German auditors identify serious shortcomings in Deutsche Bahn repairs — Der Spiegel

In Germany, the Federal Court of Auditors has identified serious shortcomings in Deutsche Bahn’s programme for the comprehensive repair of the busiest railway routes. In a report for the Bundestag’s Budget Committee, auditors stated that the first corridor repairs revealed serious miscalculations, while the economic feasibility studies were flawed and unreliable, Der Spiegel reports.

Concerns over planning and costs

According to the Court of Auditors’ findings, the infrastructure division DB InfraGo is largely failing to fulfil its promises regarding repairs. Auditors consider it necessary to systematically adjust the programme’s implementation. In its position, Germany’s Transport Ministry did not refute the audit’s findings and, according to the report, confirmed problems with economic feasibility calculations and monitoring of results.

The Court of Auditors urged the ministry to demonstrate the economic justification and effectiveness of each repair in accordance with budget legislation and to eliminate the identified shortcomings. According to the auditors, there is still no reliable basis for decision-making on multibillion-euro investments in corridor repairs. The Bundestag’s Budget Committee also lacks substantial information to exercise its oversight and budgetary powers. The costs of some repairs already completed have increased significantly.

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Fewer routes and phased restoration of traffic

The programme provides for the closure of heavily used lines for several months for comprehensive modernisation. It is expected that the routes will then be less prone to disruptions and that punctuality will improve across the entire network.

Following problems during the initial works, Deutsche Bahn and the federal authorities announced two weeks before the report’s publication that they would repair significantly fewer routes over the next five years than previously planned. Train services are also to be restored gradually after the works are completed, rather than fully on one set date. The Court of Auditors noted that the company reduced the promised period without new construction works from ten to five years, but is already failing to meet even this commitment due to further works and defect remediation.