Deutsche Bahn is pursuing an endeavor of fundamental importance – for the climate, for people, for the economy and for Europe: an endeavor to shift more traffic to rail. And DB's overarching strategy, Strong Rail, will lay the foundation we need to be successful in that endeavor.

In light of climate change and growing traffic volumes, rail will become increasingly important in the coming years. If we want to limit global warming, we will need to shift traffic to climate-friendly rail on a massive scale.

We will also need to find ways to handle growing traffic volumes in Germany. The average car driver in Germany already spends more than 120 hours a year sitting in traffic. If nothing is done to shift traffic to rail, the situation in general and quality of life in particular will worsen, especially in high-population areas.  

As trade volumes rise, freight transport will also grow. The increase is expected to reach more than 20% by 2030, resulting in volumes that will not be feasible for road traffic. In light of these developments, rail freight transport in particular will become increasingly important. Smooth freight transport across European borders is vital to the German and European economy. And rail has more to offer, too: it brings people together across Europe and is thus an important factor in communication and collaboration.

Deutsche Bahn will live up to its responsibility and strengthen rail in Germany – for the climate, for people, for the economy and for Europe.

Specifically, we have set ourselves the following goals: 

For the climate
To reduce carbon emissions by 10.5 million metric tons each year by shifting traffic to rail

For people
To double patronage in long distance passenger transport, and reduce the number of car trips in Germany by 5 million and domestic flights by 14,000 every day

For the economy
To raise the market share of rail freight transport from 18% to 25% – the equivalent of 13 million fewer truck trips per year in Germany

For Europe
To achieve a connected Europe by fostering a strong rail network

Strong Rail means:

• We will remain a leading pioneer in climate protection, offering 100% renewable power by 2038.
• We will double long distance patronage to over 260 million passengers.
• We will add one billion new regional and local passengers.
• We will raise DB Cargo's traffic volumes in Germany by 70%.
• We will work with the German government to expand network capacity by 30%. 
• We will enter a new era with Digital Rail for Germany. 
• We will transform our stations into hubs for pioneering mobility.
• We will hire 100,000 new employees in the coming years.
• We will buy more trains and offer more connections than ever before.
• In everything we do, we will focus on our purpose: building strong rail for Germany.