While Deutsche Bahn is well established in Germany and offers a variety of routes for passengers, the company regularly faces criticism from travelers regarding
. As of March 2024, around 92 percent of Deutsche Bahn trains had a maximum delay of almost 6 minutes.
increased to roughly 1.84 billion in 2023, picking up after the coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions of 2020 and 2021. However, these numbers were still noticeably lower than in pre-pandemic years.
numbers also grew, exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels with around 107.9 million in 2023. The ICE (Intercity Express) is currently the fastest type of train owned by the Deutsche Bahn. The company operates not only passenger transport, but also railway freight.
The German railway
Deutsche Bahn trains follow both national and international routes, with the company being the largest railway enterprise in Central Europe. It is Germany's main railway company, owned by the German government. The enterprise started operating in 1994, as a result of combining the previous two government railway companies existing before Germany's reunification in 1990 - Deutsche Bundesbahn (in Western Germany) and Deutsche Reichsbahn.
Over time, the
most profitable business field proved to be DB Schenker, dealing with logistics and supply chain management. Deutsche Bahn is also a major employer in Germany and around the world, with around 292.4 thousand
employees recorded most recently.
Into the future
Deutsche Bahn has not had an easy time in 2023 and 2024, with several national and regional strikes having taken place due to employee dissatisfaction with salaries and working conditions. Meanwhile, passengers are finding themselves planning more train routes and even vacations via the Deutsche Bahn, after the German government introduced the so-called
Deutschlandticket in spring 2023. This is a public transport ticket that is valid for public transportation across the country. Since the scheme includes regional trains, buses, and subways, getting around a destination becomes much easier once reached, as no additional local tickets need to be bought. While this ticket contributes to travel enthusiasm in the country, the Deutsche Bahn infrastructure still needs a massive technical and mechanical overhaul in order to be able to satisfy customer demand long-term.
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