Article: Responsible authorities
As a natural monopoly, DB Netz AG is assigned to two state authorities: the Federal Railway Authority and the Federal Network Agency.
Apart from the Federal Railway Authority and the Federal Network Agency, some other institutions also carry responsibility for DB Netz AG. Due to the importance of the former two institutions, we describe them in more detail.
Federal Railway Authority (EBA)
The Federal Railway Authority (EBA) is the supervisory and approval authority for the Federal railways and the railway undertakings (RUs) with head offices abroad for the territory of the Federal Republic of Germany. Above and beyond this, the EBA oversees the non-Federal railways that require a safety certificate or a safety approval.
Federal Network Agency (BNetzA)
The Federal Network Agency for Electricity, Gas, Telecommunications, Post and Railways provides information on the German electricity, gas, telecommunications and postal markets, their legal bases, and on important consumer rights in these innovative markets. On 1 January 2006, the Federal Network Agency also assumed responsibility for the supervision of competition in the sphere of railway track networks.
Go