Train drivers donate money to children's hospice

DB Cargo train drivers at Gremberg in Cologne are making a big-hearted gesture: after winning a prize for energy-efficient driving, they have decided not to spend their prize money of EUR 5,000 on an expensive team event but are instead donating it to a good cause. The money went to the Balthasar hospice for children and teenagers in Olpe. The organisation cares for young people with incurable medical conditions and provides their families with support.

When it opened in 1998, the hospice was the first of its kind for children in Germany. It expanded in 2009 by adding facilities for teenagers and young adults – once again, this was a pioneering move and saw the institution address the things that had been lacking at hospices providing adult care.

Hospice manager Rüdiger Barth is delighted by the donation: "It is fantastic to see that people want to support us however they can. The money donated by the train drivers at DB Cargo's Gremberg base will help us continue to be a second home to families who need us."

Jan Schmidt is team leader of the Gremberg train drivers: "The members of staff have shown a great sense of responsibility and done a lot for sick children, teenagers and their families. It is difficult to find enough praise for this gesture." Together with his colleagues, Schmidt took part in Deutsche Bahn's Germany-wide competition for energy-efficient driving. The team achieved second place.

Rail is already the most environmentally friendly way to transport freight. DB Cargo is nevertheless doing everything it can to further improve its carbon footprint. By the end of this year, it wants to upgrade all of its 650 electric locomotives with an assistance system that promotes power-efficient driving. By 2030, it also aims to halve its specific CO₂ emissions, i.e. emissions per person and tonne, compared to 2006 levels.