Now the Cartel Office is also calling for the railroad to be broken up
The Monopolies Commission has long been in favor of splitting up the rail group. Now it is receiving support from the head of the Cartel Office, Mundt: "Deutsche Bahn has many subtle ways of hindering competition. That should be changed." Deutsche Bahn is not amused.
Following the Monopolies Commission, the Federal Cartel Office has also spoken out in favor of more competition on the railroads and called for a separation of the rail network and rail operations. "Deutsche Bahn has many subtle ways of hindering competition. This should be changed," said Andreas Mundt, President of the Federal Cartel Office, to the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" newspaper.
"More competition on the railways is good," Mundt continued. A separation of network and operations is the right model. The restructuring and creation of an infrastructure company for the common good within the rail group decided by the Federal Government could only be the first step.
The Monopolies Commission, which advises the Federal Government on competition issues, has been calling for a split-up of the rail group for some time. According to these ideas, the company should be divided into infrastructure and transportation divisions. The operators of the infrastructure and the users of this infrastructure should be strictly separated from each other. The Federal Government's reform package is "sensible", but does not go far enough, according to the Monopolies Commission.
The Cartel Office is already arguing with Deutsche Bahn about competition issues. These include traffic data on delays and train cancellations, which Deutsche Bahn is withholding from third-party providers, and how to deal with mobility platforms that sell tickets for Deutsche Bahn. The negotiations are "tough", Mundt told the SZ. He demanded that Deutsche Bahn put an end to the restrictions on competition.
Deutsche Bahn: Nowhere in Europe is there more competition
Deutsche Bahn criticized the attitude of the Cartel Office. There are "over 400 railroad companies active" on the rail network, a spokesperson said. "Nowhere else in Europe" is there more competition on the railways.
Deutsche Bahn also complies with applicable law, it said, referring to the passing on of real-time data. However, Deutsche Bahn considers the decision to impose requirements for ticket sales via online sales platforms to be unlawful and is taking legal action against it. This would lead to "us having to use sales partners that we do not need and then having to pay these partners a commission for the unwanted services" - this is contrary to market economy principles.
Despite Deutsche Bahn's claims of extensive competition on the railways, the Federal Cartel Office and the Monopolies Commission argue for further measures, such as separating the rail network and operations, due to Deutsche Bahn's alleged subtle ways of hindering competition. Antitrust law and monopoly concerns are at the heart of these discussions.
Source: www.ntv.de
