Development of the infrastructure

2024 should see expenditures of about € 20.9 billion in renewing and maintaining the network, stations and energy facilities. This includes funds from the Performance and Financing Agreement (grants and own contribution, incl. Government equity increases) amounting to € 8.7 billion, about € 4.2 bil­lion for maintenance and € 3.5 billion for requirement plan and digitalization projects, as well as funds for the existing net­work outside the LuFV, such as the Municipal Transport Fi­­nancing Act (Gemeindeverkehrsfinanzierungsgesetz; GVFG), Digital Rail for Germany or the Climate Action Program (Klima­schutzprogramm; KSP), totaling about € 4.2 billion.

• In the Stuttgart 21 project, in the first half of 2024 work on the production of the light eyes and the distribution bars in the future central station was at full speed. The construction of the track and railway equipment in the tunnels and the open line is already well advanced. From the end of 2025, the corresponding plants of the Stuttgart 21 project and the Stuttgart Digital Hub (Digitaler Knoten Stuttgart; DKS) will be put into a phased test operation. In December 2026, the future central station will be opened. Based on the current status, all the main elements of the project will then be available – with the exception of the Gäubahn link via the airport. DB Group and the project partners reached an agreement on this in June in the S21 steering committee.
• High-speed line Hanover — Würzburg: DB Group completely renewed the high-speed line for about € 850 million and completed the modernization on June 7, 2024. Trains can again roll over the tracks at high speed and passengers travel between Lower Saxony and Bavaria in about two hours. A total of 557 km of tracks, about 700,000 ties and 235 switches were renewed. In addition, the superstructure was repaired on 49 bridges and in 63 tunnels. In the first half of 2024, additional underground stabilization was required in the Rauheberg tunnel.
• New construction line Dresden — Prague: The region and the Free State of Saxony have confirmed the preferred option for the new construction line Dresden — Prague. To complete the preliminary planning of the new con­struc­tion line with a tunnel about 30 km long through the Ore Mountains, DB Group has received information and demands from the region. In addition, DB Group has received a total of 12 statements from cities and mu­ni­ci­palities, the district of Sächsische Schweiz Osterz­­­gebirge as well as Federal agencies and ministries.
• Weddel loop: Since March 22, 2024, local and long-distance as well as freight trains have been running alongside one another on the Weddel loop. Previously, the line was only single-track. After two and a half years of construction, the now double-track line was able to be put into operation. It extends between Wolfsburg and Weddel near Braunschweig. The completion of the Weddel Loop marked the first building block in Lower Saxony for Germany in sync.
• Rhine Valley railway: The first building permit for the new freight train line alongside the A5 motorway is available: DB Group has received the plan approval decision for the section between Riegel and March. The new freight train line is part of the four-track expansion of the Rhine Valley railway between Karlsruhe and Basel. The relocation of freight traffic to the new construction line means it will be much quieter for residents along the Rhine Valley railway.
• Line expansion Frankfurt/Main West — Bad Vilbel: The continuous four-track line expansion between Frankfurt West and Bad Vilbel has been completed. Separate tracks for the S-Bahn (metro), regional and long-distance traffic mean passengers will be able to travel much more reliably in the future. The expansion of the about 13-km-long section to Bad Vilbel will reach its full potential when the S6 starts operating every 15 minutes beginning with the timetable change in December 2024. The expansion of the second section from Bad Vilbel to Friedberg is scheduled to begin at the end of 2026.
• Final test for general modernization of the Riedbahn: In the course of the preparatory work in January 2024, the feasibility of the planned construction volume was confirmed. The comprehensive transport concept has also proved its worth. With the final test, the new concept of bundled and cross-trade modernization was subjected to a first stress test. A total of 23 switches and more than 9 km of tracks were renewed, more than 3,000 foundations for noise barriers, overhead wire and signal masts were laid, and 8.5 km of new cable carriers were built. This means that the construction volume is proportionately equal to that planned for the period of the actual general modernization in the second half of 2024. Up to 60 construction vehicles and more than 200 people per shift were deployed on the construction site in January.

Further information on the projects are available on the Construction Information Portal (BauInfoPortal) website.

Small and medium-sized measures program

The comprehensive € 4 billion infrastructure program small and medium-sized measures for the rail network is progressing. By the end of 2025, 138 of the 355 total planned projects are to be implemented. This represents 40% of the planned measures with a capital expenditure volume of about € 1 billion. Projects include infrastructure measures such as additional track change facilities, additional signals and track change operations or new platforms. The program aims to quickly achieve positive effects regarding capacity and punctuality for passengers and freight transport customers. The projects are mainly financed by the Federal Government’s climate protection package and DB Group’s funds. They should be fully implemented by 2030.

Capacity and frequency management

The importance of capacity management for stations in Germany is steadily increasing. To be ready for the forecast growth in passenger numbers, the performance capability of the stations must be ensured and enhanced by suitable measures.

Since 2021, close to 300 stations have already been analyzed by means of a capacity check. These identified capacity-related obstacles and bottlenecks in a standardized manner and measures were introduced to eliminate them.

By piloting measures for a people management system in Mannheim central station, Hamburg central station and Frankfurt-Galluswarte, DB InfraGO is investigating the optimal utilization of existing platform areas. By clearing the platforms and applying a standardized system of organization to all platforms, it should be possible to make better use of the existing space and thus improve the distribution of passengers on the platforms. This is intended to prevent bottlenecks and overcrowding.

The frequency management system is an important tool for identifying capacity bottlenecks. Real-time measurement using video technology makes it possible to detect an increase in passenger volumes at an early stage and take appropriate measures to prevent acute overcrowding. As of June 30, 2024, 30 stations had been equipped with a frequency management system. In the rollout, we plan to equip a total of 100 stations with a frequency management system, provided that the respective financing is available.

Development of stations

• Dortmund central station: Work on the modernization of the central station with its eight platforms is expected to run until the first quarter of 2025. In mid-June 2024, platform 2 went into operation after reconstruction. In the second half of 2024, the final construction phase of the project will follow.
• Berlin East station: Construction work on the hall roof is progressing. In July 2024, the last relocation of the scaffolding platforms will take place, so that almost two-thirds of the track hall will be visible to customers in its renewed condition. The last roof areas will be renovated by the end of 2024 and the scaffolding platforms will be dismantled by the first quarter of 2025. The roof renovation will be completed with the final processing of the station arches and the dismantling of the large crane structure, following its completion by the beginning of 2026.
• Duisburg central station: In mid-July 2023, platform 6e, including the associated new hall roof, was approved for operations again. This was followed by platform 5 in March 2024. Since mid-June 2024, the roof section between platforms 5 and 6 has been completely closed. In addition, a large part of the new east facade was built. The overall project, which also involves the renewal of a large part of the overhead wires, will run until 2028.