Then there were the German conservatives of the CDU and CSU. Then the Federal Court of Auditors. And on Monday 24 April, the Monopolies Commission. All three are making the same request: fundamental reforms in the structure of the Deutsche Bahnof which possible dismantling.
" In the opinion of the Monopolies Commission, the advantages of a complete separation of the infrastructure and transport sectors outweigh the disadvantages. The aim must be to separate infrastructure managers from infrastructure users" said Jürgen Kühling, Chairman of the Commission, in an interview with the Munich daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.
We are, however, a long way from the British model, whose government had totally dismantled British Rail, 30 years ago in 2024. The British example was anything but a success.. There are currently around ten private operators in the UK. And they are proving incapable of meeting the needs of travellers...
Better infrastructure for better competition
According to the ideas of the Monopolies Commission, in future, there would be a company to organise the rail traffic itself. Another company would be in charge of the 33,000 km of the network. The first would be totally independent and neutral, allowing any operator to use the network. It would be the key element of this reform, as it would encourage competition.
" In our view, this would quickly change the situation of the railways, for customers, for other rail operators and for investment in the network." underlined the President of the Commission.
By focusing solely on physical investment in the network, this neutral entity would guarantee better competition. According to MOFAIR, Association pour une Concurrence Impartiale dans les Réseaux Ferrés Publics, a more efficient network would increase traffic capacity. This would give new impetus for competition.
Since a rail reform in 1994, DB has been responsible for both services and infrastructure. DB no longer seems to be able to meet its obligations. Under-investment in the network is glaring, particularly in the west of the country. In fact, after German reunification, most of the investment in infrastructure went to the eastern part of the country, to bring it up to standard.
The Federal Court of Auditors concluded that it would be necessary to spend 89 billion to renovate Germany's rail network. And what is the obligation of the federal state, which, according to the Basic Law, ". ensures that the welfare of the community, and in particular transport needs, are taken into account in the development and maintenance of the federal railways' rail network and in their transport services on this network, insofar as these do not concern local rail passenger transport" .
The Federal Court of Audit also calls on the federal government to encourage competition on the railways, " its own rail transport companies are not absolutely necessary in this respect" .
Sluggish international competition
Travel associations are more in favour of this reform. The travellers' association Pro Bahn is in fact calling for such a solution involving the separation of rail management and infrastructure. The latter should belong to the State, says Pro Bahn in an official position.
According to MOFAIR statistics, there is virtually no competition on international routes. Of course, there are many FlixtrainSNCF and ÖBB (Austria). But the three only account for 2% of market share of total supply. This share has fallen since Covid, since it was 4% in 2019. However, on regional routes, Deutsche Bahn's competitors already have a market share of 40% of the total offer.
If this reform goes ahead, however, it is likely to be rejected by the unions. For several months now, they have been strikes on the DB network...
