Overview
- The Bundesverkehrsministerium published the Infraplan on Tuesday as a rolling 2026–2030 steering document that lists projects and eight measurable Kennzahlen to track new track kilometers, electrification, and infrastructure‑related delay minutes.
- The plan shifts priorities from new build to large‑scale renovation and electrification, cutting planned new track to about 155 km to 2030 and boosting annual renovation volumes with a target to cut infrastructure delay minutes.
- Planned federal investment envelopes rise gradually from roughly €2.2 billion recently to about €3.4 billion per year from 2028, and the government intends to prepare an Eisenbahninfrastrukturfonds to enable multi‑year funding by early 2028.
- Key implementation tools remain unfinished: the Zielnetz 2035 and detailed corridor‑rehabilitation programs are incomplete, the Leistungsvereinbarung with DB InfraGO is still under negotiation, and the Infraplan does not yet guarantee multi‑year, legally binding funding.
- Unions, industry groups and environmental experts welcome the transparency but warn that riders will only see better punctuality if the government passes the planned law in 2027, funds the proposed infrastructure fund, and enforces InfraGO’s performance with clear timelines and penalties.