Berlin-Hamburg: Deutsche Bahn closes Germany's top route – DW – 07/31/2025
Starting August 1, Deutsche Bahn's 280-kilometer (174-mile) route linking Berlin to Hamburg will be completely closed for at least nine months. With up to 30,000 passengers daily, it is the most heavily used direct connection in Germany's long-distance rail transport. Around 230 regional, long-distance and freight trains travel daily on the tracks between Germany's two largest cities.
Starting Friday, the intercity passenger trains will have to take a 100-kilometer detour, while freight trains will be rerouted even further. In addition, 170 buses will be deployed daily to continue connecting the towns between Berlin and Hamburg that will be cut off from rail service. Both the construction work and the replacement transport will be complex and potentially prone to disruption.
On Thursday, Deutsche Bahn reported a loss of €760 million for the first half of the year. The company billed this as progress, as losses had been reduced by almost €1 billion compared to the previous year.
"Deutsche Bahn is facing its biggest crisis in 30 years," CEO Richard Lutz admitted in May. "We cannot ensure stable operations on a fault-prone and outdated infrastructure."
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Germany's national rail network covers around 33,500 kilometers (20,800 miles) of tracks. As a state-owned company, the operator Deutsche Bahn is dependent on subsidies from the federal government, which critics say has invested far too little in infrastructure over the last few decades.
In fact, some tracks, junctures and even signal boxes date back to the 19th century. Many systems are completely worn out, almost beyond repair, and now so outdated that they are unusable for digitally controlled rail operations, which are to become standard.
There is no way around completely rebuilding them. The "general renovation" project began in 2024, with a focus on 41 main lines, which have a combined length of 4,200 kilometers and are essential for the operation.
The 70-kilometer line between Frankfurt am Main and Mannheim was the first to be revamped. It was completely closed for six months as tracks and overhead lines were torn out and reinstalled.
The 20 stations along the route, the signaling technology and the sound insulation were also renewed. However, installation of digital technology turned out to be more complicated than expected. Construction costs rose to more than €1.5 billion ($1.73 billion) — twice as much as anticipated.
The Federal Audit Office, which monitors the government's budget management, subsequently accused the Federal Transport Ministry of negligence, arguing that Deutsche Bahn should have been required to prove the economic viability of its actions.
Further renovation funds should only be made available once the Transport Ministry has "proven beyond doubt that they were necessary and economical," the office said.
This led Deutsche Bahn to announce that the general renovation would be extended by six years until 2036.
The company has now significantly scaled back its original construction plans. The number of new passing tracks and switches — which ensure that fast trains can overtake slow ones — has been reduced.
The installation of the European Train Control System (ETCS) has been postponed until the next decade.
The government has pledged additional funds to renovate the rail network, with Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder promising rail infrastructure investments totaling €107 billion by 2029. Most of the money is to come from the debt-financed special fund for infrastructure and climate protection launched at the beginning of the year.
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Currently, only 62% of German trains are considered to be on time — that is, those that arrive within six minutes of their scheduled time. Canceled trains are just as common as trains that don't reach their final destination. When there's a strike, or outside temperatures are very high or very low, there are even more problems.
Traveling by train in Germany requires a lot of time, a lot of patience and strong nerves. Delays of two to three hours are not uncommon. In 2024, Deutsche Bahn had to pay its passengers almost €200 million in compensation, almost €70 million more than the previous year.
The Federal Audit Office has also issued a warning that money alone will not be able to solve the "ongoing crisis" at Deutsche Bahn, and has called for a complete overhaul of the entire company, including an "adjustment of the corporate structure." That would mean unbundling the corporation with its many hundreds of holdings and subsidiaries.
For years, there has also been discussion about separating rail infrastructure from transport, to enable more private companies to enter competition on the railways.
Currently, the auditors have little hope that the railway will soon recover. In its report in May, it concluded that Deutsche Bahn will not be able to meet "transport and climate policy expectations in the foreseeable future."While you're here: Every Tuesday, DW editors round up what is happening in German politics and society. You can sign up here for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing.
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Long-distance arms: German money for Ukraine's combat drones – DW – 08/03/2025
Germany is investing more in the production of Ukrainian weaponry, particularly long-range drones. What is possible, and what are the limits? Apartment buildings in flames and clouds of smoke over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv: Almost every day, Russia attacks the country with drones and rockets. In response, Ukraine is defending itself, including by striking targets deeper inside Russia. It's quite possible that in these long-distance attacks, drones produced with German funds are being used. "This is the beginning of a new form of military-industrial cooperation between our countries, one that has great potential," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said in late May when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Berlin. The two countries' defense ministries signed an agreement back then: Germany would finance long-range weapons but they are to be produced in Ukraine. Two months later, not many details about the arrangement have become public. "The process is ongoing," Mitko Müller, a senior spokesperson for Germany's Ministry of Defense, told DW in late July. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video In June 2024, Denmark became the first NATO member state to get involved in the Ukrainian arms industry. German arms manufacturers are represented in Ukraine, with Rheinmetall, an arms manufacturer headquartered in Düsseldorf, likely the most visible. The industrial giant is expanding its presence there and is engaged in a number of joint ventures. For example, tanks are being manufactured and repaired there and an ammunition factory being built. "We are seeing a huge change in Germany's approach toward Ukraine, a complete opening up," Ihor Fedirko, the chief executive of the Ukrainian Council of Defense Industry (UCDI= told DW. Direct investments by the German government into Ukrainian drone and missile production are still a relative novelty. According to , a German newspaper, Germany intends to fund around 500 An-196 Liutyi drones, one-way attack, unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukrainian media reports suggest that each drone costs around $200,000 (€175,000). The drone was developed as a result of previous cooperation between Turkey and Ukraine. The An-196 Liutyi "was already quite advanced in its development and testing," military expert Gustav Gressel, formerly a senior policy fellow with the European Council on Foreign Relations, explained. A very high proportion of these drones are shot down though, Gressel continued, because they fly fairly slowly, at similar speeds to comparable Russian models. Apart from funds, Ukraine is also hoping for German know-how. "We lack deep-tech technologies," Fedirko explains, referring to cutting-edge engineering. "This affects the component base. Equipped with this kind of knowledge, we could modernize more thoroughly and become more efficient," he said. Germany has these technologies. Currently Ukraine is asking all of its allies for technology that would enable long-range weapons, Fedirko continued. "We're talking about a range of between 500 and 1,000 kilometers," he explains. "Some of them [the weapons] — for example, the deep-strike Liutyi, can already get to targets more than 2,000 kilometers away." Many German defense companies getting more active in Ukraine are startups, mostly based in Bavaria. One example is Quantum Systems, a firm specializing in aerial data and making unmanned aerial systems to collect it. Fedirko describes this as a "best-case scenario" of the kind of cooperation Ukraine wants. Founded in 2015, Quantum Systems has been supplying its Vector reconnaissance drones to the Ukrainian army since 2022. A special feature of the Vector is its ability to take off and land vertically. "We are the only Western company producing reconnaissance drones where they are most urgently needed: on-site in Ukraine," says Sven Kruck, co-chief executive at Quantum Systems. His company employs around 200 people in Ukraine, and it's growing; a second production plant is scheduled to open in September. In mid-July, Quantum Systems announced that it would also acquire a 10% stake in Frontline, a Ukrainian drone manufacturer. It will have the option to increase that stake to 25% over the next year. "Frontline specializes in technical solutions for reconnaissance and strike operations. Its systems are currently used by 41 military units in Ukraine," Kruck explained. "We see potential for cooperation, especially in the development of drone defense." However, he added, his company doesn't plan to get into combat drones. Combat drones are being made by another German company, Helsing. The Bavarian firm has already delivered thousands of drones to Ukraine and, last February, announced a new contract for over 6,000 HX-2 strike drones. According to online publication Defense industry Europe, the HX-2 is "an electrically propelled X-wing precision munition with a range of up to 100 kilometers." Its use of advanced computing also makes it more resistant to electronic warfare. Helsing did not respond to DW's enquiries asking for further details. However, as much as the Ukrainians might be pleased about German funding and investments into drones, demand still far outstrips supply. Gressel argues that Ukraine needs bulk supplies of good quality. These can only be produced cost-effectively inside Ukraine itself. The same argument applies to missiles, such as the Taurus cruise missiles, a weapon the Germans are currently unwilling to supply. However, Gressel suggests that cooperation with German companies might enable some parts to be supplied. That could increase the range of Ukraine's own Neptune cruise missiles, with more energy-efficient engines that could fly further on the same amount of fuel and more accurate sensors, which would help land-based targeting. However, a decision on supplies like that has yet to be made. Germany is not only more willing to invest in Ukraine but also to share knowledge. At the start of the war, there were fears that modern German technology could fall into Russian hands and doubt about the reliability of the Ukrainian military personnel, Gressel explains. That's one of the reasons why Ukraine initially received older weaponry. But that's changed. This is partly due to the fact that Ukraine now produces modern weapons itself and can compete with other manufacturers. "German companies are learning things here that you never get to simulate in peacetime," Gressel notes. For example, Ukraine's combat zone is absolutely packed with jammers, jamming devices and air defense systems, the sort of thing you'd never get anywhere else, not on a NATO training ground, in simulations in Germany, nor in the US. The defense industry recognizes this, Gressel says. Quantum Systems' Kruck can confirm that. "Drone development is a game of cat and mouse," he told DW. "Only those who are on site can adapt to all the constant changes. Our insights from Ukraine flow directly into our product development, which we make available to all our customers worldwide." He sees his company's work in Ukraine as a "flagship project" and wants to encourage others to emulate it. The UCDI's Fedirko would like to see this kind of cooperation go even further. "Germany is a country with typical European bureaucracy," he admits. "So it takes time to get things done. But when the Germans say they're doing something, we Ukrainians know it will get done." 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Inside the EU's stalled plan to penalize Israel – DW – 08/02/2025
For the first time ever, EU officials have threatened to restrict Israeli access to research funds over its conduct in Gaza. But the move is still under review, and many say it is too little, too late as famine looms. Something changed in Brussels over the last few days: After more than a year and a half of urging Israel to end bombardments and blockades of Gaza, the EU took a step toward backing its words with action. "The mood has hardened significantly," one EU diplomat who asked not to be named told DW. With the United Nations warning of a "grave risk of famine" in Gaza, the EU's executive — for the first time — has proposed penalizing Israel by barring Israeli startups from accessing some EU research funds. "With its intervention in the Gaza Strip and the ensuing humanitarian catastrophe, including thousands of civilian deaths and rapidly rising numbers of spreading extreme malnutrition specifically of children, Israel is violating human rights and humanitarian law and thus is in breach of an essential principle of ... EU-Israel cooperation," the European Commission wrote in its proposal on Monday. But the plan isn't over the line yet. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The new proposal hit a hurdle immediately after reached the EU's 27 capitals. Some states, including Germany, were asking for more time to asses the plan, EU diplomats told DW. And without Berlin's backing, the plan is unlikely to advance. On Monday, Israel's Foreign Ministry called Brussels' proposal "unjustified" and claimed any such punitive measures would only serve to "strengthen Hamas." Oxfam's Bushra Khalidi told DW there is now "clearly growing pressure within some pockets of the [EU] Commission, backed by some EU countries, to shift course" toward taking action on Israel. "But let's be clear," she added. "The fact that the EU cannot even agree on the smallest step is a disgrace. The bar is on the floor, and yet the EU and some EU countries are still managing to trip over it." Ever since the militant group's attacks on October 7, 2023, the EU has been united in its condemnation of Hamas — classed as a terrorist organization by the bloc — and in its call for the release of Israeli hostages. Beyond that, however, every statement on the EU's ties with Israel has been fiercely debated across a deeply divided bloc. On one end of the spectrum, there are countries like Spain and Ireland. Since February 2024, Madrid and Dublin have been calling for an "urgent review" into Israeli compliance with the agreement that governs its trade and relations with the EU. On the other end, Hungary is seen as Israel's staunchest EU ally, and has been blocking any measures requiring bloc-wide backing. This includes sanctions on a handful of violent Israeli settlers — in contrast to the UK, an ex-EU member, which approved a similar measure months ago. Berlin has also been seen as a strong Israeli ally. Germany views itself as having a historic responsibility toward Israeli security, due to its Nazi past and its systemic murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust. While the EU remains divided on Israel, first signs of a diplomatic shift came in May of this year, when most of the bloc's 27 members backed Spain and Ireland's year-and-a-half old call to review Israel's compliance with the EU association agreement. The Netherlands was among countries which switched camps and prompted the turning point. Germany stuck to its position and warned against the review, urging dialogue instead. However, Berlin was overruled and the investigation went ahead. The review pointed to a series of suspected Israeli breaches, from blocking aid entry to Gaza and attacking hospitals and journalists, to expanding illegal settlements. In a letter seen by DW, Israel blasted the review as a "moral and methodological failure," claiming the UN reports the review was based on were "anything but impartial." But the EU executive stood by its findings and in June, most EU states asked the bloc's officials to draw up a list of possible punitive measures. According to a leaked internal document seen by DW, that list includes halting visa-free travel for Israeli citizens, restricting student exchanges, banning imports from illegal settlements, and sanctioning some Israeli ministers. Some of the measures — such as sanctions — would require unanimous EU support. Others — such as trade restrictions — only require a rubber-stamp from a weighted majority of EU governments. However, even those measures would need to be endorsed from at least a few of the EU's most populous states — Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland. Armed with these potential options, the EU's top diplomat Kaja Kallas held talks with her Israeli counterpart — and announced what seemed like a breakthrough just days before EU ministers were due to discuss punitive measures. "Significant steps have been agreed by Israel to improve the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip," Kallas said in a statement on July 10. Germany also helped broker the so-called "common understanding." EU officials said Israel's commitments included facilitating a "substantial increase" in trucks entering Gaza and reopening some aid routes. When EU ministers met on July 15, they decided not to advance any steps against Israel, instead asking for regular reports on its compliance with the new deal. Israel's foreign minister called that outcome "an important diplomatic success." "We managed to fend off all types of obsessive attempts by several countries to impose sanctions on Israel in the EU," Gideon Sa'ar wrote on X later that day. But as the month of July went on and warnings of starvation mounted, Brussels' diplomacy option looked less and less effective. "There has been some progress," the EU's humanitarian aid chief Hadja Lahbib said on Friday in a post on X. "But let's be honest: it's still a drop in the ocean. Without access, we cannot properly assess needs or deliver aid." The Israeli government told DW it has "begun implementing significant measures to facilitate humanitarian aid," including "humanitarian pauses," and designating "secure routes" for food delivery. The statement blames the UN and Hamas for the crisis and claims there is "no starvation" in Gaza — despite aid groups' evidence to the contrary. But most European governments say Israeli measures fall far short. Some states including Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain are now openly calling for the EU to go much further and freeze its trade deal with Israel. That would make it more expensive and difficult for Israeli firms to export goods to the EU — Israel's biggest trading partner. "The situation in Gaza is utterly deplorable, and Israel is not fulfilling its most basic obligations and agreed-upon commitments regarding humanitarian aid," Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson wrote on X on Thursday. "Economic pressure on Israel must increase," he added. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Restricting trade is a power that lies with the EU's executive in Brussels, meaning national governments can't take matters into their own hands. But individual EU states have taken other decisions to pile pressure on Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Several countries including Spain and Belgium have restricted arms exports to Israel. And with EU-level sanctions looking unlikely, Slovenia and the Netherlands have also banned two far-right Israeli ministers from entering their territory earlier this month, accusing them of promoting "ethnic cleansing." In a visit to Israel on Thursday, Germany's foreign minister warned his Israeli counterpart that he risked isolation. Capitals across Europe watched the visit carefully — because any shift in Germany's approach could determine whether planned EU penalties will kick in, or remain an empty threat.
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a day ago
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Elon Musk's Tesla ordered to pay $243 million over crash – DW – 08/02/2025
A Florida jury found a Tesla vehicle and its Autopilot software responsible for a fatal crash in the Florida Keys in 2019. The electric vehicle company, helmed by CEO Elon Musk, plans to appeal the decision. A jury in Miami on Friday said Tesla was liable in a 2019 fatal crash in the Florida Keys, and ordered the electric vehicle firm to pay $243 million (€209 million) to the family of a deceased victim and her injured boyfriend. In 2019, a driver in a Tesla Model S went through an intersection and drove into a couple who were standing next to their parked Chevrolet Tahoe. Naibel Benavides Leon, who was 22 years old, was killed in the crash, with her boyfriend Dillion Angulo heavily injured in the collision. The jury said Tesla is partly responsible for the death because its Autopilot technology failed. "Tesla designed Autopilot only for controlled-access highways yet deliberately chose not to restrict drivers from using it elsewhere, alongside Elon Musk telling the world Autopilot drove better than humans," Brett Schreiber, an attorney for the plaintiffs, said after the verdict. Musk, the world's richest person, is Tesla's CEO and largest shareholder. Schreiber said the order "represents justice for Naibel's tragic death and Dillon's lifelong injuries." Tesla will have to pay $200 million in punitive damages, along with 33% ($43 million) of the $129 million in compensatory damages. The driver of the Tesla was looking for his phone after it had fallen to the floor of the vehicle, when the fatal crash occurred. The court argued that the Autopilot system should have been disabled once the driver was distracted. The driver allegedly did not receive any alerts as he ran a stop sign and stop light before hitting the victims' SUV. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Tesla plans to appeal the verdict, and has said the driver is solely responsible for the crash. "Today's verdict is wrong," the electric vehicle company said, while saying it "only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla's and the entire industry's efforts to develop and implement lifesaving technology." Tesla has said that drivers who are using the Autopilot still need to be fully attentive while driving and to keep their hands on the steering wheel. "Autopilot is a driver assistance system that is intended to be used only with a fully attentive driver," Tesla said on its website. "It does not turn Tesla into a fully autonomous vehicle." Tesla stock plunged 1.83% on the NASDAQ after the Miami verdict. It's the first time Tesla was hit with damages after a trial over its vehicles' Autopilot functions, with earlier suits having been dismissed or resolved outside the courtroom.
