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To date, about 18,500 kilometres of the approximately 33,000 kilometre long network of Deutsche Bahn (DB) have been Fiber Optics ...to be taken care of. The existing lines are not only used by the Group itself, but also supply households and companies with fast Internet access. However, new sections of the route were not developed in the current year, which caused criticism from the opposition in the Bundestag.
"The railway could have used the existing network of routes for laying fibre optic connections much earlier and thus supplied millions of households and companies. There could be delays of years if there are legal proceedings due to the awarding procedure"
Victor Perli (The Left)
Deutsche Bahn has now initiated its tendering procedure, in which companies are being sought throughout Europe to expand the sections of line not yet supplied with fibre optic cable. According to a statement by the Group (PDF) will be completed in seven years.
Deutsche Bahn's own requirements are increasing
Currently, Deutsche Bahn only uses a small part of the existing fibre optic network itself. In the future, however, the company's own requirements will increase significantly because all interlockings are to be operated digitally by 2035. In addition, lines and stations are to be equipped with the digital control technology ETCS (European Train Control System). This requires fast Internet along the rails.
Deutsche Bahn has leased most of the currently existing excess capacity to third parties. To this end, DB Netz was founded in 2019 and has already acquired 18 customers for the dark fiber (unused fiber optic capacities). The customers include telecommunications companies and municipal utilities. DB Netz also leases out passive infrastructure, i.e. cable ducts along the lines where fibre optic cables have not yet been laid by Deutsche Bahn. According to the company, the revenues will be used to further expand the infrastructure.
Fast Internet for rural areas
The expansion of the fiber optic network now planned is also intended to provide companies and households with fast Internet connections, especially in rural areas, in addition to the company's own infrastructure. The plan is to lay 3,300 kilometers of fiber optic cable by 2024 by the railway itself and 8,200 kilometers by potential partners. In the cable routing systems also planned, which are planned along 10,100 kilometers of track, two Cable glass fibre can be laid.
