And the former monopoly has well to fight

Cétait less than a year ago. Questioned on the expansionist aims of Deutsche Bahn, to acquire the British arrived, the Federal Minister of transport had given his consent, to a strict condition, however: "that the House is in order." Clear: the public operator returns to its German customers a satisfactory quality of service, after having experienced a series of embarrassing incidents.

Deutsche Bahn has well afford arrived, nearly 3 billion euros, but the wishes of Peter Ramsauer have not really fulfilled. Since that he gave his advice, a fast train ICE lost in April a door, before smashing against the dining car of another. In the heat of the summer, air conditioning dropped several trains, condemning hundreds of unfortunate to roll in a sauna atmosphere. December 2010, cold and snowy, caused an unprecedented chaos. Deutsche Bahn, in a report to the Department of transport, refers to "some days less than 70 punctuality rate" during this period. But the Warentest Foundation, which focused on first 20 stations in the country, for its part, concluded at a rate of punctuality of 32 on main lines... Barely recovered from this traumatic episode, travellers are preparing already for new disturbances: trains GDL drivers Union calls this week to strike.

Ignite media, consumer associations thundered. As they doubt the capacity of the railway company, sitting on a debt of some 17 billion euros, to quickly improve the situation. The Minister of finance, notwithstanding the recent setbacks of the public, continues to ask an annual dividend of EUR 500 million, in respect of national public finance consolidation effort. Competition intensifies on the German market. The Government wants to liberalise the market of bonds major bus lines. In 1930 to d' qu' des années 1930 liaisons DB that years 1930 liaisons DB links DB des bus 1930, a une was protected from the competition so far It must, in future, share market estimated at between 300 million and EUR 1 billion. More serious, the highest court of the country, the Federal Court, has given successful Abellio operator: now, all regional concessions should be subject to tender. Deutsche Bahn, which carries out the bulk of its profits in the regional transport must therefore resolve to see eroded its current market share of 80.

In this increasingly competitive environment, critics of the Deutsche Bahn claimed a complete change of strategy. A refocusing, after years of relentless expansion, conducted between 1999 and 2009, under the leadership of Hartmut Mehdorn. The latter, named by Gerhard Schröder, is ideal guilty to explain the current difficulties for travellers. It has certainly transformed a rail operator in number two global logistics. Through many acquisitions (Stinnes, Bax, EWS), sometimes paid much expensive, it has doubled the turnover, some 15 to 30 billion euros, in less than a decade. From the outside, a real bulldozer, determined to take advantage of the liberalisation of the European market. But, in his haste to build a "global player", Hartmut Mehdorn would have created market home a "local loser", in the words of the magazine "Die Zeit". He also failed to invest in the network and the fleet. His partial IPO project, ripped from the grand coalition led by Angela Merkel with the Social Democrats, led him to convicted savings. Same Peter Ramsauer, which has been accountable to members of Parliament, admitted. A few months in the stock market finally failed, due to financial crisis. But advocates of a refocused Bahn today's demand for massive disinvestments, to restore the company to the margins of manoeuvre. "For more than a hundred years, you have a division of labour in logistics, argues Christian Böttger, expert of the HTW University of Berlin, side cargo carriers, who have boats, aircraft and trucks, and other donors of order, organize the transport chain.". Deutsche Bahn wants to do everything, but this does not occur, the coordination and organization costs are too high.

However one should not rely on a course of slimming of the company. The current boss of Deutsche Bahn, Rüdiger Grube, should announce late March encouraging results. Turnover, according to our information, has made progress in 2010 to more than 10. The benefit, of 10. The company feels strong. It is - and a good part of personnel policy also - as an important German exporter model part. It is the Bahn accompanying BMW, Volkswagen, Siemens, where are their clients. With respect to the competition... The bus companies should take between 1 and 2 of the market lines: "mini-problème", estimated Potsdamer Platz. The generalization of calls for tender Regional authorities began long competing operators. And the former monopoly has well to fight. The recent agreement of branch, which reconciles the pay practices in regional transport, should limit social dumping. The company promises to invest heavily in new trains in the renovation of the stations.

What can be said, however, is that external growth is gone. Peter Ramsauer well would find it difficult to justify, politically, a new major operation. After all, each exceptional weather episode, it is in the front line. The "Zeitgeist" is to the reduction of the debt. A integration. Return to modesty. To the relief, no doubt the other European operators.