Competition Report 2006 - Deutsche Bahn AG

The depots handle primarily the maintenance of diesel locomotives, freight wagons and diesel multiple units.
Heavy and regional maintenance services are provided
by companies which do not belong to Deutsche Bahn at
around 140 diff erent locations in Germany. Most of
these depots are run by non-Federal railway undertakings,
rolling stock companies, small maintenance
depots and depots run by municipal transport operators.
They provide stationary and mobile services for
the railway undertakings which operate in Germany.
This was revealed by a recent study conducted by SCI
Verkehr, confi rming the fi ndings of a study conducted
in October 2003.
72 of these depot locations are run by non-federal
railway undertakings, which thus make up the largest
group of non-DB depot operators in Germany. This is
because the railway companies wish to exert their own
infl uence on the maintenance of their rolling stock.
Moreover, those railway undertakings which perform
their own maintenance have the best opportunities to
monitor compliance with their duty to ensure the safety
of their fl eet.
Locations aff ected by market circumstances
In terms of the regional distribution of the 140 depot
locations, the highest density is in North Rhine-Westphalia,
Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony and Saxony-
Anhalt. Only comparatively few companies run depots
in Bavaria alongside those of Deutsche Bahn.
Special Areas of Discussion
Germany-wide maintenance depot network
The railway undertakings operating in Germany have access to a functioning market for the maintenance of
rolling stock. This was confi rmed by a recent study conducted by the market research company SCI Verkehr,
which specialises in the rail sector.
In terms of the vehicle types involved, locations which
provide maintenance services for diesel locomotives
(approx. 90) are dominant, followed by depots for
freight wagon maintenance (almost 70) and diesel
multiple units (more than 60).This refl ects the present
competition situation, i.e. that competitors of Deutsche
Bahn are particularly active in the freight and
regional rail markets, where they are continuously
expanding their market shares. Diesel locomotives (rail
freight transport) and diesel multiple units (regional
transport) are predominantly used in these market
segments. The almost 70 locations for freight wagon
maintenance, on the other hand, can be attributed to
the high share of private ownership in the total freight
wagon fi gures. The survey conducted by SCI Verkehr
among the service providers revealed that the range of
services off ered by many of the depots can be adapted
to meet changing customer requirements. Changes in
the rail transport market will thus also aff ect the depot
locations and the range of products and services they
off er.
The study by SCI Verkehr proves that the railway
undertakings which operate in Germany have access
to a Germany-wide network of maintenance depots.
There are no apparent market access barriers, especially
as Deutsche Bahn, too, runs some 100 depots where
it also performs maintenance for other railway undertakings,
rolling stock owners and the rail industry.
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