Status: 05.11.2021 1:12 p.m.
If the Monopoly Commission has its way, Deutsche Bahn will be split into two companies. This proposal has met with resistance from the EVG union. She announced “massive protests” just in case.
In the renewed debate about a restructuring of Deutsche Bahn, the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) has spoken out against breaking up the group. Such a step “would mean a standstill in the traffic turnaround,” said the deputy union chairman Martin Burkert of the dpa news agency. “We don’t have that time. Politicians now have to move the rails forward and take money into their own hands.”
The EVG announced “massive protests” should a future traffic light coalition in the federal government want to smash the company. “The separation is a red line for us,” continues Burkert.
Monopolies Commission recommends “vertical separation”
The Monopolies Commission had previously demanded that the future federal government break up Deutsche Bahn. “The new federal government should tackle the vertical separation of the Deutsche Bahn AG, that is, a separation of the infrastructure from the actual railway operations,” said Jürgen Kühling, the chairman of the monopoly commission, of the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
The Monopolies Commission recommends setting up two independent companies in the future: On the one hand, Deutsche Bahn, which will continue to organize the transport of passengers and goods and operate the trains. On the other hand, a company that takes care of the rail network, maintains it and expands it. The Deutsche Bahn and its competitors would then pay for the use of the route, so Kühling.
The Monopolies Commission has the task of advising the federal government on competition and regulatory issues.
Are the Greens and FDP planning to reorganize the railway?
According to a “Spiegel” report, the Greens and the FDP are pursuing the joint plan for a fundamental reorganization of Deutsche Bahn in the coalition talks of the traffic light parties. The traffic light parties had already negotiated this week in the coalition talks, reported the news magazine.
Two models were discussed that resulted in breaking up the railway in its previous form: The DB Netze division, which maintains the rail infrastructure, the stations and the energy supply, should be separated from the operation of the trains. In the extreme variant, the infrastructure sector would be split off into a public society oriented towards the common good. This left the three transport areas regional, long-distance and freight traffic at the corporate headquarters.
According to the report, a moderate model provides for the formation of a holding company under which network operations would be organized alongside train operations. Formally, the unity of the group would be retained and the restructuring would be less time-consuming. According to the “Spiegel” report, the SPD is against a split.