Thanks to a sharp increase in demand and good business at the logistics subsidiary DB Schenker, Deutsche Bahn is getting out of the financial corona hole faster than expected.
But for months now, the rail network has been revealing to passengers what had been forgotten by all the empty trains during the pandemic: it is in great need of renovation. Numerous construction sites are intended to change that, but at the same time slow down traffic significantly. Only 69.6 percent of long-distance trains reached their destination on average in the first half of this year, as the group announced.
In the same period last year, it was just under 80 percent. Deutsche Bahn only includes delays of six minutes or more in its statistics. Train cancellations are not even included in these figures. "Quality and punctuality are currently unacceptable," said rail boss Richard Lutz again. "In essence, the current problems can be traced back to a lack of capacity and an outdated infrastructure."
The CEO warned that the network was far from being designed for future planned growth in both passenger and freight traffic. By 2030, twice as many passengers should be traveling by train as in 2015. And in freight transport, too, the share of rail passengers should increase from the current 19 percent to 25 percent. "If we continue like this, the situation will not relax, but worsen," warned Lutz.
"Unfortunately, the railway system has been neglected for years," said Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP). "The consequences can be felt in many places today, there are no routes, there is a lack of technical infrastructure, there is a lack of capacity." That's the end of it now. Wissing referred to the expansion plans that he and Lutz presented a few weeks ago. "The preparatory measures, such as the planning and upgrading of detour routes, which we need for the modernization of the large corridors, are already underway."
Doubling of passengers in long-distance traffic
Even he was surprised at how quickly demand returned after the end of the pandemic restrictions, said Lutz. According to its own statements, the railway recorded more than 59 million travelers in long-distance traffic alone in the first half of the year. That was more than twice as many (plus 117 percent) as in the same period last year. In regional transport, demand rose by 60 percent to around 725 million passengers.
Such figures for the first half of the year are still a long way from the pre-crisis level. In the first six months of 2019, the group reported that it had almost 72 million passengers on long-distance transport and almost 978 million on regional transport. But last June and May, the level at that time had already been exceeded and reached an all-time high.
"Trend reversal succeeded"
The high demand and the good business at the logistics subsidiary Schenker have brought the group the urgently needed relief, especially financially. "The trend reversal was successful: Demand is booming and we're back in the black," said CEO Lutz. According to this, the company made a profit of 424 million euros in the first six months of this year. In the same period of the previous year, a loss of 1.4 billion euros was posted here. For the current year, Lutz expects operating earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) of more than one billion euros.
However, such forecasts are subject to further developments as a result of the Ukraine war and inflation. Deutsche Bahn is also feeling the effects of the significant increase in energy costs, CFO Levin Holle emphasized on Thursday. These costs should have already been passed on to freight customers. The CFO did not want to rule out the possibility that long-distance passengers would also be more expensive in the coming year. "We are examining the situation very closely," he said.
9-euro ticket: "Successful experiment"
However, travelers are still happy about the cheap 9-euro ticket, especially in regional transport. "The experiment was a success," said the railway boss, looking at the special ticket. With the ticket, passengers can use local public transport throughout Germany in June, July and August for nine euros each.
The debate is currently raging about how to proceed afterwards. The railway unions GDL and EVG see the special offer critically. "The 9-euro ticket cannot be continued like this," said the vice-president of the EVG union, Martin Burkert. "The workforce has reached the load limit and in some cases exceeded it." In view of this overload, the ticket cannot be extended.
The head of the train drivers' union GDL, Claus Weselsky, made a similar statement. The ticket, which is supposed to relieve commuters, brought additional rushes of travelers onto the train. "That's not good for the system, because it's already being driven to wear out. Now we're also completely overloaded."
According to Lutz, what is needed above all on the rails is the necessary capacity to absorb the boom in inquiries. "Then the stressful situation for the employees will also be one that we can live with." However, there is still a long way to go until then.
