German government opposes possible move of Deutsche Bahn headquarters
AFX News Limited: 11.29.2005
BERLIN - The German government opposes a possible move of state-owned rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG's headquarters to Hamburg from Berlin.
The move is politically 'unacceptable', said German transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee.
He said he will be discussing the matter with the parties concerned.
According to recent media reports, a move of headquarters to Hamburg is a condition for Deutsche Bahn to acquire majority stakes in local rail firm Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HHA) and port operator Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA).
Deutsche Bahn employs about 20,000 people in the German capital, of whom 800 work at administrative headquarters. The rail operator is also the biggest single employer in Berlin and the surrounding state of Brandenburg.
UPDATE: Deutsche Bahn may move only logistics ops to Hamburg, not entire HQ - report
AFX News Limited: 11.30.2005, 03:49 AMFRANKFURT (AFX) - State-owned Deutsche Bahn AG is considering moving only its logistics operations to Hamburg rather that the entire headquarters, Financial Times Deutschland reported, citing sources close to the company.
The transfer of the logistics division had always been the 'main focus' of the relocation plans, a source told the paper.
The German government said yesterday it opposed a possible move of the Berlin-based headquarters, with transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee calling the plans politically 'unacceptable'.
According to recent media reports, a move of headquarters to Hamburg is a condition for Deutsche Bahn to acquire majority stakes in local rail firm Hamburger Hochbahn AG (HHA) and port operator Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA).