Association: Law for Planning Acceleration Helps Rail Little Further

Germany’s new Infrastructure Future Act aims to speed up transport projects by declaring rail and road schemes of 'overriding public interest'. But critics argue the law will do little to expand the railway network without proper funding. Experts and politicians have now called for urgent changes to ensure rail receives the investment it needs.

The federal cabinet recently approved the Infrastructure Future Act, designed to simplify planning for major transport projects. However, the Allianz pro Schiene, a pro-rail alliance, warned that the law alone would not accelerate railway expansion. Its managing director, Dirk Flege, stressed that without guaranteed long-term funding, the act’s impact would remain limited.

The transport minister has allocated an extra three billion euros for road and motorway construction. Yet rail funding has not seen a similar increase, leaving key projects underfinanced. Flege criticised this imbalance, arguing that prioritising roads over rail maintenance undermines climate goals. Matthias Gastel, the Green Party’s rail policy spokesperson, accused the SPD’s Lars Klingbeil and the CSU of blocking essential railway initiatives. He demanded political action to unlock stalled rail projects and secure their funding. Gastel insisted that Germany must treat rail as a top transport priority if it wants to meet environmental targets. Flege proposed a solution: a binding multi-year infrastructure plan with fixed annual budgets. This would give rail operators the financial certainty needed for long-term planning and faster network growth. Without such commitments, he warned, rail expansion would continue to lag behind.

The Infrastructure Future Act may streamline planning, but its success depends on funding. Rail advocates are pushing for predictable, multi-year budgets to close the investment gap. Without these changes, Germany’s rail network risks falling further behind while road projects move ahead.