Arbitration processes for the Rastatt Tunnel

In September 2017, DB Group and the Rastatt Tunnel working group agreed to conduct an evidence-gathering and arbitration procedure to clarify the causes and the associated responsibility. The process was suspended on a provisional basis for settlement negotiations between the parties on the basis of an interim report from the technical arbitration expert on the causes of the accident and a proposal from the legal expert on the allocation of responsibilities. However, an agreement on the mutual claims arising from the construction project (including the consequences of the accident) could not be reached due to differing views on the amount of the mutual claims, and these settlement negotiations have been terminated as a result. The structural work on the tunnel is now fully complete, and the working group will submit the final invoice shortly. On this basis, the parties will resume negotiations toward an overall agreement. Settlements were concluded with the TOCs affected by the line closure as a result of the accident (in consultation with the working group and its insurance companies).