GERMAN Rail (DB) announced on June 25 that it will revise its controversial “comprehensive refurbishment” programme to upgrade the 40 busiest corridors in Germany. Financing of the programme is to be linked to the new German infrastructure fund announced earlier this year.

Following months of criticism over delays and inconvenience caused by total line closures, the state-owned company has agreed to make the closures less severe, adding up to five years to the programme that was due to be completed by 2030. However, planned work on projects up to and including 2026 is expected to proceed as planned, notably the total closure of the 278km main line between Berlin and Hamburg for nine months starting on August 1.

DB announced that it has set up an industry forum. According to the company, its goal “is to develop an adapted proposal for extending corridor renovations until 2035." The forum will take on board comments from passenger and freight operators and other third parties, before infrastructure manager DB InfraGO coordinates and agrees a revised programme with the federal government.

Despite DB claiming that its pilot project, the wholescale renewal of the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim, was successfully completed on schedule last year, passenger and freight operators, as well as industry associations, have complained that the extended closures are extremely disruptive, especially for freight traffic, and that proposed diversionary routes have proven inadequate.

Last month the German Rail Freight Association (Die Güterbahnen) called on Germany’s new transport minister, Patrick Schnieder, to make good on a promise made during the formation of the current coalition government to review DB’s comprehensive refurbishment policy.

Early indications suggest that DB will lengthen the programme so that total line closures are less concentrated, although that will mean some lines will not be dealt with for another 10 years. It has been suggested that work on the Lübeck - Hamburg line would be postponed by one year from 2027 to 2028, while refurbishment of the Frankfurt - Heidelberg line would be pushed back from 2027 to 2030. Only four lines would be refurbished in 2028, rather than nine originally planned.

Other lines where work will be postponed are expected to include:

  • Würzburg - Ansbach - Treuchtlingen (now expected to start in 2029)
  • Aachen - Cologne (2029)
  • Forbach - Ludwigshafen (2029)
  • Weddel - Magdeburg (2032), and
  • Minden - Wunstorf (2034).

Under this revised programme, the final line to be comprehensively renewed would be Flensburg - Hamburg, which would have to wait until 2035.

Industry reaction

The revised plans have been cautiously welcomed by many in the rail sector.  "The adjustment of the schedule is the right step - it puts professionalism before political symbolism,” says Peter Westenberger, managing director of Die Güterbahnen.

“This reduces excessive demands on planning and construction as well as unreasonable restrictions on ongoing traffic and increases opportunities for better preparation.

“We particularly welcome the postponement of the Hamburg - Lübeck refurbishment. This clears the way for the urgently needed electrification and expansion of the Lübeck - Bad Kleinen line to be meaningfully dovetailed, a long-standing demand of the industry,” he says.