Deutsche Bahn (DB) and the German government announced that a total of 4 billion euros ($5.1 billion) annually would be earmarked for each of the next five years to renew the state-owned railway operator’s infrastructure.
The government will levy steep penalties against Deutsche Bahn if it fails to meet government targets such as a reduction in delays. A disruption in service due to a dilapidated bridge, for example, will incur a fine of two million euros.
„About 1,300 bridges out of a total of some 25,000 are in urgent need of repair, DB Chief Executive Rüdiger Grube said recently. Except for the modern high-speed ICE train routes, he added, the tracks and signals of most regional lines are in a sorry state.Grube welcomed the five-year investment plan, saying it would give Deutsche Bahn the means to “increase service quality and overcome the investment backlog.” Rail equipment manufacturers also rejoiced, with the industry lobby group VDB calling the plan “a step in the right direction” that would give “an impetus to long overdue rail modernization.”
http://www.dw.de
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