Slow track
September 5, 2011
Summer officially just ended in Germany, but Deutsche Bahn is already worried that a harsh winter could create could problems for its passenger rail services.
Frank Sennhenn, CEO of Deutsche Bahn's regional operations arm, DB Regio, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper that one of the company's core problems – a sufficient supply of reserve trains – "will not improve significantly" in the near future and could lead to cancellations and delays if the country experiences a cold, snowy winter similar to last year's.
Ice and unreliable electrical power massively hindered rail travel in December 2010. On top of that, the operator didn't have enough trains at its disposal due to the increased maintenance requirements caused by such cold conditions.
The result was pre-Christmas rail chaos across many parts of Germany, which depends heavily on public transportation in and around urban areas.
White Christmas, red tape
Sennhenn cited the delay of 100 new regional trains ordered to bolster Deutsche Bahn's reserve fleet as a problem that could trigger possible interruptions to local rail services.
Train manufacturer Bombardier was expected to start delivering the trains in 2009 but has yet to do so due to delays in obtaining final regulatory approval from the German Federal Railway Authority.
The regulator's list of required changes to the trains' designs – which were already in production – is part of the problem, according to Karl-Peter Naumann, a spokesman in the Hamburg office of the rail passenger interest group ProBahn.
Matthias Oomen from ProBahn's Berlin office said the complicated process is made even more difficult due to rules that require every train to be approved individually, as well as a general lack of standardized processes.
"We need a more efficient approval process if we want to put more trains on the tracks," he told Deutsche Welle. "Some degree of standardization would certainly help."
Train makers, the Federal Railway Authority and Deutsche Bahn have recognized the problem and are working on a solution, according to Naumann.
Meanwhile, the German rail operator has ordered nearly 300 new trains from engineering giant Siemens – just in case.
Author: John Blau
Editor: Sam Edmonds