Overview
- An analysis published Wednesday found the federal government spent €222 per person on the rail network in 2025, up from €198 in 2024 and €56 in 2015.
- The infrastructure remains weak, with DB InfraGo reporting about 26,000 construction sites in 2025 and assigning the network an overall grade of 3.0, which signals widespread need for renewal.
- The trade group Allianz pro Schiene is calling for a formal multi‑year Infraplan to lock in funding after warning that planned cuts of €1.3 billion in 2027 would undermine progress and planning stability.
- Consultant SCI Verkehr and industry leaders say future spending must prioritize concrete upgrades that increase track capacity, add digital train control and signalling, and harden the network against disruptions rather than simply replacing old assets one‑for‑one.
- The planned market entry of Italo from 2028 and existing private operators raises concerns that profitable long‑distance routes will crowd the network and squeeze regional services, with Deutsche Bahn still carrying about 95 percent of long‑distance passengers (136 million last year); observers point to Swiss and Austrian multi‑year models as alternatives for giving builders and planners predictability.