Why Germany's nationwide rail upgrade faces a five-year delay

Local Germany

4 days ago

With endless disruption, cancellations and old infrastructure, Germany's rail system is in desperate need of a makeover.
Deutsche Bahn last year launched an ambitious project to improve the network. It involves the repair and modernisation of 40 of the most important railway lines in Germany.
But on Wednesday, it emerged that the "corridor refurbishment" was at least four years behind schedule.
The state operator was scheduled to get the project wrapped up by 2031. But the expected completion of the project is now 2035.
Deutsche Bahn revised its outlook at a recent industry event, but says it still needs to finalise the schedule.
"The aim of the industry forum is to develop an adapted proposal for extending the corridor refurbishment programme until 2035," the company announced.
"A further meeting of the forum is planned for July. As soon as the positions of the other transport companies and associations have been incorporated, the responsible railway subsidiary DB InfraGo intends to coordinate and approve a final concept with the federal government."
Why is the refurb delayed?
The initial timetable is said to have been slammed by many, especially in the freight transport sector, as too ambitious. There have also been complaints that diversions to alternative routes have not been sufficiently prepared.
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The conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and its sister party, the CSU, was also sceptical about the concept put forward by former Transport Minister Volker Wissing (a former FDP member).
The coalition agreement drawn up by the new government stipulates that the strategy will be reviewed and possibly adapted.
Deutsche Bahn previously said it had earmarked €16.4 billion to its infrastructure programme, with the aim of renewing about 2,000 kilometres of track and 2,000 points as well as upgrading several stations and bridges.
A Deutsche Bahn ICE (Inter City Express) train departs from Freiburg Central Station towards Switzerland. Deutsche Bahn customers experience frequent delays on connections to Switzerland, and will now need to change trains at Basel on some routes as well. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Philipp von Ditfurth
What is the rail upgrade project?
The aim is to gradually improve punctuality in long-distance transport, which last year was worse than at any time since the railway reform in 1994. Only 62.5 percent of long-distance trains arrived without a delay of six minutes or more. And this figure does not include cancelled trains.
Experts say the main reason for unreliable trains is the dilapidated and overloaded network. Numerous construction sites slow down rail transport on a daily basis.
Of a total of 41 rail corridor upgrades, only one has been completed:
the overhaul of the Riedbahn
between Mannheim and Frankfurt am Main.
This redevelopment was supposed to show that it was possible to close an important route for several months and put it back in operation as a "high-performance line".
However, Christian Böttger, railway expert and professor at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences, takes a critical view of the result of the upgrade, which was largely completed at the end of 2024.
"The main goal of 'punctuality' was missed, but it has become three times as expensive," he told
Spiegel
. "So I don't see it as a great success story."
Furthermore, one of the goals of the project was not actually delivered on schedule – the modernisation of the line with the European Train Control system (ETCS).
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Which routes are affected?
Following the Riedbahn, the
Hamburg-Berlin
route is next on the list. The renovation is set to take place as scheduled from August 1st this year to April 20th 2026.
During much of this time, the tracks will be closed. Long-distance trains between Hamburg and Berlin will be rerouted, while trains between Hamburg and Rostock/Stralsund will be diverted via Lübeck. Some regional trains will run, while other journeys will get a bus replacement service.
The first delays are expected to occur after that. For example, the
Frankfurt-Heidelberg
line is likely to not see an upgrade until 2030 instead of 2027. The
Lübeck-Hamburg
upgrade is set to be postponed by one year to 2028. And in 2028, only four lines are to be refurbished instead of nine, as previously planned.
According to DB's plans, several refurbs have a new scheduled completion date including:
Würzburg-Ansbach-Treuchtlingen
(2029),
Aachen-Cologne
(2029),
Forbach-Ludwigshafen
(2029),
Minden-Wunstorf
(2034) and
Weddel-Magdeburg
(2032).
The last and only refurbishment in 2035 would therefore be the
Flensburg-Hamburg
line.
The lines are set to remain construction-free for at least five years following the rail upgrades.