New transport minister announces 500 billion for infrastructure revolution!

New transport minister announces 500 billion for infrastructure revolution!

Patrick Schnieder (CDU) is the new Federal Transport Minister and today announced far-reaching changes in transport policy. His focus is on faster planning and approval of infrastructure projects. Under the principle of “maintenance before new construction” it is emphasized that the renovation of the dilapidated infrastructure in Germany has the highest priority. To this end, investments in rail should be increased to ensure a reliable infrastructure for mobility, business and climate protection. A key part of this strategy is reducing the renovation backlog of roads, bridges, tunnels and railways.

Schnieder plans to introduce uniform procedural law for infrastructure projects in order to avoid double checks and shorten deadlines. The law on collective action should also be streamlined. These are crucial measures that are intended not only to ensure greater reliability and punctuality in the rail network, but also to rethink the need for full closures during general renovations. A central goal remains to strengthen climate-friendly modes of transport.

Financial basis for implementation

An important instrument for implementing Schnieder's plans will be a special fund worth 500 billion euros, which is expected to be approved by the Federal Council on Friday. However, experts warn that future governments may also use this money to build new roads instead of investing it exclusively in the renovation and expansion of rail infrastructure. Deutsche Bahn has already announced a need for 148 billion euros from this special fund, while the remaining balance is to be financed from current budgets.

Deutsche Bahn's investment requirement for maintaining the rail network is over 90 billion euros. In addition, according to calculations, around 200 billion euros are necessary for electrification, digitalization and route expansion in order to achieve climate neutrality in the transport sector by 2045. The maintenance needs of federal highways by 2030 are estimated at over 140 billion euros. A study by the German Institute for Urban Studies puts the cost of renovating bridges, roads and tunnels at 283 billion euros by 2030.

A challenge for infrastructure planning

However, there are also urgent needs in other areas of public services such as hospitals and schools. Therefore, Dirk Flege, managing director of the Allianz pro Schiene interest group, expects major battles over the distribution of the funds from the special fund. Critics also warn that planned new motorway construction projects will continue despite the current challenges, which is denounced by Bernd Riexinger, transport policy spokesman for the Left. He sees the danger that the money may be wasted on highways while it is urgently needed for rail.

The establishment of an expert forum to involve science, associations and experts at an early stage could be a step in the right direction. Schnieder also wants to promote improvements in traffic safety in cities and rural areas, with digitalization remaining a key factor for planning processes and traffic control. Mobility is seen as a basic requirement for quality of life and economic success.