Deutsche Bahn: Neuer Infraplan soll Bahn-Sanierung bis 2030 steuern

The German government is introducing a new comprehensive plan to modernize and improve the rail infrastructure in the country, aiming for completion by 2030. The Federal Ministry of Transport presented the Infraplan 2026 in Berlin on Tuesday, which brings together the key measures for developing the rail network from 2026 to 2030.

This plan is the first concrete implementation step of a new three-part infrastructure concept, ranging from long-term goals to execution in the coming five years. Ulrich Lange, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, emphasized that people ultimately care about the reliability of train services, and the infrastructure policy must be measured against that.

The plan moves away from focusing solely on individual rail projects and instead looks at the entire network. The German Rail Infrastructure Management, the responsible subsidiary of the railway, will implement the goals and priorities set by the Bund. Transparency in the implementation progress will also be increased. Austrian example Philipp Nagl, CEO of DB InfraGO, called the plan a significant step towards a more reliable and capable rail infrastructure.

The comprehensive concept, modeled after Austria, consists of a strategic direction for the timetable, a 2035 target network, and the Infraplan as a concrete implementation path. It includes measures such as construction and extension, electrification, corridor improvements, and noise reduction. However, a financing plan is not included in the Infraplan 2026.

Implementation of the measures contained in it is contingent on the available budget in each respective year. The Bund is also working on legislating the comprehensive concept and linking it to a railway infrastructure fund in the long term to make planning and financing more reliable. The Infraplan is intended to be updated annually in the future.