Germany’s state-owned railway Deutsche Bahn must consider a broad restructuring to address chronic delays in its passenger service and stem financial losses, Germany’s transport minister demanded on Tuesday.
Urgent changes are needed in economic and organizational areas at the railway, Volker Wissing said and Deutsche Bahn must take steps to significantly improve punctuality “in the short term.”
Deutsche Bahn has announced plans for major track rennovation projects across the country, arguing that aging infrastructure is to blame for some of the operational problems.
But in the meantime, the extensive construction work and track closures are exacerbating serious existing problems with delays and cancellations.
Problems at Deuthsche Bahn have became something of a national embarrassment for Germany, a country that once prided itself on a reputation for puctuality, efficiency and high-quality infrastructure.
Wissing on Tuesday called the railway’s reliability unsatifactory and said punctuality is an issue. He also pointed to financial losses in Deutsche Bahn’s freight and high-speed passenger trains.
DB Fernverkehr, the subsidiary that operates Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance passenger service, must optimize the use of its trains in order to return to financially sustainable operations, Wissing said.
