Bundeslechungshof draws sharp balance in the railway sewing concept!

Bundeslechungshof draws sharp balance in the railway sewing concept!

Wilhelm-Leuschner-Platz 12, 04107 Leipzig, Deutschland - The Federal Audit Office has sharply criticized the concept of Deutsche Bahn for the general renovation of heavily contaminated railway lines. In a current report that was sent to the Bundestag's budget committee, it becomes clear that there is a lack of important budgetary basics. Despite the general renovation already initiated under the old federal government, the Court of Auditors criticizes the Federal Ministry of Transport for Success Controls and the Missdated Assessment of the Effects of the Project.
The general renovation should include over 40 important rail corridors up to the 2030s. The routes for the renovation are completely blocked in order to be able to work efficiently. An example of this is the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim, which has already been renovated. In addition, a complete blocking of the route between Berlin and Hamburg from August 2025 to April 2026 is planned. The federal government is investing several billion euros in these projects, but according to the report, a critical examination of the financial burdens for the federal budget is essential.

A central concern of the Federal Audit Office is that the ministry should in future make the use of federal funds dependent on the economy and a reliable control of success of Deutsche Bahn. This requirement is underpinned by the fact that the prices for construction work have risen exponentially and that bottlenecks in specialists and equipment prevail. The report also notes that other rail projects are delayed in their implementation due to these problems.

Missing success controls

The Federal Audit Office criticizes that the Ministry of Transport failed to call on a proper success of success to the Riedbahn from Deutsche Bahn. This leads to important losses of knowledge that could be important for future general renovations. The Court of Auditors also recommend not providing any further federal remedies for general renovations until the necessity and economy have been extensive. An answer from the Ministry of Transport to the allegations shows that the authority rejects criticism of success control.

This criticism comes against the background that Deutsche Bahn AG has increasingly difficulty to meet the demands of customers in punctuality and reliability. According to a report by the Federal Audit Office, more than every third long -distance train was unpunctual in 2022, which also burdened the public perception of the railway. DB AG is not only faced with outdated rail infrastructure, but also with a steadily growing debt mountain, which is now over 30 billion euros. Group debt has been increasing by 5 million euros per day since 2016.

The federal government has strengthened the problems of DB AG through its own failures, and there is ambiguity over the railway policy goals. A comprehensive, clear owner strategy is essential to counter the challenges of DB AG. In addition, announced solutions such as "strong rail" and "Germany clock" are not yet to be regarded as sufficient. Therefore, an overall concept is required that sets comprehensible goals for the railway system in order to positively influence the future development of Deutsche Bahn.

The problem of general renovation and mismanagement at Deutsche Bahn significantly illustrates the need for action for the federal government in order to ensure adequate railway infrastructure and reliable transport offers.