Deutsche Bahn has sold many train stations in recent years.
(Photo: imago images/Jan Huebner)
Frankfurt Deutsche Bahn is stopping the sale of its own station building, which has repeatedly been criticized by associations. “Train stations are the gateway for travelers to the train, their buildings and forecourts are a place’s calling card,” said the group’s new infrastructure director, Berthold Huber, of the DPA news agency: “They have to be friendly and inviting. That’s why we’re stopping the sale of our reception buildings.”
In the future, Deutsche Bahn intends to further develop the areas together with the cities and municipalities. Bahn cites Halle, Cottbus and Saarlouis as good examples of such further development.
The decision to keep the reception building after all is an indicator that the new Infrastructure Director Huber wants to do things differently from his predecessor Ronald Pofalla. The entire rail infrastructure in Germany is considered ailing and has been slowing down the planned growth of Deutsche Bahn and private providers for months. Pofalla is also held responsible for this.
Huber has a mammoth task ahead of him. Because at the same time he has to accompany the restructuring of the infrastructure subsidiaries. DB Netz and DB Station & Service are to become a society geared towards the common good. Huber also describes the conversion of the railway stations owned by the railways as “in the interests of the common good”.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Around 700 stations are affected, which will now remain with Deutsche Bahn. According to an official company statement, “a few properties” are excluded from the sales freeze, especially those for which Deutsche Bahn has already entered into “contractual or pre-contractual commitments” with the municipalities.
Criticism from the Pro-Rail Alliance
The Pro-Rail Alliance in particular had criticized the planned sale of Deutsche Bahn station buildings. “Too many of the reception buildings sold are in an unsatisfactory condition today, many can no longer be used for travelers and there is no overview of who now owns which building,” explained Dirk Flege, Managing Director of the Pro-Rail Alliance at the time.
The association now welcomes the change of course – as Deutsche Bahn itself describes the change in strategy. “Railway stations serve the public interest and are crucial to get more people to switch to the trains,” said Flege of the dpa. However, not only Deutsche Bahn is required here, but also the federal government, “which has to make financial efforts to make the buildings fit for the future”.
According to the railways, 2,300 of around 3,500 station buildings have been sold so far. Around 500 of these properties have been transferred to local authorities and the rest to private investors. According to Bahn, the company parted with the reception buildings because they were difficult to maintain.
More: Deutsche Bahn is delayed more often than it has been in years