For years, only one division of Deutsche Bahn has made decent profits: DB Schenker. The fact that Logistics subsidiary to be soldseems strange at first glance. At second glance, the motivation of the traffic light coalition is understandable.
With the upcoming sale of Schenker to Danish competitor DSV, Deutsche Bahn will lose around a third of its revenue. The state-owned company, which has developed a lavish life of its ownwill thus be significantly smaller and more controllable for politicians.
Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz and his board can no longer hide behind the profits in the global logistics business. They must therefore get rail traffic in Germany and the inefficient company in order all the faster.
The sale of Schenker marks the final farewell to a failed idea: the privatization of the railways. Deutsche Bahn took over Schenker in 2002 during the era of Hartmut Mehdorn. With the new subsidiary, Deutsche Bahn wanted to become a world-leading logistics and mobility group. An IPO was to follow.
In other areas of public services – such as energy, postal services and telecommunications – this strategy has produced acceptable results. In the railway sector, citizens and industry alike suffer daily from the consequences of privatisation that has stalled at the initial stage.
While the railway company was eyeing the global market, tracks in this country were being closed or not adequately maintained. These problems are not solved by the sale of Schenker: the proceeds will mainly go towards paying off debts and not into the dilapidated rail network.
Saying goodbye to the global corporation is therefore the right thing to do, but it is not enough. Politicians have allowed the railway company to do as it pleases for years, but now they must actively control the service again – including long-distance traffic. Social cohesion also requires economically unprofitable intercity connections to Chemnitz. The Deutschlandtakt is a target timetable that is intended to offer all citizens good rail connections. Politicians should now argue about how this vision can be implemented as efficiently as possible.
