DB posts notable gains in first half 2010 / New measures to improve quality

Freight transport and logistics business rebound / Passenger transport stable / Dr. Rüdiger Grube: Additional Customer and Quality Initiative measures announced

Berlin - Deutsche Bahn posted notable gains in the first half of 2010. Above all, the Group’s freight transport and logistics businesses, which had been significantly affected by the previous year’s crisis, benefited from the global economic recovery. Revenues recorded for the DB Group in the first half of 2010 rose by more than € 1.8 million over the same year-ago period to € 16.1 billion, for a gain of 12.8 percent. Adjusted results from operations (adjusted EBIT) rose by 26.1 percent to € 846 million in comparison to the same year-ago figure. During the Interim Results Press Conference held in Berlin, DB CEO and Chairman of the Management Board, Dr. Rüdiger Grube, stated: “We are back on track for growth. These gains are not only due to the recovering economy. The support given by all of our executive staff and employees to the measures we took to improve cost structures made a major contribution towards these good figures.”

Grube announced that DB will launch a series of measures in the coming years to improve quality. He mentioned a specific example in Berlin: by the end of 2011 financial support from the government’s economic stimulus program will make it possible to install dynamic signage units at about 2,800 locations in stations across Germany. Located on train platforms, the units will provide information about changes in scheduled train services visually via an electronic ticker display, and audibly via loudspeakers. Within the framework of the Customer and Quality Initiative launched by DB, these information systems will additionally be installed in stations across Germany. This step represents an additional investment of € 21 million. Grube further stated: “There is no question that we must improve our service and quality. The Management Board will present additional elements of our Customer and Quality Initiative in September.”

During the first half of 2010 net debt was further reduced by € 151 million to currently € 14.9 billion. Chief Financial Officer Dr. Richard Lutz stated: “Once again we were able finance our capital expenditures from our cash flow and reduce our debt. This is a further example of the financial stability and performance that DB has stood for since years. And this reliability also creates maneuvering room to make future investments.” As of June 30, 2010 Deutsche Bahn AG had nearly 240,000 employees or almost 3,000 more than in the same-year period.

Total number of passengers traveling by DB trains and buses rises

In contrast to the same year-ago period the number of passengers traveling in the Deutsche Bahn’s trains and buses increased by 13.3 million to 1.36 billion. The rail passenger transport segment declined slightly by 0.4 percent, or 4 million, to 954 million recorded passengers. While long-distance transport noted a gain of 1.1 million passengers (plus 1.9 percent) and DB Urban Transport added 12.7 million passengers (plus 3.5 percent), DB Regional reported a decline in recorded passengers of about 5.9 million (minus 0.7 percent). The main reason for the drop was tenders that had been lost in previous years. This reflects the effects of competition in the regional transport section, which was expressly desired by policymakers, on Deutsche Bahn’s balance sheet. DB CEO Grube: “Against this background we can see just how important the acquisition of Arriva will be for us. It will enable us to successfully assert ourselves during the consolidation process in the European transport markets even if we lose market share in our domestic business.”

Volumes sold in rail passenger transport rose in the first half of 2010 by 2 percent to 38.1 billion passenger kilometers. During the first half of 2010 the number of persons traveling via Deutsche Bahn buses rose by 408.7 million, or 17 million more than in the same year-ago period (plus 4.4 percent). Volumes sold in the bus segment increased by 136 million passenger kilometers, or 2.9 percent, to 4.8 billion passenger kilometers.

Transport and Logistics post strong growth

DB’s freight transport business recorded a substantial gain. During the first six months of the year the volume of freight carried via rail freight transport rose by 58 million tons to 203 million tons thereby expanding by 40.1 percent. Volumes sold during the same period climbed by 8.3 billion ton kilometers to 52.6 billion, or 18.8 percent more than in the same year-ago period. The freight forwarding and logistics areas of business also reported notable gains. The number of shipments in the European land transport segment increased by 39.4 million, or 14.6 percent. Volumes recorded for the air freight segment expanded in the first half by 131,000 tons to 586,800 tons, or a gain of 28.6 percent. At the same time ocean freight volumes grew by 150,000 TEU to 800,100 TEU for an increase of 23.1 percent.

Demand for train-path continues to rise

Increased volumes of freight transport generated higher demand for train-path. Accordingly, DB Netze Track recorded an increase of 2.9 percent, or
14.3 million train-path kilometers (Trkm) in demand during the first six months of 2010 to 508.5 million Trkm. Non-Group railways further increased their share of demand for train-path by two percentage points to 19 percent from 17 percent.

Note for editors:

An electronic press kit with TV footage will be available today for television editors as of 9:30 a.m., as well as material with original sound from the Interim Results Press Conference as of 2:00 p.m. Please contact Ms. Nadja Souza da Silva or Ms. Antje Klenner at +49 30 34 74 74 332 to obtain this material. Additional information is available at: www.deutschebahn.com/interimreport.