Germany’s ailing railway hints at longer upgrade times on key lines

Construction work to modernize Germany’s crumbling railway network may take several years longer than initially planned, national operator Deutsche Bahn said on Wednesday.

Deutsche Bahn has begun to refurbish more than 40 key lines, with work on the last section originally set to finish in 2031.

But the operator has now pushed back the finish line by several years, aiming to complete the work in the mid-2030s, according to a letter by the operator’s subsidiary responsible for infrastructure, DB InfraGo, sent to other transport firms.

Deutsche Bahn also plans to reduce the number of modernization projects to four to five per year, having decided to adjust the timetable following feedback from the construction and railway sectors, the operator said upon request.

A final decision on the new plans is set to be taken following consultations with industry representatives as well as local and government officials, it said.

The thorough modernization of Germany’s railway network, plagued by delays and cancellations, was launched under former transport minister Volker Wissing during the tenure of the previous centre-left administration.

The new conservative-led government, which took office in early May, is backing the plans in principle, with new Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder telling the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland media group that there was “simply a need for action, especially on congested routes.”

“But we are taking a close look at the effects,” he said cautioning that rail customers should not be overburdened by the extent of the refurbishing work.

Last year, Deutsche Bahn fully modernized the railway corridor between Mannheim and the financial hub Frankfurt, with work scheduled to continue on the key line between Hamburg and Berlin this year.