The Deutsche Bahn DB logo. (picture alliance/Christophe Gateau/dpa)
Trade unionists consider the possible increase of billions in federal funds for the German rail network to be too little. "Of course, it sounds enormous when the federal government says it wants to spend 50 billion euros on the modernization of the rail network in the coming few years. But since the federal government has invested far too little in upgrading the railway tracks over the years, the network is now so dilapidated that 50 billion euros is not enough," said Alexander Kirchner, head of the Rail and Transport Union (EVG), on Monday.
Over the weekend, the "Bild am Sonntag" newspaper reported that the German government plans to invest around 50 billion euros between 2020 and 2029 in modernizing Deutsche Bahn's railway tracks. Sources close to the government said that this sum would be possible over 10 years. However, negotiations are still ongoing.
This would represent more far-reaching commitments than have been made so far. The union was still critical of this. Kirchner emphasized that while this would create planning security, as long as expected price increases were not taken into account, less money would be available in the end.
Currently, the federal government spends 3.5 billion euros annually on the maintenance of the country’s railway tracks. The EVG advocated increasing the amount to at least 6.7 billion euros annually in order to fix the existing railway network. The Performance and Financing Agreement between the German government and Deutsche Bahn expires this year after five years.
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