This paper, "Citizens' Railway not Stock Exchange railway - the bankruptcy of transport politics" delves into the restructuring of the German railway for profit. It tracks the financial and political incompetence, expediency and mismanagement of a national asset. While the national audit office was prevented from examining the balance sheet, behind the scenes, the reality of the state of the accounts left a lot to be desired. Despite our belief that the German Railways were a well-run, efficient machine, the truth was somewhat different. Since World War 2, some 200,000 km of new roads have been built whereas rail lines were reduced by 15,000 km and more than 6000 stations were closed. Meanwhile, massive investment was made in high speed rail lines suited to journeys of 350+ km. yet 90% of journeys are less than 50 km and the average long distance journey is a mere 230 km. It was hoped that the Green-SPD government would introduce a sensible transport policy. Thus far they have failed. (A)
Samenvatting