Switches, tracks, stations: The railway wants to stop the decline of the rail infrastructure and is investing billions in its renewal this year. For many passengers this means: diversions and extended journey times.
The railway network is considered dilapidated and overloaded, and the unpunctuality of many trains is a nuisance for many passengers. The group wants that to change: it wants to invest 16.4 billion euros in a comprehensive infrastructure program this year. This will involve replacing 2,000 kilometers of tracks, 2,000 switches, as well as numerous train stations and bridges.
This will make the existing infrastructure more efficient and robust and create more capacity in the rail network, according to a statement from the company.
Goal: stop “obsolescence”.
Modernization and new construction measures will be carried out at around 1,000 train stations and stops in 2024, including the main train stations in Duisburg, Dresden, Hanover, Ulm and Munich. The railway also says it is investing in numerous smaller and medium-sized stations, for example in barrier-free access, weather protection and passenger information.
“In 2024, for the first time in many years, we will succeed in stopping the aging of the railway infrastructure,” explained Philipp Nagl, head of DB-InfraGO – the railway’s new infrastructure company. It emerged from the merger of the former subsidiaries DB Netz and DB Station&Service and, according to DB, is intended to sustainably improve the quality, capacity and stability of railway operations.
Longer journey times for passengers
In everyday operations, many disruptions on important routes and numerous construction sites have recently led to major problems with punctuality. The aging of the railway infrastructure is measured in the annual network status report. The current report (for 2022) puts the “age-based backlog” at 103.4 billion euros. The backlog demand for bridges is particularly large (59.9 billion euros). Whether the aging process can be stopped in 2024 will only be seen in the network status report after next.
However, on the way to greater punctuality and quality, passengers in many places have to accept diversions and longer journey times – such as with the renovation of the Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim. Their modernization is to be tackled as the first of 40 so-called high-performance corridors and will start in mid-July. The heavily strained rail network is to be completely renewed by 2030.
It was said that staff would also be increased for the large-scale modernization measure. With 5,500 new employees for maintenance and expansion, the team will continue to grow in 2024, the railway explained.