Renovation of roads and railways: IHK calls for quick action!

Renovation of roads and railways: IHK calls for quick action!

On July 8, 2025, representatives of the IHKs from Coburg, Suhl and Bayreuth met in Kronach to talk about the pressing infrastructure challenges. At this meeting, which was opened by Wolfgang Schuberth-Raab, President of the Central Association of the German Construction Industry, it became clear: the renovation of roads and railways is urgently needed. The long planning processes in particular are in the firing line: up to 80% of the time is spent on this, which has a negative impact on the average implementation time of 15 years for the construction of new roads np-coburg.de reported.

But it's not just the planning that poses an obstacle. Sebastian Wlasek, deputy chairman of the Committee for Transport and Logistics of the Coburg Chamber of Industry and Commerce, expressed concerns about the use of the 500 billion euros from the federal government's special funds. These funds are actually intended to speed up the renovation, but many also see the dangers of these large sums. Thoralf Eschrich, member of the South Thuringian Transport Committee, called for a sense of proportion in the construction work. Meanwhile, Michael Möschel from the IHK Bayreuth warns about the increasing bureaucracy that is hindering progress.

Urgent need for action

The discussion in Kronach underlined that the need for action in Germany's infrastructure is more than urgent. According to the dbb trade unions, Germany needs to “get moving again,” as dbb.de emphasizes. The rail infrastructure figures are an alarming sign: in 2024, 37.5% of long-distance trains were delayed by more than six minutes. The consequences are clear: citizens are losing trust in an efficient transport structure.

As a citizen survey from 2024 shows, 70% of Germans feel that the state is overwhelmed, which results in a clear mandate for action. The coalition agreement between the Union and the SPD has already expressed itself by promising to invest in the dilapidated infrastructure in order to work towards punctual trains and safe roads.

Underfunding and inefficiency

The ongoing underfinancing of public infrastructure projects is a major problem, which pwc.de also writes about. Planning processes are inefficient and often lack coordination. This not only leads to cost overruns, but also significant delays in implementation. In addition, investments have to compete with other government spending, which doesn't exactly improve the situation.

One proposal to solve these core problems is to create a central organizational unit at the federal level that will coordinate the successful implementation of public infrastructure projects. This could initiate a sustainable professionalization of infrastructure management. The aim is not only to strengthen trust in public relations, but also to optimize the use of investments and create transparency.

Another topic that dominated the round in Kronach was the lack of drivers in all areas of traffic. The IHKs are calling for a revision of the professional driver qualification law and the approval of exams in other languages ​​in order to counteract the staff shortage. Bundestag member Jonas Geissler made it clear that the modernization of the infrastructure and the adaptation of relevant laws are essential in order to remain sustainable and to successfully overcome the challenges in the transport sector.