Development of the infrastructure

In 2025, about € 23.1 billion is to be spent for the expansion, renewal and maintenance of the network, stations and energy facilities. Among other things, this includes:

• LuFV funds (grants and own contribution) amounting to € 9.8 billion, about € 4.8 billion for maintenance, € 3.6 billion for projects in the requirement plan, and
• funds for the existing network outside of the LuFV, such as the Municipal Transport Financing Act (Gemeindeverkehrsfinanzierungsgesetz; GVFG), Digital Rail for Germany (Digitale Schiene Deutschland; DSD) or the Climate Protection Program (Klimaschutzprogramm; KSP), totaling about € 4.9 billion.
• Additional funds are expected to come from the Special Fund for Infrastructure and Climate Protection.

Key developments in the expansion and renewal of the rail network in 2025 will, among others, include:

• Berlin — Hamburg: DB Group is on the final straight with its preparations for the corridor modernization of the Berlin — Hamburg line. Companies have been contracted for all construction phases. This means that nothing now stands in the way of the scheduled start of the corridor modernization on August 1, 2025. The work is scheduled to be completed by April 30, 2026. At the same time, DB Group has adjusted its plans for equipping the Berlin — Hamburg line with the European Train Control System (ETCS). The Riedbahn pilot project has illustrated the complexity and the time required for the installation and acceptance of the new technology as additional equipment next to the conventional safety systems. For this reason, DB Group will prepare the interlockings and the axle counting technology for the future use of ETCS during the corridor modernization of the Berlin — Hamburg line. The conventional train protection systems intermittent automatic train control (punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung; PZB) and continuous train control (linienförmige Zugbeeinflussung; LZB), will remain in operation for the time being. The line is expected to be equipped with ETCS in the early 2030s. At this point, it will be possible to convert the fleets operating on the line to ETCS-ready vehicles. This will avoid the time-consuming and cost-intensive parallel equipment with different systems. The corridor modernization of the Berlin — Hamburg line is an important part of the S3 restructuring program for the structural improvement of DB Group’s infrastructure and its operations and profitability. In total, more than 180 km of track and over 200 switches are to be renewed during the nine-month construction phase. Six additional track change facilities should enable more stability and flexibility in operations in future. For example, they should allow faster passenger trains to overtake slower freight trains. In addition, DB Group will transform at least 20 of the 28 stations on the Berlin — Hamburg line into stations of the future.
• Eifel line: Almost four years on from the flood disaster, trains have been running continuously between Gerolstein and Cologne again since June 16, 2025. Together with the Federal states, municipalities and contracting organizations, DB Group has extensively repaired the badly damaged Eifel line – including stations, bridges, supporting structures, level crossings and the command and control technology. Modern electronic interlockings ensure stable operation. The electrification of the line has also begun, with fully electrified train transports expected from 2028.
• Lübeck — Schwerin: DB Group initiated the expansion of the rail line between Lübeck and Bad Kleinen with a groundbreaking ceremony on June 13, 2025. By 2028, 63 km of track are supposed to be modernized and electrified. The centerpiece is the new Gallentin curve, which will enable direct connections between Lübeck and Schwerin. In addition, two digital interlockings are being constructed, and overtaking tracks are being extended to enable faster local transport and more efficient freight transport.
• S13 expansion: DB Group is pressing ahead with the expansion of the S13 between Troisdorf and Bonn: since June 2025, the 13 km section of the line has been undergoing the last major construction phase prior to the corridor modernization of the right-hand Rhine route (Troisdorf — Koblenz). By the end of 2025, the project team will have bundled an extensive construction volume for the three- and four-track expansion while also working simultaneously on tracks, bridges, stations and noise reduction walls, among other things. The most important project in 2025 will be the commissioning of the new electronic interlocking (Elektronisches Stellwerk; ESTW) in Bonn-Beuel in the third quarter of 2025.
• New electronic interlocking on the left bank of the Rhine route: DB Group successfully commissioned the new electronic interlocking on the left bank of the Rhine route in May 2025. Since then, regional and long-distance trains as well as freight trains between Cologne and Bonn have been controlled from the modern control center in Cologne’s city center. Among other things, 400 km of cable has been laid and 200 new signals have been installed for the new interlocking over the last five years.
• Saxony-Franconia main line: The section of the Saxony-­Franconia main line between Altenburg and Treben-Lehma officially went into operation on June 12, 2025. With the completion of the work, DB Group has reached another important milestone in the modernization of the Saxony-­Franconia main line. DB Group has modernized this section with 6 km of new tracks, 14 km of new overhead wires, 42 new switches and nine new or modernized rail bridges, as well as 2.7 km of new noise reduction walls so that trains will be able to travel at 160 km/h in future, thus reducing travel times.
• Stuttgart 21: The shell construction of the future through station has been completed, apart from remaining works. Work is underway on the light eyes and the lattice shells, which will form the entrances to the station hall. Work on the slab track and the rail equipment has progressed further, with the first test journeys for high-speed operations taking place in May 2025. The future Stuttgart central station and extensive sections of the new Stuttgart railway hub will go into operation with digital technology in December 2026. The commissioning concept was reviewed in the first half of 2025. As a result, the existing terminal station should remain in operation until the opening of the extended S-Bahn (metro) main line via Mitt­nachtstraße station in summer 2027, and the Gäubahn should be routed to the terminal station via the Panorama­bahn until March 2027. With the integration of the regional tracks from the new Neckar Bridge into the western end of Bad Cannstatt station, which is expected to be completed in November 2027, Stuttgart 21 will be fully operational with the exception of the routing of the Gäubahn via the airport.
• Second main line Munich: in June 2025, a key milestone for digital control and operational stability in the Munich rail network was reached with the commissioning of the electronic interlocking Munich East. The electronic interlocking controls about 150 signals, 60 switches and five switch heating stations. Over 400 km of laid cable, about 240 speed sensors and 270 axle counters were installed for this purpose. In addition, after a construction period of just 14 months, the new car transport facility was put into operation at the Munich South operating point, thus laying the foundations for the construction of the new underground station at the Munich east station. At Marienhof, the excavation of the connecting tunnel to the subway began in January 2025. The shell of this tunnel has already been completed.

At the end of the first half of 2025, a total of 220 requirement plan and GVFG projects were in planning and construction (49 GVFG projects, 171 requirement plan projects). Further information on the projects is available online on the Bau­InfoPortal.

Small and medium-sized measures program

The small and medium-sized measures infrastructure program for the rapid expansion of capacity in the existing rail network is making progress. Of the planned projects 138 are set to be implemented by the end of 2025. The capital expenditure volume from the start of the program until the end of 2024 is about € 1.2 billion.

Small and medium-sized measures can quickly improve bottlenecks and the resilience of the network. In this way, they help to increase punctuality and improve residual capacity, especially in the event of technical disruptions and construction work on the high-performance network. The projects include infrastructural measures such as track change opportunities, additional signal and track switching operations, or new platforms. Small and medium-sized measures can have a positive impact on all modes of transport.

Measures at stations

At the end of June 2025, over 3,000 projects were being implemented at about 950 stations across Germany. Some of our construction projects with nationwide significance include:

• Berlin central station: Additional switches and signals will be installed at Berlin central station by the end of 2025 so that trains can reach the platforms more quickly and flexibly in future.
• Dortmund central station: The station has had full step-free access since all the planned modernization measures were completed at the beginning of 2025. This enables accessible connections between different means of transport.
• Duisburg central station: Work on the modernization of all platforms and the construction of the new hall roof at Duisburg central station has been underway since mid-2022. Work is currently underway on the new roof and platforms in the fourth phase of construction. According to current planning, the overall project will run until 2028.
• Hanover central station: All platforms, platform roofs and some bridge structures at Hanover central station are being gradually renewed from summer 2022. Work on the first platform A will be completed in August 2025.
• Berlin east station: At Berlin east station, construction work on the hall roof to renew the roof membrane, install new skylights and renew the corrosion protection on all roof girders is largely complete. The remaining work and the dismantling of the large protective bridge took place in the first half of 2025. The overall project is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.
• Hamburg-Altona station: In Hamburg-Altona, the terminal station for long-distance and regional services is being moved. The current Diebsteich S-Bahn (metro) station is being expanded to become a through station. A total of four platforms and a concourse building are being constructed. The new S-Bahn (metro) platform was put into operation at the beginning of 2025. The three long-distance and regional platforms are expected to be completed in 2027. The construction of the concourse building has been delayed due to the unresolved financing of the junction railway relief tunnel. The premises required to ensure station operation from 2027 are set to be provided in an interim building. DB Group and the Free Hanseatic City of Hamburg are in close contact on this matter.

In addition, InfraGO successfully implemented the modernization of 157 stations between 2024 and June 2025 in line with its stations of the future vision. In 2025, at least 100 stations are set to be developed into stations of the future No. 74, thus at the same level as in 2024.