The criticism of the planned savings at the railway continues: associations are calling for reliable long-term financing of modernization projects. “The expansion of the rail network according to the budget situation and the mood of the day must be stopped,” said the head of Allianz Pro Schiene, Dirk Flege, to the “Tagesspiegel” (Monday). Because of the budget crisis, the railway also has less money available and wants to concentrate first on renovating the network instead of building new and expanding routes.
For greater planning security, Flege suggested a multi-year fund for rail expansion. Other rail associations such as Pro Bahn and the freight railways also advocate for this. Flege spoke out in favor of a financially backed expansion plan for at least five years.
The associations are also calling for spending in the transport budget to be re-prioritized. “We propose a reallocation of funds from road construction,” demands Detlef Neuß, chairman of the Pro Bahn passenger association. Existing money should therefore be used for rail instead of roads.
The rail network can no longer cope with the growth, warned the freight railway association. According to the announcement, managing director Peter Westenberger said that the new federal budget would provide 1.7 billion euros for new construction and expansion. “To put it bluntly, that’s almost nothing across Germany. For comparison: Austria alone, which is four times smaller, is expanding its rail network with 2.2 billion euros per year.”
Reaction of traffic lights and trains
Traffic light politicians emphasized that it was only a matter of prioritizing over time. The focus is on bringing the core network into a good and resilient condition. “But that doesn’t mean that expansion and new construction projects will be eliminated,” said SPD parliamentary group deputy leader Detlef Müller. The FDP transport politician Valentin Abel said: “Investments in the railways remain at record levels.”
Deutsche Bahn also made it clear: “There are no plans to cancel individual projects.” Due to the difficult budget situation at the end of last year, it was necessary to review the timing of the projects at short notice, the company announced in Berlin. “Projects that are already under construction will continue unchanged.” For all other projects, planning would continue to avoid delays until financing was fully clarified.
