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Article: Germany compromises over DB privatisation.(This Month)
- Article from:
- International Railway Journal
- Article date:
- December 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE CEO of German Rail, Mr Hartmut Mehdorn, appears to have won his long battle to privatise the railway, as Germany's coalition government has finally decided to sell up to 49% of its holding in DB. But the privatisation model chosen is a strange compromise between privatisation and state ownership which could lead to a conflict of interests and make life even more difficult for Germany's hard-pressed open-access railfreight operators.
Under the plan, the infrastructure will remain in state ownership, but with the partly-privatised DB appointed infrastructure manager. DB will be allowed to include the infrastructure as an asset in its financial statements. The ...