EU: Restrictions on Deutsche Bahn Railway power lifted

The European Commission found Friday that measures agreed with Germany’s dominant rail operator, Deutsche Bahn, in 2013 had succeeded in opening up the railway energy market to competitors, and therefore lifted the restrictions earlier than planned.

The issue dates back to an inquiry by the commission, the European Union’s competition watchdog, into concerns that a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn was providing discounted energy to power its trains, thus hindering competition.

The commission closed the investigation in 2013, when Deutsche Bahn offered concessions to remedy the situation.

Specifically, DB Energie agreed to grant other electricity providers access to its network supplying traction current – which is different from regular electricity – and to change its pricing system, for a period of five years.

These measures have since allowed several competitors to enter the German railway traction current market, the commission said Friday.

“The growth in the level of competition in the German railway power supply market confirms that the commitments were successful at remedying our competition concerns,” EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said in a statement.

Full content: New Europe

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