German railway operator Deutsche Bahn closed the past year with a loss of €1.8 billion.
The company reported that after interest payments and income taxes, its 2023 losses amounted to approximately €1.8 billion. This marks an improvement compared to the previous year’s loss of €2.7 billion.
One of the key factors mitigating the losses was government compensation for high maintenance costs, which Deutsche Bahn had pre-financed in 2023. However, the sale of its former subsidiary DB Schenker to Danish competitor DSV contributed to the company’s continued negative financial performance.
Deutsche Bahn also pointed to the poor state of its infrastructure as a major obstacle to economic growth. A decline in punctuality to 62.5% further impacted operations, as the company had to compensate passengers for delays of one hour or more.
Additionally, strikes by the GDL train drivers’ union in the first quarter of 2024 further exacerbated the financial losses.
