German Railways needs billions to recover

[Bleipriester]

Hey deutsches lan, kaputt ist deutsches ban, jetzt kannst du nicht mehr fan.

The German Railways needs billions to repair its rotten tracks.





"The head of Germany's Deutsche Bahn train operator on Friday said the company needs €150 billion ($170.5 billion) to modernize its rail network. The company had a net financial debt of about €32.6 billion in 2024.

Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz told German news outlet T-online that this €150 billion would be in additional financing. He said €80 billion would be needed for the "existing" rail network for repairs and refurbishments.

Lutz said the rest of the financing would be used for "expansion measures" such as building new train routes or for the expansion of train stations."

Germany: Deutsche Bahn wants billions to modernize railways – DW – 04/18/2025

Germany's next ruling coalition is eyeing huge investments in the country's aging infrastructure. Deutsche Bahn, the country's notoriously unreliable rail operator, says it needs €150 billion to improve the rail network.

www.dw.com

 

[1srelluc]

I take a wary approach when it comes to Germans and trains.

 

[JWBooth]

The joys of state ownership.

 

[CowboyTed]

Hey deutsches lan, kaputt ist deutsches ban, jetzt kannst du nicht mehr fan.

The German Railways needs billions to repair its rotten tracks.





"The head of Germany's Deutsche Bahn train operator on Friday said the company needs €150 billion ($170.5 billion) to modernize its rail network. The company had a net financial debt of about €32.6 billion in 2024.

Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz told German news outlet T-online that this €150 billion would be in additional financing. He said €80 billion would be needed for the "existing" rail network for repairs and refurbishments.

Lutz said the rest of the financing would be used for "expansion measures" such as building new train routes or for the expansion of train stations."

Germany: Deutsche Bahn wants billions to modernize railways – DW – 04/18/2025

Germany's next ruling coalition is eyeing huge investments in the country's aging infrastructure. Deutsche Bahn, the country's notoriously unreliable rail operator, says it needs €150 billion to improve the rail network.

www.dw.com

And the problem is exactly....

This the German rail infrastructure... You might not know it but it is a fucking lot better than the US one... And yes it is expensive to maintain...
Germany has 2.87bn riderships last year...

Amtrak had 32m...

Get that... Germany has a highly developed rail network...

Munich to Berlin driving is 6hrs (362 miles)
By train it is 3h 46min
Do it for less than $40 return..

Cleveland to Washington is 6h 4m (368 mi) Drive
By Train it is 11h 11min

Those are the times all over Europe... Germany isn't even the fast guys... See what they do in France.

 

[Zavulon]

And the problem is exactly....

This the German rail infrastructure... You might not know it but it is a fucking lot better than the US one... And yes it is expensive to maintain...
Germany has 2.87bn riderships last year...

Amtrak had 32m...

Get that... Germany has a highly developed rail network...

Munich to Berlin driving is 6hrs (362 miles)
By train it is 3h 46min
Do it for less than $40 return..

Cleveland to Washington is 6h 4m (368 mi) Drive
By Train it is 11h 11min

Those are the times all over Europe... Germany isn't even the fast guys... See what they do in France.

It's not difficult to have railroads better than American.
Distance between Beijing and Shanghai is 1200 km, 750 mi, and it takes 4 hours at train.

Distance between Moscow and St. Peterbourg is 700 km, 440 mi. Now it takes 3,5 hours at train and soon it will takes only 2 hours 15 minutes.

 

[Sayaras]

Hey deutsches lan, kaputt ist deutsches ban, jetzt kannst du nicht mehr fan.

The German Railways needs billions to repair its rotten tracks.





"The head of Germany's Deutsche Bahn train operator on Friday said the company needs €150 billion ($170.5 billion) to modernize its rail network. The company had a net financial debt of about €32.6 billion in 2024.

Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz told German news outlet T-online that this €150 billion would be in additional financing. He said €80 billion would be needed for the "existing" rail network for repairs and refurbishments.

Lutz said the rest of the financing would be used for "expansion measures" such as building new train routes or for the expansion of train stations."

Germany: Deutsche Bahn wants billions to modernize railways – DW – 04/18/2025

Germany's next ruling coalition is eyeing huge investments in the country's aging infrastructure. Deutsche Bahn, the country's notoriously unreliable rail operator, says it needs €150 billion to improve the rail network.

www.dw.com

Maybe another million Arab Islamist immigrants "asylum seekers"?

 

[Litwin]

I take a wary approach when it comes to Germans and trains.

Thread 'One of the largest companies in Moscow empire enters freefall—putin Railways' net profit plunges by - 88% in 2024.'

Mar 8, 2025

Good. Moscow imperial ’s economy should never recover as long as it exists in the current imperial borders. 'Decolonization of Moscow empire is the only way to end Moscow wars of conquest, And I don’t mean Putin´s imperialism, but Moscow imperialism in general , from Solzhenitsyn and Brodsky to Navalny and Dugin.

• Litwin

 

[CowboyTed]

It's not difficult to have railroads better than American.
Distance between Beijing and Shanghai is 1200 km, 750 mi, and it takes 4 hours at train.

Cost $32bn to build... Some engineering project, imagine the cost in western world...

Distance between Moscow and St. Peterbourg is 700 km, 440 mi. Now it takes 3,5 hours at train and soon it will takes only 2 hours 15 minutes.

Comparable with Germany. and yes they are investing more....

These rail infrastructure are worth the investment for these countries... Moving Labour cheaply and efficinetly increases income mobility and allows people to who live in poorer areas work in richer areas... Offers economies a competitive advantage...

This is all stuff which is taught in economics which seems to be lost on our MAGA folks...

 

[Bleipriester]

And the problem is exactly....

This the German rail infrastructure... You might not know it but it is a fucking lot better than the US one... And yes it is expensive to maintain...
Germany has 2.87bn riderships last year...

Amtrak had 32m...

Get that... Germany has a highly developed rail network...

Munich to Berlin driving is 6hrs (362 miles)
By train it is 3h 46min
Do it for less than $40 return..

Cleveland to Washington is 6h 4m (368 mi) Drive
By Train it is 11h 11min

Those are the times all over Europe... Germany isn't even the fast guys... See what they do in France.

It actually does not work. Back in the day, when the railway was a normal state company, it created huge losses, constantly. One day they decided to make it a regular company. It is now at the stock exchange, but 100 % are owned by the state. So the new management was obliged to make it profitable. But it was a mission impossible: The obligations remained. In my town for example, a train comes stupidly every 20 minutes in both directions, whether it is empty or overcrowded. They have no authority to discard trains that regularly travel emptily. Yet they had to do something. In the end, they reduced maintenance to near zero for decades. The result came to light last year, when the rotten railway system caused the actual collapse of Deutsche Bahn. Emergency measures were taken.

 

[Bleipriester]

Maybe another million Arab Islamist immigrants "asylum seekers"?

Yeah, that is the leftist´s universal solution to every problem that they created.

 

[CowboyTed]

It actually does not work. Back in the day, when the railway was a normal state company, it created huge losses, constantly. One day they decided to make it a regular company. It is now at the stock exchange, but 100 % are owned by the state. So the new management was obliged to make it profitable. But it was a mission impossible: The obligations remained. In my town for example, a train comes stupidly every 20 minutes in both directions, whether it is empty or overcrowded. They have no authority to discard trains that regularly travel emptily. Yet they had to do something. In the end, they reduced maintenance to near zero for decades. The result came to light last year, when the rotten railway system caused the actual collapse of Deutsche Bahn. Emergency measures were taken.

The public transport system making a profit can be detrimental to society as a whole...

Yes we can see efficiencies but look at the stuff they get very right too...

Profit induced Public Transport can stop them running losses which are for the public good..

 

[Bleipriester]

The public transport system making a profit can be detrimental to society as a whole...

Yes we can see efficiencies but look at the stuff they get very right too...

Profit induced Public Transport can stop them running losses which are for the public good..

Yes, that is correct, apparently. But empty trains serve no purposes. If people have to accept longer waiting times to keep the railway running at all, then there is nothing we can do about that. That all is a matter of the correct balance, not whether the railaways work super profitable and efficient.

 

[CowboyTed]

Yes, that is correct, apparently. But empty trains serve no purposes. If people have to accept longer waiting times to keep the railway running at all, then there is nothing we can do about that. That all is a matter of the correct balance, not whether the railaways work super profitable and efficient.

I think we agree...

You get lean times and some of that is repositioning.
Some is loss leading in hope of developing a market.
Running sometimes can be very cheap... i.e. at night on electricity while network is dumping power

Some is just shit management, no doubt...

But proper Public Transport is a massive asset to an economy and if it runs at a loss, it might very much be a huge benefit to the economy and deserves to subsidised by taxes... It is about balance..

 

[fncceo]

It's not difficult to have railroads better than American.
Distance between Beijing and Shanghai is 1200 km, 750 mi, and it takes 4 hours at train.

The distance between New York and Los Angeles is 5,000 Km and it takes 5 hours by PLANE.

Because this isn't 1920.

 

[CowboyTed]

The distance between New York and Los Angeles is 5,000 Km and it takes 5 hours by PLANE.

Because this isn't 1920.

View attachment 1103364

That is pretty non sensical....

No one is proposing Trains for 5000km journeys...

This is about <1500km journeys...

 

[CowboyTed]

This is about making Boston to Charlotte a 4.5 hour journey with stops in NYC, Baltimore, DC,..... NYC to Washing

That is city centre to city centre, no security, no check in, generous luggage, far more space. Many doing business comfortably all the way....
NYC to Washington about 1h 30min... That is all relatively cheap... $50 return ish...

Suddenly the world gets smaller....

People can work in rural Pennsylvania (cheap standard of living) but visit the office in NYC a couple times a week...

That is really opening an economy

 

[Zavulon]

That is pretty non sensical....

No one is proposing Trains for 5000km journeys...

This is about <1500km journeys...

Not "no one". The Russians propose. Moscow-Vladivostok - more than 9000 km, six days, the price of ticket lesser than $130. Still cheaper than a plane, say nothing about views.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

Those are the times all over Europe... Germany isn't even the fast guys... See what they do in France.

The TGV is great.

 

[ShahdagMountains]

But empty trains serve no purposes

I’ve noticed this. As much as l like public transport in Germany; buses every few minutes in my area, l’ve seen practically empty buses, maybe one or two passengers on them drive by at certain times of the day. Other times, they are so crowded, there is nowhere to sit. I don’t know what the answer to this is.

I think taxis are expensive

 

[Bleipriester]

I’ve noticed this. As much as l like public transport in Germany; buses every few minutes in my area, l’ve seen practically empty buses, maybe one or two passengers on them drive by at certain times of the day. Other times, they are so crowded, there is nowhere to sit. I don’t know what the answer to this is.

I think taxis are expensive

I mostly walk, even though I am crippled. I got to smoke a lot to pay 3,60€ for two kilometers.