Deutsche Bahn postponed to 2070

At least twice as many people as before should use the train as a means of transport in the future. This should relieve the roads and help Germany achieve the climate goals.

For this purpose, the “Rail Alliance for the Future” was established in 2028. The old federal government brought Deutsche Bahn on board, as well as private railway companies and industry.

In a joint effort, it should be possible to strengthen the railway as a means of transport. The year 2030 had been announced as the target date, which was far too optimistic even then

The so-called Deutschlandtakt was intended to make rail travel more punctual and faster. Connections should become more direct and reliable.

In the meantime, the actual goal is still being discussed. The date, however, has been pushed back significantly. As the Federal Commissioner for Rail Transport, Michael Theurer from the FDP, now admits, the Deutschlandtakt will be implemented “in the next 50 years as a project of the century”. It was “always very clear that this would take decades,” he claimed ZDF.

Hardly anyone will deny that the time horizon initially mentioned was far too ambitious. After all, it’s not just about better coordinating timetable planning.

Instead, it is important to eliminate structural weaknesses. They exist in large parts in dilapidated or simply non-existent rail networks. In fact, such infrastructure projects take many years, simply because of their planning and approval processes.

So it’s really not surprising that the government is realistically adjusting the time horizon. Rather, it is surprising how naturally this happens. After all, the traffic turnaround is one of the central projects of the traffic light coalition.

Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) declared rail-related issues to be a “top priority” six months ago. It seems to be more rhetoric than an action-oriented statement.

According to the former Federal Commissioner for Rail, Enak Ferlemann (CDU), little has happened so far. In view of the increase in construction costs and inflation, “the budgets are no longer sufficient,” he complains.

Deutsche Bahn also confirms that investments of around 60 billion euros would be required to bring the rail network in Germany to a level that could meet the ambitions.

In addition, the dispute between the Greens and the FDP should not be good for progress in terms of the Germany clock. Because while the Greens are demanding “right of way for the train”, the FDP wants to prevent the German economy from being damaged by excessive cuts in cars.