But the BNetzA, which started overseeing railways only in 2006, is understaffed and dogged by political interference, says Michael Holzhey of KCW, a consultancy.

ECONOMIST: German railways

Two railway watchdogs, the Eisenbahnbundesamt (EBA) and the Bundesnetzagentur (BNetzA), try to keep DB on the rails, by checking how it manages such conflicts of interest as it allocates routes, sets timetables and schedules repairs.

ECONOMIST: German railways