German state-owned railway operator Deutsche Bahn aims for an initial public offering (IPO) of international passenger transport business Arriva next year, dpa news agency reported, setting a new timetable for the long-mooted flotation plans.

The company would offer a minority stake in Arriva starting in May, dpa reported, quoting Chief Executive Richard Lutz. The rest of the shares would be sold over three years. "We definitely want to go public next year and then sell over a somewhat stretched-out period," the CEO said.

A Deutsche Bahn spokeswoman confirmed the report but declined to give more details. Deutsche Bahn, which has talked about an IPO as long ago as 2016 to help reduce debts, had also sought a private sale. But sources said US buyout group Carlyle and others failed to present bids that met expectations.

Two members of supervisory board told Reuters any listing of Arriva would have to match its book value, which Deutsche Bahn's website put at about 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion). Earlier this year, the Arriva sale was expected to be valued at 3 billion to 4 billion euros.

The board members also said it was still not clear how much Deutsche Bahn would invest in Arriva prior to an IPO and said plans for a listing would not be completed for approval at a board meeting in December.