Private company

Deutsche Reichsbahn (GDR)

Logo: Deutsche Reichsbahn der DDR, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

State railway of the German Democratic Republic (1945–1993)

Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR; German pronunciation: lit. 'German Realm Railways') was the state-owned railway in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1949 and 1990, and the New States after German reunification until 1 January 1994. It was operated by the Ministry for Transport and was the largest employer in East Germany. The DR was formed from Deutsche Reichsbahn assets in the Soviet occupation zone as a separate entity from the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) in West Germany.2 It is headquartered in Berlin.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

Sep 1, 1945Founded1
  • Industryrail transport1
  • HeadquartersBerlin1
  • Legal formoff-budget fund1

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Photo: Falk2, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons5

Deutsche Reichsbahn (DR; German pronunciation: [ˈdɔʏtʃə ˈʁaɪçsˌbaːn], lit. 'German Realm Railways') was the state-owned railway in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) from 1949 and 1990, and the New States after German reunification until 1 January 1994. It was operated by the Ministry for Transport and was the largest employer in East Germany.2

Corporate structure

Deutsche Reichsbahn (GDR) sits at the top of its group. 4 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • Deutsche Reichsbahn (GDR) Berlin
    • Reichsbahndirektion Dresden Subsidiary · Dresden, Germany
    • Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt Subsidiary · Germany
    • Reichsbahndirektion Halle Subsidiary · Halle (Saale), Germany

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

Leadership

Who has led Deutsche Reichsbahn (GDR), and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Board members and other officers (4)

Products and brands

The DR was centrally directed according to socialist principles within the context of a centrally-planned command economy. By 1989, 17.2% of the passenger transport volume in the GDR was handled by the DR – three times the market share of the Deutsche Bundesbahn (DB) in West Germany. Fares were fairly cheap, but trains tended to be overcrowded and slow, owing in part to the poor condition of most railway lines in the GDR. The DR did offer a limited number of express trains such as the "Neptun" (Berlin – Copenhagen), "Vindobona" (Berlin – Vienna), "Karlex" (Berlin – Carlsbad), and "Balt-Orient-Express" (Berlin – Bucharest).

From Wikipedia’s article on Deutsche Reichsbahn (East Germany), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

  • Reichsbahndirektion Dresden
  • Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt
  • Reichsbahndirektion Halle

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Sep 1, 1945Acquired Reichsbahndirektion Dresden1
  2. Sep 1, 1945Acquired Reichsbahndirektion Erfurt1
  3. Sep 1, 1945Acquired Reichsbahndirektion Halle1
  4. Succeeded Deutsche Reichsbahn1
  5. Succeeded by Deutsche Bahn1

Timeline

  1. Dec 31, 1993Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. Sep 1, 1945Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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