DB InfraGO

At the end of December 2023, the merger of DB Netz AG and DB Station&Service AG into one common-good oriented rail infrastructure company became effective. Since then, DB Netz AG has been trading under the name DB InfraGO AG. The name is an abbreviation of “Infrastruktur Gemeinwohl­Orientiert” (infrastructure oriented towards the common good). DB InfraGO AG remains part of DB Group. From the 2024 financial year, the existing DB Netze Track and DB Netze Stations business units will be merged into the new DB InfraGO business unit; this will be the last report in which they are reported separately.

The condition of the rail infrastructure is currently not fulfilling requirements in terms of quality and capacity. Since the rail reform in 1994, volume produced has increased by 28%, while the network has shrunk by 17% (based on length of line operated in km). Especially in metropolitan areas, the condition of the network and stations cannot stand up to the high utilization. Disruptions and construction works occur and punctuality suffers massively. The rail network and stations must be urgently modernized and the quality improved. At the same time, reliable and long-term secured funding is essential to counter the backlog of capital expenditures.

Following a critical inventory, DB Group and the Federal Government have now jointly launched the largest infrastructure program in the history of DB Group and instituted DB InfraGO AG. DB InfraGO is clearly oriented towards the common good. This means that operation and expansion of the rail infrastructure are consistently geared to the needs of citizens, the economy and the environment. The Federal Government and DB Group want to fundamentally change the operation, financing and control of the infrastructure and to establish a new cooperation model: the Federal Government is formulating clear political objectives for the infrastructure that are oriented towards the common good, and ensuring their financing. DB InfraGO AG implements these targets efficiently and transparently, based on the available funding as a commercial enterprise. Orientation towards the common good and economically driven actions therefore go hand in hand.

Seven central measures were identified to renew and modernize the infrastructure:

• Development of a high-performance network and the necessary general modernization of highly utilized corridors.
• Rapid capacity expansion through implementation of small and medium-sized measures such as the installation of additional switches or the creation of track change facilities.
• Digitalization of the rail system, including by equipping lines with ETCS.
• Development of stations of the future and the station environment, with options for onward mobility.
• Capacity increases thanks to new and expanded service facilities, such as additional tracks.
• Targeted construction and expansion of lines where additional capacity requirements are foreseeable in the future.
• Further electrification of the rail network.

2023 was marked by intensive preparations for this upheaval: together with all parties involved in politics and the industry, we set the course for a smooth transition. The basis for the orientation towards the common good is a comprehensive package of reforms and an overall program of renewal and modernization that covers the entire rail infrastructure.