Overview

• The Bundestag passed a bill clarifying that obsolete railway facilities no longer deemed of overriding public interest can be repurposed for housing.
• Under the former regulation, more than 170 municipal housing initiatives on disused rail land were blocked nationwide to preserve potential future rail needs.
• Developments such as Stuttgart21, which aims to add 5,700 homes on repurposed rail sites, are expected to advance under the new framework.
• Verkehrsclub Deutschland cautions the amendment could limit options for future railway expansion and hinder sustainable transport goals.
• The draft law now heads to the Bundesrat, where regional governments will decide on its final approval.