Crisis at Deutsche Bahn: Minister of Transport announces rail strategy until late summer

Marode’s rail network, late long -distance trains, angry passengers: The new Federal Minister of Transport Patrick Schnieder (CDU) wants to develop a strategy until late summer, as should go on in the craving German railway. “The starting point is that we have to look at exactly: Where should the train be in a few years? How do we get to implement the goals that we give the train and ourselves?” Said Schnieder of the German Press Agency.

“We want to work out a strategy. We will have it in my house until late summer at the latest. Then we will have formulated key points there, as we have to put up with the train.” Only then does Schnieder want to deal with personnel issues, for example with whether and how it should continue for rail director Richard Lutz.

Schnieder: Exchange trainers I think is shortened

Finally, the coalition agreement states that in view of the misery of the railway, the board and the company’s supervisory board should also be re -established, “with the aim of mapping more expertise and achieving slimming”.

But Schnieder does not think of short -term personnel changes to the top of the company. “The coach is gone and everything will be fine – I think that is shortened,” he emphasized. “The goal is that we have a functional, well -positioned train. This includes much, much more than simple personnel questions.”

The train must be on time, reliable and clean. “It needs a reasonable infrastructure. It should act economically. Perhaps it has to be even more family -friendly,” said the new Minister of Transport. “These are the things we look at that we define. And then you look at what path we take there. Nobody can be really satisfied with the condition like at the moment.”

Train neither reliably nor on time

The railway is neither reliable nor on time, said the minister. Last year, the long -distance trains of the railways were on the move as unpunctually than ever since the rail reform. For this year, the group wants to reach 65 to 70 percent of ICE and IC trains without major delays. For this, it would have to run significantly better in the remaining months than last.

The problems are mainly in the dilapidated infrastructure. It is considered overloaded and aged. With the comprehensive renovation of more than 40 busy routes, the train wants to become more reliable in the next few years. But the CDU has always been skeptical about the project.

General renovations on the test bench

Schnieder emphasized that it was to basically adhere to the concept of so -called general renovations. “We also agreed in the coalition agreement that we do this, but that we reserve the right to take a closer look.” This also affects the Hamburg-Berlin route, which is to be completely blocked and modernized for around nine months from August.

“This is also a dialogue with many that are affected, in which you are looking at it, is that in order with the rail replacement traffic, other construction sites in the area have to be so? This is always a work on the details and details,” said Schnieder.

In view of the defective state of the infrastructure, everyone agreed that the network must be renovated quickly. “Still, you have to look: what is reasonable? I have to make nine high-performance corridors in parallel in a year? It is not about postponing this to the St. Nimmer Day. But you have to see if you shouldn’t take out a load here and there or slide a little backwards.”

The railway has already developed a plan with which the renovations are stretched in time. The last route would only be completed in the mid -1930s instead of as previously planned 2031.

Condition of the train stands for the mood in the country

The state of the railway is also a symbol of a certain mood in the country, the minister emphasized. “People have the impression that everything does not work as it should work.” Germany has always been considered reliable, also and especially abroad. “And we find that this is no longer the case. And we not only perceive that as a deficiency in the system, but see it for the whole.” Therefore, it is important to act fundamentally here and do it better.

After all, there is a lot of potential, especially in rail traffic. “This shows the announcement of Flixtrain, which acquires many new trains by billions of bills and want to use most of them in Germany.” At the end of May, the railway competitor announced that they wanted to buy up to 65 new long -distance trains from the Spanish manufacturer Talgo. “You can only do that if you think this can work here,” said Schnieder. “In this respect: the potential is there and I also believe that it will succeed.”