(Berlin, May 22, 2007) Deutsche Bahn AG continued to grow in the first quarter of this year. Revenues and volumes sold rose once again during this period. All business units contributed to this positive development. “The first three months are traditionally the weaker months for business at Deutsche Bahn, so this excellent development is even more welcome,” said CFO Diethelm Sack during the company’s presentation of the figures in Berlin. “Although not all of the numbers are in yet, the positive trend continued in April,” he added.
Comparable revenues of the DB Group rose by € 433 million during the first quarter of 2007 in contrast to the same year-ago period, to a total of € 7.54 billion (previous year: € 7.11 billion), or a gain of 6.1 percent. The Transportation and Logistics division posted an increase of € 320 million, or eight percent, rising to about € 4.3 billion. DB subsidiary Schenker reported nine percent growth.
The DB rail passenger transport segment also continued its upward trend, posting a 3.2 percent gain in volumes sold. Growth was strongest in the DB long-distance transport segment, with a gain of 4.1 percent in passenger transport, attributable to factors including the ongoing success of special offers and additional traffic due to new and expanded service on the Nuremberg–Ingolstadt–Munich route. DB Regional posted a gain of 3.1 percent in volumes sold in the first quarter. This growth was achieved despite further losses of tenders for lines to third parties.
Rail freight transport also continued its upward trend in the period from January to March 2007 after experiencing double-digit growth last year. Volume at DB subsidiary Railion rose by 4.6 percent, buoyed by factors including the ongoing good economic conditions in the steel industry. All told, volumes sold in all Group business units rose by four percent, for a total of 42.92 billion passenger ton-kilometers (Ptkm), a gain of 1.64 billion Ptkm.
Group profit has also seen positive development, according to CFO Sack: “We are right on schedule.” In late March, DB AG posted EBIT of €2.14 billion for 2006, adjusted for special items, and predicted a slight increase in EBIT for the current financial year.