Overview

• Federal Audit Office deems Deutsche Bahn’s general renovation concept for heavily used lines nonviable, citing missing legal and budgetary foundations.
• Auditors criticized the Transport Ministry for failing to require proper success tracking on last year’s Riedbahn renovation between Frankfurt and Mannheim.
• The report highlights rapid construction cost increases and shortages of skilled workers and equipment as drivers of delays in other rail projects.
• DB’s overhaul strategy calls for extended full closures of key corridors, with the Berlin-Hamburg line set to close from August 2025 to April 2026 for renovation.
• The audit office urges parliament’s budget committee to withhold further federal funding until the ministry proves the necessity and cost-effectiveness of future general renovations.