German state railway Deutsche Bahn must consider a broad restructuring to tackle chronic delays in passenger services and limit financial losses, Germany’s transport minister demanded on Tuesday.
According to Volker Wissing, the railways urgently need changes in economic and organizational areas and Deutsche Bahn must take measures “in the short term” to significantly improve punctuality.
Deutsche Bahn has announced plans for large-scale track renovation projects across the country. According to the Bahn, the aging infrastructure is the cause of a number of operational problems.
But in the meantime, extensive construction work and track closures are exacerbating serious problems that already exist, such as delays and cancellations.
The problems at Deutsche Bahn have become a national disgrace for Germany, a country that once prided itself on a reputation for punctuality, efficiency and high-quality infrastructure.
Wissing on Tuesday called the reliability of the railways unsatisfactory and said punctuality is a problem. 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 transport, must optimize the use of its trains in order to become financially sustainable again, Wissing said.
