A railway reform is intended to end the decades-long investment backlog. According to the Minister of Transport, investments in rail should be implemented more quickly in the future.
The rail network is partly dilapidated, the consequences are unpunctual trains – Minister of Transport Volker Wissing (FDP) now wants to promote investments in rail.
Specifically, the federal government should be given more leeway in financing the infrastructure. This provides for an amendment to the so-called Federal Railway Extension Act. The Federal Cabinet launched a corresponding bill.
According to the ministry, the law is the legal basis for investments in the approximately 33,800 kilometers of federal rail network. However, its previous design has increasingly proved to be an obstacle to investment.
Wissing said that thanks to the change in the law, measures could be implemented faster, more optimized and bundled in the future. In future, the federal government should also be able to contribute to the costs of maintenance and repairs.
Dirk Flege, Managing Director of the Pro-Rail Alliance, told dpa: “The amendment to the law is the first step in the promised rail reform. So far, the federal government’s responsibility for financing has stopped at the edge of the platform.”
Federal funds could now also be spent on waiting rooms in train stations or for monument protection. “These are improvements that will reach people in the coming years. The pressure on Deutsche Bahn AG to sell “unprofitable” station buildings is finally being reduced,” said Flege.
Source: Stern
