Deutsche Bahn wants RZD to buy 49% stake in PCC
Deutsche Bahn, which paid EUR 450m for Polish freight operator PCC, wants Russian railway monopoly RZD to take almost half of the shares.
A person familiar with the plans told Reuters that RZD would buy the 49 percent stake.
However, such a plan could have political implications as Poland is sensitive to any cooperation deals between its two big neighbours, Germany and Russia, not least for historical reasons.
Warsaw has also expressed serious reservations about the construction of the Nord Stream pipeline, which will transport gas from Russia to Germany directly, bypassing Poland and the Baltic states.
The purchase of PCC was strategically important to Deutsche Bahn because it offers a bridge to eastern Europe and Russia where it wants to expand.
If RZD, which rates itself the world's second-largest railway, does invest, it would also reduce the costs for Deutsche Bahn, Railway Market-CEE Review reports according to RZD-Partner.