Wissing promises subsequent railway renovation by 2031
Besides the heavily trafficked Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim, a total of 41 railway lines are to be renovated by 2031. Transport Minister Wissing confirmed that everything is on schedule and there is no reason for delay.
Transport Minister Volker Wissing is confident that the comprehensive renovation of railway lines in Germany can be achieved by 2031. "It is well prepared, the capacities are available in the construction industry, the materials are there. So there's no reason why it shouldn't work," Wissing told Deutschlandfunk in an interview. The construction industry has recently expressed doubts that the extensive renovations can be carried out as planned.
In the coming years, 41 heavily used railway lines are to be renovated. The Riedbahn will be the first to begin on a Monday evening. On the heavily trafficked Frankfurt-Mannheim route, nothing will be in operation after 11 pm. "The Riedbahn is like a clogged main artery in an organism. It will now be blocked, renovated, and then the system will function better," assured Wissing. From mid-December onwards, tracks, overhead power lines, signals, switches, bridges, and railway stations will be modernized.
"Historic Sums" for Railway Renovation
The Transport Minister criticized that too little money had been invested in railway renovation in recent years. He wants to "invest historic sums in the railway." "We have significantly increased the financial lines, and that by an order of magnitude of over plus 27 billion Euro. And at the end, we will still need more money." The renovation of the Riedbahn alone costs approximately 1.3 billion Euro.
The problems of the railway during the European Football Championship did not surprise the Transport Minister. One knew "that the railway infrastructure was not resilient enough." "It would not have been good to start before the EM, because the disruptions would have been even greater."
Volker Wissing, the German Transport Minister, has highlighted the significance of investments in railway infrastructure, arguing that "historic sums" are needed to ensure the thorough renovation of railway lines. In this regard, he mentioned that his ministry has significantly increased the financial resources for this purpose, by an amount exceeding 27 billion Euro. Moreover, Wissing advocated for the adoption of 'traffic politics' to improve the condition of German Railways, particularly in regards to the renovation of the heavily trafficked Riedbahn between Frankfurt and Mannheim.
