The Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn AG decided to merge DB Netz and DB Station&Service into DB InfraGO, a single company which will operate from January 1, 2024. DB says that the included “GO” into the name of the company stands for a “infrastructure oriented towards the common good.”
“The merger of the two infrastructure divisions to form DB InfraGO AG is a major reform step for the railways in Germany. With today’s resolutions, we have created a further corporate law requirement for the infrastructure oriented towards the common good. This represents another essential pillar of our comprehensive programme for renewal and modernisation,” Werner Gatzer, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn AG said.
The purpose of the company is to operate the railway infrastructure as a commercial enterprise with particular consideration of public welfare goals and the respective financing bases.
DB InfraGO will activate as an efficient company which will deliver high capacity, quality and resilient rail infrastructure through operation, maintenance and expansion of the rail infrastructure. The management of the railway infrastructure should be efficient, network-related and user-oriented.
Deutsche Bahn says that the new entity meets the legal requirements for transparency and participation as well as equal treatment in access and fees.The company’s goals are also to promote cross-border rail transport as well as innovations and climate protection, particularly through modal shift in passenger and freight transport.
“To achieve our ambitious goals, we must make the best possible use of synergies between the route and stations and become more effective,” Richard Lutz, the CEO of Deutsche Bahn said, adding that this decision is “an essential prerequisite so that we can get started in January.”
In order to achieve the public welfare-oriented goals defined by the federal government, DB InfraGO will implement a comprehensive modernisation programme for the rail network and train stations. The federal government has already made important decisions on financing and has promised additional funding of around EUR 40 billion euros. At the same time, the cabinet initiated a reform of the Federal Railways Development Law (BASWG) adopted on June 7, 2023, which forms the legal basis for investments in the federal railway network. In the future, it provides more scope for the use of financial resources and new funding opportunities for the federal government.
Deutsche Bahn AG has reported that it requires ongoing additional investments worth around EUR 45 billion euros in the period up to 2027.
Photo: Deutsche Bahn AG / Volker Emersleben
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