Arriva agrees to takeover by Deutsche Bahn

Cookie_Monster

Link

UK train and bus operator Arriva has agreed to be taken over by Germany's Deutsche Bahn in a deal worth £1.59bn.

The deal is set to create one of Europe's biggest rail and bus transport groups.

Deutsche Bahn runs Germany's national rail services, as well as Chiltern Railways and rail freight services in the UK.

Arriva runs rail and bus services in 12 European countries, including Arriva Trains Wales in the UK.

Deutsche Bahn's chief executive Rudiger Grube said he expected the deal to help his company expand further in Europe, targeting Europe's "increasingly liberalised and fast-growing transport markets" which he said were "of strategic interest to Deutsche Bahn".

Consolidation plans

The German operator is keen to expand beyond its domestic market, where it faces increased competition.

Arriva's chairman Sir Richard Broadbent said the £1.59bn price tag "fully reflects the value of the business".

Shareholders will now be asked to give their approval for the deal.

A takeover of the Sunderland-based company has been on the cards for months amid a trend towards consolidation of the European transport industry.

Arriva's agreement with Deutsche Bahn follows talks earlier this year with France's train operator SNCF, which ultimately broke down.

Deutsche Bahn's Mr Grube said he expected the newly merged group to eventually be one of the few leading transport companies operating in Europe.

Something to distract us from the DubBus announcement. This is a big deal for transport all over Europe, pity they have no operation here to speak of. DB* are already a huge company and now must rank amongst the EUs largest with this purchase if it goes through. Still, having the Germans running things can only be a good thing

Maybe they'll buy and sort out CIE :pac:

*Deutsche Bahn

DWCommuter

A company like Deutsche Bahn would sooner buy bottled farts than a monolithic waste like CIE.

Chris_5339762

I would LOVE to see DB management vs. CIE Unions though. I'd be spectacular.

who the fug

Cowie group are a ****e bus operator, so ****e they changed their name

DWCommuter

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

I would LOVE to see DB management vs. CIE Unions though. I'd be spectacular.

More than spectacular. Absolute carnage.:D

kildarecommuter

DWCommuter wrote: »

More than spectacular. Absolute carnage.:D

I doubt if this would be true,DB is a unionised company in Germany and Im sure Industrial Relations would simply carry on in the normal way.
Im quite sure that the Unions would be very wary of privatisation though.

DWCommuter

kildarecommuter wrote: »

I doubt if this would be true,DB is a unionised company in Germany and Im sure Industrial Relations would simply carry on in the normal way.
Im quite sure that the Unions would be very wary of privatisation though.

But industrial relations in CIE are certainly not "normal".

Fitz Guddentheidt

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Link
Maybe they'll buy and sort out CIE :pac:

*Deutsche Bahn

Im trying to understand you Cookie Monster. You seem to speak with forked tongue: You're on another thread extolling the virtues of Bus Eireann and how they should be protected and here you're saying they should be sold? Make up your mind man and try to use one face at a time!

Cookie_Monster

Fitz Guddentheidt wrote: »

Im trying to understand you Cookie Monster. You seem to speak with forked tongue: You're on another thread extolling the virtues of Bus Eireann and how they should be protected and here you're saying they should be sold? Make up your mind man and try to use one face at a time!

well if you did read the other thread in full, specifically here, you'd see that I am not supporting BE directly, but since that's what we have that's what I'll support. the concept of CIE I support, the practice is a different matter entirely

FlameoftheWest

Chris_5339762 wrote: »

I would LOVE to see DB management vs. CIE Unions though. I'd be spectacular.

It would be worth it in the end though.

FlameoftheWest

kildarecommuter wrote: »

I doubt if this would be true,DB is a unionised company in Germany and Im sure Industrial Relations would simply carry on in the normal way.
Im quite sure that the Unions would be very wary of privatisation though.

I have a freind who drives S-Bahns in Stuttgart and I visited him there once and met his co workers. They were all great guys and TRUE public transport professionals. CIE unions are nothing like this - they are not even public transport workers - they drive trains and punch tickets. I would consider the CIE union culture to be akin to the fishing boat scene from One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest compared to what I witness with the unionised rail staff at DB.

Transportuser09

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

. CIE unions are nothing like this - they are not even public transport workers - they drive trains and punch tickets.

What? 'they drive trains and punch tickets' - that sounds like public transport work to me.

Victor

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Still, having the Germans running things can only be a good thing

Until complacency and greed set in as Berlin commuters found out when they lost half their services because of skimping on maintenance.

kildarecommuter

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

I have a freind who drives S-Bahns in Stuttgart and I visited him there once and met his co workers. They were all great guys and TRUE public transport professionals. CIE unions are nothing like this - they are not even public transport workers - they drive trains and punch tickets. I would consider the CIE union culture to be akin to the fishing boat scene from One Flew Over the Cookoo's Nest compared to what I witness with the unionised rail staff at DB.

Perhaps thats says more about management in DB than the trade unions in IE!

DWCommuter

kildarecommuter wrote: »

Perhaps thats says more about management in DB than the trade unions in IE!

You are right. The management in DB are better than the management in IE. But the union culture in IE is far more greed and personal agenda driven that our comrades in DB.

A Dub in Glasgo

Quite ironic that the various British Governments wanted privatisation and now a vast chunk of rail operations is owned and run by the German state. These companies get plenty of tax payer subsidies as well.

FlameoftheWest

kildarecommuter wrote: »

Perhaps thats says more about management in DB than the trade unions in IE!

Well yeah. A pox on both their houses.

Stonewolf

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

Quite ironic that the various British Governments wanted privatisation and now a vast chunk of rail operations is owned and run by the German state. These companies get plenty of tax payer subsidies as well.

Owned yes, run no and hardly vast as I know a few English people who didn't know who I was on about when I mentioned it (Though it's big enough). DB is fully owned by the German state but actually operates in the private sector.

kildarecommuter

FlameoftheWest wrote: »

Well yeah. A pox on both their houses.

A very constructive comment that!