Crisis at Deutsche Bahn SBB boss: "I suffer with the customers"

SBB CEO Vincent Ducrot has spoken out about the difficulties at Deutsche Bahn (DB) and given his assessment of the problems at DB. The rail boss sees several causes for the major problems in the neighboring country.

Delays, renovation backlog, financial problems: Deutsche Bahn's difficulties are also being noticed in Switzerland. "Your country has a very complex system that is not in a good state," said SBB CEO Vincent Ducrot in an interview with the German newspaper "Tagesspiegel" (Friday edition), adding: "I suffer with the dedicated railroad workers and the customers."

Switzerland is known for its comparatively punctual trains. Since last year, it has been stopping significantly delayed trains from Germany in Basel so as not to disrupt its own operations. The SBB boss explained: "DB is responsible up to the border. From then on, I have to offer my customers a good service." Ducrot's analysis of the railroads in Germany: "Too little has been done for the network. That is paying off today." German politicians are also not doing enough here. "First there was a lot of money for the railroads, then the plan was scrapped, now they are desperately trying to find new funds. We need to secure this in the long term," says Ducrot.

DB Group structure and network problematic

In Ducrot's view, the railroads are not digitalized enough. The head of Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) also believes that the German company's group structure, which divides infrastructure, passenger transport and freight transport into different companies, is a problem. "It's only understandable that people then talk to each other less and look after themselves first," he told the newspaper.