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Massive Maintenance Backlog Hits Germany’s Roads and Rails

Unchanged backlogs in rail and bridge repairs since 2022 underline the slow rollout of a pledged debt-financed infrastructure fund.

Overview

  • Federal Ministry data show that 33 percent of federal road lanes and 19 percent of autobahn lanes require repair.
  • An additional 17,285 kilometers of railway tracks and 1,156 bridges have been classified as needing renovation.
  • Of roughly 4,000 motorway bridges in need, only 212 substructures were modernized in 2024.
  • The government’s multi-billion-euro debt-financed special fund has yet to deliver substantial disbursements for critical projects.
  • Left Party MP Dietmar Bartsch warned that at the current pace it would take almost 20 years to clear the bridge repair backlog.