Deutsche Bahn concluded the first half of 2025 with a substantial loss, the company announced on Thursday. The result after tax amounted to -760 million euros, representing an improvement from the -1.6 billion euro deficit recorded during the first half of 2024. The adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) registered at a loss of 239 million euros.
However, the overall financial picture shifts considerably when factoring in positive one-off effects, primarily stemming from the sale of Schenker. Including these effects, the result after tax surged to 6.9 billion euros. The adjusted group revenue increased by 3.4 percent to reach 13.3 billion euros.
Despite the revenue increase, Deutsche Bahn’s overall performance fell short of expectations. This shortfall is attributed to ongoing challenges with the infrastructure, including a high volume of necessary construction sites and their consequential impact on punctuality. While improvements were noted in this area, 63.4 percent of long-distance trains arrived on time during the first half of 2025, compared to 62.7 percent during the first half of 2024.
The railway company transported approximately 943 million passengers during the period, a rise from the 919 million passengers recorded in the first half of 2024. Passenger kilometers, a measure of the total distance traveled by passengers, increased to 41.9 billion, reflecting a near four percent increase compared to the previous year.