As of: February 19, 2024, 2:55 p.m
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Will the rail network get better in the future?
© Sven Hoppe/dpa
The rail infrastructure in Germany is repeatedly criticized.
Maintenance measures should be implemented more quickly in the future.
Berlin - The traffic light coalition has agreed on measures for a faster expansion of rail routes.
Specifically, it is about changing the Federal Railway Expansion Act.
The federal government should be given more leeway in financing the rail network.
This was preceded by lengthy negotiations between the government factions of the SPD, Greens and FDP.
FDP parliamentary group deputy leader Carina Konrad said that after “decades of doing nothing,” the traffic lights bring about necessary measures.
“The rail infrastructure is in a deplorable condition.
With additional improvements to the draft bill through the parliamentary procedure, we are speeding up smaller repairs.
Replacing broken switches will be less bureaucratic and therefore faster.” The law should set a central course so that delays caused by disruptions could quickly become a thing of the past.
The cabinet had already introduced a bill in June to promote investment in rail.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) said that measures should be implemented faster, more optimized and in a consolidated manner in the future.
In the future, the federal government should also be able to contribute to the costs of maintenance and repair - and not just to the costs of construction projects.
dpa