More money for the rail network: Analysis: Germany places in rail investments

With an additional billion, German investments in the rail network rose to a record level last year. In 2024, the federal government invested almost 200 euros per capita and thus almost 75 percent more than in the previous year, as the Allianz Interest Association determined Pro Schiene and the management consultancy SCI Verkehr.

In comparison to other European countries, Germany is clearly moving up, but remains behind countries such as Austria or Switzerland. “The reduction of the investment backlog is not a sprint, but a marathon,” said the managing director of Allianz Pro Schiene, Dirk Flege, with “This task has not yet been solved with the new special fund infrastructure and climate neutrality.” It needs to be stabilized in the form of a long-discussed railway infrastructure fund.

Rail gets more than 100 billion euros by 2029

In the form of a special fund -financed special fund, the new federal government wants to significantly increase the investments in the urgently needed rail network and thus ensure more reliability in rail traffic again. According to previous plans, a total of more than 100 billion euros should flow into the rail infrastructure by 2029. Railway chief Richard Lutz had recently warned that despite the additional billions of billions, funding gaps were threatened from 2027.

But money alone is not enough, alliance per rail and SCI traffic emphasized. “Austria and Switzerland have been showing how to make rails right for a long time,” said SCI managing director Maria Leenen. “In addition to several years of financing, the state sets clear goals there, compliance with which is consistently controlled and monitored.” In addition, it stalls when expanding, for example when it comes to digitization. Italy is making Italy ahead much faster than Germany. In addition to the renovation of the rail network, a new and expansion of the network is also urgently needed, the associations emphasized.