The German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has been reshuffling his cabinet. He is replacing several top officials, and transport minister Patrick Schnieder is not escaping this whirlwind in German politics. The lacklustre results in improving rail services and infrastructure have sent Schnieder on his way out.
Merz suggested that he had been dissatisfied with the recent pace of (rail) investment. Germany created a €500-billion infrastructure fund financed through fresh borrowing. That has not yet yielded the desired results, writes FT.
Rail freight association Die Güterbahnen sees a similar cause for Schnieder’s downfall. “Patrick Schnieder was brought down by the ongoing crisis on the railways. He adopted Deutsche Bahn’s narrative of a deep valley that first had to be traversed”, said the association’s General Manager Peter Westernberger. “The restructuring measures painstakingly enshrined in the coalition agreement were only inadequately implemented.”
A new minister could mean a fresh wind and a more resolute approach to Germany’s long-standing rail problems. The man reportedly tasked with reinvigorating the country’s rail sector is Steffen Bilger. The incoming official has experience working as a junior transport minister, according to FT.
‘Schnieder as an individual is not the problem’
Still, Die Güterbahnen and the German locomotive driver’s union (GDL) remain cautious in their optimism, if there was any optimism at all to begin with. “With the recent change at the top of the Federal Ministry of Transport, the political merry-go-round in Berlin continues”, says GDL. “However, GDL is clear that the dramatic situation of the railways in Germany cannot be explained solely by the mistakes of individuals. And it certainly won’t be solved simply by the next name on the door.”
GDL points to the dire operational situation at national rail operator Deutsche Bahn. It also emphasises the “perpetual existential crisis” at DB Cargo and the overwhelmed infrastructure manager DB InfraGO. Money alone is not a solution to the lack of political objectives. Nor can it fix blurred responsibilities and badly managed restructuring programmes, according to GDL.
“Patrick Schnieder made mistakes. But anyone who reduces the rail crisis to a single individual is oversimplifying things,” commented GDL Federal Chairman Mario Reiß. “The real problem lies deeper: For years, politicians have failed to provide the state-owned railway with clear goals, binding targets, and consistent management.”
“Germany doesn’t need more political reshuffling, but rather determination, expertise, and reliability. Anyone who wants to strengthen the railway sustainably must have the courage to consistently place infrastructure at the heart of all decisions,” Reiß explained.
DB distance
Die Güterbahnen sees the minister replacement as an opportunity to recalibrate the Deutsche Bahn reforms. It also offers a chance to improve the track access charge system. It expects the cabinet reshuffling to go beyond a change of faces and translate into a “confident and independent rail policy.”
“Schnieder’s successor will have to shape rail policy with the necessary distance from Deutsche Bahn, otherwise the same fate awaits”, Westenberger added.