Thuringia’s state leader Bodo Ramelow has clear words about the state of Deutsche Bahn. And a vision of how things could be different.
Thuringia’s Prime Minister Bodo Ramelow believes that far-reaching reforms are necessary in view of the poor state of Deutsche Bahn. “The railway is a system of chaos that is increasingly losing acceptance,” the Left Party politician told the editorial network Germany.
“Billions of euros in losses are being accounted for, while at the same time several million passengers have been lost – and this during the European Football Championship, when many trains were overcrowded and others were cancelled.”
Ramelow calls for clear separation of network and operations
Ramelow is in favor of organizing the rail network as a non-profit foundation and systematically modernizing it. There needs to be “a radical separation of network and operations,” says the state leader.
The infrastructure company InfraGo, which was founded at the beginning of the year, is coordinating the so-called general renovation of dozens of heavily used route corridors. In addition to economic success, its statutes also state that it is committed to the common good.
“Punctual like Deutsche Bahn” today satire
His grandfather always said: “Punctual like the Deutsche Bahn,” said Ramelow. Today, that “only passes as satire.”
A few days ago, Deutsche Bahn presented mixed figures: In long-distance traffic, the state-owned company recorded a six percent drop in passengers compared to the same period last year. Punctuality in long-distance traffic was only 62.7 percent in the first half of the year – around seven percentage points less than in the first half of 2023. The first half of the year did not go well financially for Deutsche Bahn either: after interest and income taxes, the loss was 1.2 billion euros.
Source: Stern
