German federal transport minister Patrick Schnieder last week committed €166bn over the next five years to tackle the backlog of dilapidated transport infrastructure in the country.
That’s a 62% increase on the amount committed during the previous five years, and comes amid serious failures like the collapse of Dresden’s Carola Bridge in September 2024.
“Today is the real start,” Schnieder said. “We are ending the backlog of repairs to transport infrastructure.”
Of the €166bn, €107bn will go to rail, €52bn to federal highways, and €8bn to waterways.
“We managed to increase transport investments by more than 60% from a standing start,” Schnieder added.
“Now it’s time to plan, build, and spend – as quickly as possible. We will all have to get used to even more construction sites to get the transport infrastructure up to scratch. Initially, the focus will be on repair and maintenance, especially on the rail network and motorway bridges.
“In the next budgets, we must also focus on increasing the construction of new roads and railways.”
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