Overview
- The federal government confirms planning has been paused since 2022 with no restart date, linking any decision to the 2025 and 2026 budgets.
- A clause in the Länder‑ und Kommunal‑Infrastrukturfinanzierungsgesetz (§4(1)) would bar funding for studies begun before 1 January 2025, jeopardizing financing for the Dresden–Görlitz electrification; Saxony seeks to overturn it via the Bundesrat and explores Germanytakt options.
- The Bundestag will hold an initial debate on distributing infrastructure billions on Friday, with allocation rules still undefined.
- A recent reassessment found a positive benefit‑cost ratio driven by higher freight forecasts, while annual ridership between Hof and Dresden has climbed to over 10.5 million, roughly double since 2016.
- Critics warn short‑term works could hinder later overhead wiring, citing Rückersdorf station upgrades, while the government points to a funding window that runs only through 2027.