THE FREIGHT RAILWAYS fear even slower rail expansion

Although the traffic light coalition wants to provide significantly more money for rail infrastructure, paradoxically, the expansion of the rail network could become even slower. In 2023, DB did not put a single new construction kilometer into operation. DER SPIEGEL reported in its latest issue about the halt and the stretching of ongoing projects and plans due to lack of funds.

(Berlin) The government has not only shrunk the previous mini-budget for network expansion. It seems that the additional billions announced in March 2023 by Klingbeil, Lang, and Lindner will not finance any network expansion either. “The government must act solidly and consistently. To achieve the climate protection goals in transport by relieving the roads, six billion euros per year for expansion alongside renovation will be needed in the medium term. These should flow into a multi-year fund modeled after Switzerland. ‘There is no lack of money in Germany. Highways should continue to be expanded. What is lacking is the will to tackle the political goal of shifting traffic in a realistic manner and to divert money and planning capacities from road construction,’ criticizes Peter Westenberger, managing director of the FREIGHT RAILWAYS.

First and foremost, it is the merit of the Federal Minister of Transport to have also won the Federal Minister of Finance and the FDP overall for the financing task of the rail network. Now he should explain why the legal mandate for the expansion of the network should be void and why the network renovation is becoming more expensive in parallel. ‘The federal government and its supposedly public welfare-oriented DB InfraGO AG must do both – expand and renovate. And above all, they must finally create transparency. We feel mocked when a comprehensive InfraPlan is announced, but everything has already been fixed behind closed doors – and at the lowest level,’ says Westenberger.

Net significantly shrunk rail network

The net rail network, which has been significantly shrunk for decades, can no longer cope with the previous growth. At the same time, more traffic and goods are to be shifted to the rail. The Bundestag and Bundesrat have issued a comprehensive mandate to the government and DB for new and expansion with the Federal Railways Expansion Act, which was passed in 2016 and expanded in autumn 2023, and the included “demand plan“. ‘This is obviously not being taken seriously,’ says Westenberger. In the federal budget for 2024, there are still 1.7 billion euros for this purpose. ‘This is, to put it bluntly, almost nothing nationwide. By comparison: Austria, which is four times smaller, is expanding its rail network with 2.2 billion euros per year.’

Investments in the existing network are unavoidable

Investments in the replacement of outdated facilities in the existing network, which spans 33,000 kilometers, are unavoidable. Due to decades of neglect of the rail in car-centric Germany, this task has become enormous – both organizationally and financially. Westenberger: ‘When dilapidated bridges, tracks, and overhead lines are replaced, the stability of the timetable increases and the repair and maintenance costs decrease. However, this does not mean that more trains can fit on the route.’ More track capacity can be achieved to a limited extent through some additional measures. However, to be able to run significantly more trains, the new and expansion of tracks and facilities is the only option.

Relief projects come under additional pressure to save

Among other things, the new and expansion are indispensable for the renovation of corridors that have been fully closed for months. During the closure of the Hamburg-Berlin route, planned by DB Netz AG for the second half of 2025, freight trains from Hamburg to Berlin, Poland, the Czech Republic, and further towards Southeast Europe are to be diverted via Uelzen, Lehrte near Hanover, and Magdeburg. A good preliminary measure would have been the restoration of the second track between Stendal and Uelzen and the electrification of the third track between Berlin and Stendal. Both projects have been in planning for a long time and have not been prioritized by the planning DB so far. Now, these also permanently sensible relief projects are additionally under pressure to save.

Photo: © Loginfo24

Graphic: © THE FREIGHT RAILWAYS