Deutsche Bahn battles crisis amid €49 ticket launch
Deutsche Welle
23-05-16 08:38
Deutsche Bahn (DB), Germany's state-owned rail company, has been criticised for delays, losses and debt. DB trains were late one-third of the time last year and the company has also struggled in its freight and cargo business. Passengers have been affected by the poor service, including overcrowded trains and expensive tickets. DB is €30bn ($32.6bn) in debt and has battled industrial disputes. Its network is old and has needed investment in infrastructure for some time. The company has reduced its railway network by around 20% since 1994 and reduced the number of railroad switches. Network capacity is now a problem with trains running at nearly full capacity. While criticism of DB has increased, the German government has pledged to invest €45bn in DB by 2027. The hope is to revitalise and retrofit the network and achieve climate neutrality by 2045. A recently launched €49 monthly ticket covering all transport networks across Germany's regions also aims to persuade people to use public transport.