be on the internal labor market.
Union criticizes GmbH solution
The railway and transport union (EVG) was critical of a GmbH model. The vice-chairman Martin Burkert told the dpa that the decisive factor for the EVG was a significantly larger financing of the rail infrastructure, to at least four billion euros annually. “Breaking up and separating does not lead to a traffic turnaround, as European examples have shown.” The new coalition should assume responsibility in the supervisory boards and not through a GmbH solution. “For us, the GmbH solution is the first step in breaking up DB AG.” The EVG had already mobilized protests against a split in the railway company.
On behalf of the rail competitors, Peter Westenberger, Managing Director of the European Railways Network, said the union must above all provide information about why it is promoting the maintenance of a system that fundamentally disadvantages the railways compared to other modes of transport: «If the railways are out of frustration for their customers : is used less and less indoors, the electronic ballast should count how many jobs are lost. “
Tips should discuss possible reforms
The future structure of the federally owned Deutsche Bahn was controversial in the coalition negotiations between the SPD, Greens and FDP between the specialist politicians in the mobility working group. This should now be resolved at the top level. The SPD is against a split between the network and the company.
The track infrastructure in Germany currently belongs to the DB Netz subsidiary. It is responsible for the operation and expansion of the network. The company finances this from the train path charges that the railway companies have to pay for using the tracks. This rail toll also applies to the Deutsche Bahn transport companies. Opponents of this structure criticize the fact that the railway is limited by economic considerations in the urgently needed expansion of the track infrastructure.