Trade fair transport logistic DB Cargo wants to grow again

DB Cargo wants to outgrow the market in 2018, said CEO Jürgen Wilder at the transport logistic trade fair in Munich. Last year, a lot of effort has been made to fundamentally improve DB Cargo’s situation. First effects as eg. Punctuality have been noticeable. However, to reach the goal of transferring more goods to the rails, basic conditions must also be adjusted from a political point of view. “I hope the discussion will be pushed forward,” said the railway freight company director, also in regard to track prices.

In 2016/2017, DB Cargo achieved a negative outcome of 81 million euros. In the current year, the German transport performance has stabilized after a decrease of approximately three percent in 2016, Wilder declared. The plan is to reach an annual growth of two to three percent by 2021. A significantly improved punctuality and halving of the number of standing trains are also positive.

Higher growth predicted for intermodal sector
While DB Cargo is still strong in the montane sector, higher growth will start to show in the intermodal sector, predicted Wilder, who wants to develop the company to a “digital freight station”. DB Cargo must invest more than 1.5 billion euros in the future of rail freight transport by 2022. 500 million euros shall thereby be spent on locomotives, 400 million euros on digital transformation, 400 million euros on wagons and 200 million euros on other tangible assets.
“We must keep up with the new trends on the road,” emphasized Wilder, thereby also addressing developments like platooning or trolley trucks. The railway is doing their homework, but an additional effect resulting from changes in basic political conditions must be added. By now a cross-party consensus exists at talks about the condition of freight trains in Europe. After all, track prices rose while road toll prices sank. “We want to at least earn our investment costs back,” said the DB Cargo-boss.