SHARE
COPY LINK

RUSSIA

Russian interest in Deutsche Bahn raises concerns

Interest from Moscow in buying part of German rail carrier Deutsche Bahn when it is partially privatized later this year has drawn skepticism from conservative MPs in Germany's ruling coalition, according to a newspaper report on Thursday.

Russian interest in Deutsche Bahn raises concerns
Yakunin (r) and Bahn CEO Mehdorn in 2007. Photo: DPA

“I think it is by no means a good idea,” Dirk Fischer, transport policy spokesman for the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), told the newspaper Berliner Zeitung.

Fischer, an MP from Hamburg, said Russian interest could be grounded in political and strategic goals and that allowing Russia to buy into the rail carrier could be risky because of the political situation in Moscow.

“They want to enter our market also because of the transport routes,” he said, suggesting that Germany should first seek partners and investment from other European Union members.

Fischer admitted, however, that the German parliament will have little influence on who invests in the Deutsche Bahn. Parliamentary approval is expected later this month for partial privatization of the Deutsche Bahn under a plan approved by Germany’s ruling parliamentary coalition of the CDU, their Bavarian sister party the Christian Socialists (CSU) and centre-left Social Democrats in late April.

Private investors will be able to invest in up to 24.9 percent of the rail unit involved in freight and passenger traffic. Deutsche Bahn’s 34,000 kilometre (21,127 miles) network of tracks, train stations and energy supplies will remain in public ownership.

Vladimir Yakunin, president of RZD Russian railways, expressed interest in Russian investment in the Deutsche Bahn on Wednesday during an international transport conference in the southern Russian city of Sochi.

“This is a good idea, and we have discussed it with (Bahn chief executive) Hartmut Mehdorn,” Yakunin said.

ddp/dpa

TRANSPORT

Copenhagen Metro lines reopen after two-week closure

Lines M3 and M4 of the Copenhagen Metro are back in service having reopened on Sunday, one day ahead of schedule.

Copenhagen Metro lines reopen after two-week closure

The two lines had been closed so that the Metro can run test operations before opening five new stations on the M4 line this summer.

The tests, which began on February 10th, are now done and the lines were running again as of Sunday evening, a day ahead of the original planned reopening on Monday February 26th.

“We are very pleased to be able to welcome our passengers on to our two lines M3 and M4,” head of operations with the Metro Søren Boysen said.

“The whole test procedure exceeded all expectations and went faster than expected and we can therefore get a head start on our reopening now,” he said.

Time set aside for potential repeat tests was not needed in the event, allowing the test closures to be completed ahead of time.

“Several of our many tests went better than expected and we have therefore not used all the time we needed for extra tests,” Boysen said.

The two lines serve around one million passengers every week, according to the Metro company.

READ ALSO: Copenhagen city government greenlights extension to Metro line

The new stops on the M4 line will be located south of central Copenhagen in the Valby and Sydhavn areas. The will have the names Haveholmen, Enghave Brygge, Sluseholmen, Mozarts Plads and København Syd (Copenhagen South).

The M3 and M4 lines, the newer sections of the Metro, opened in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

SHOW COMMENTS