The works councils of Deutsche Bahn have demanded more money for the modernization of the infrastructure in a letter to the Minister of Transport. The rail network is in a „worrying state“.
In a letter to Federal Minister of Transport Andreas Scheuer about 270 railway works councils demanded more investments in infrastructure. „Even 25 years after the railway reform, the rail infrastructure of the federal government is still dramatically underfunded and, in our view, has reached a worrying state,“ says the letter to Scheuer.
„We therefore urge urgently to reverse this dangerous development for rail in Germany and finally to provide adequate financing for the preservation, digitization and modernization of the infrastructure.“
In addition, ten billion euros needed annually
As reported by the newsagents dpa and the „Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung“, the works councils demand an additional 2.7 billion euros annually for so-called replacement investments. According to current household values, the railways will receive 4.5 billion euros per year from 2020 to maintain their grid. That’s already a billion more than before – but still too little from the point of view of the railway works councils.
According to the authors, the railways will even need an extra ten billion euros per year until 2030 in order to be able to implement all the promised improvements. In addition to the expansion of the railways, these should also flow into the digitization of vehicles or the conversion of railway stations.
Employees „on the edge of the load limit“
The record amount of 10.7 billion euros is already flowing into the rail network and the stations this year, compared to 9.4 billion euros last year. The increase is partly due to higher construction prices. The majority of the sum is borne by the federal government. The condition of the railway has already been the subject of several crisis meetings between the Ministry of Transport, the railway board and trade unions. It had been agreed to hire more staff and improve the service. However, the financing of the additional investments has not yet been conclusively clarified.
According to the works councils, not only the customers but also the employees of the state-owned company are feeling the effects of the ailing network. They would have to repair the outdated infrastructure again and again and guarantee a safe operation – „often on the edge of the personal load limit or beyond,“ as the letter goes on to say.
Bahnchef supports scouring push
Although the number of passengers last year reached the record level of 148 million, the profit compared to 2017 fell by 29.2 percent to 542 million euros. The company’s net financial debt now amounts to around 19.5 billion euros.
By 2030, the railway wants to increase the number of passengers to more than 200 million long-haul travelers. In order to win more passengers in long-distance traffic, Scheuer proposed last week to lower the VAT on tickets for travel by ICE, Intercity or Eurocity from 19 to seven percent.
Railway chief Richard Lutz expects in this case with millions of additional passengers. „Our analyzes show that we could thereby win more than five million additional long-distance travelers for the environmentally friendly rail,“ said Lutz of the „Süddeutsche Zeitung“. The railway supports the proposal „without ifs and buts“.
