# Deutsche Bahn: Projects Threatened to Stall Due to Lack of Funding **Category:** Companies | **Source:** Frachtportal Redaktion | **Published:** 2026-06-21 | **Updated:** 2026-06-26 **Tags:** DB InfraGO, Deutsche Bahn, Bahnprojekte, Bahnprojekte Finanzierung, Schienenausbau, Deutschland, Bahninfrastuktur, DB, Güterverkehr Schiene, Schienenverkehr, Bahntransport, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Seefracht, LKW Transport, Schienentransport > More than 90 German railway projects are not financially secured for the upcoming planning and construction phases. This poses a risk of further delays in freight traffic. --- Germany aims to shift more goods to rail. However, this requires new tracks, longer overtaking lines, modern signal boxes, and powerful railway hubs. Currently, there is a lack of financial security for these projects. A response from the federal government indicates that more than 90 railway projects could face delays in the coming years. Some projects are still in the early planning stages, while others are significantly further along and have already undergone some design or approval planning. The problem is straightforward: a railway project is not financed all at once. After each planning phase, a new agreement is needed for the next phase to begin. If this commitment is lacking, planners cannot simply continue their work. This does not mean that all construction sites will come to a halt tomorrow. However, there is a risk that projects may stall between two planning phases, employees and planning offices may be reassigned, and the start of construction may be further delayed. Among the affected projects are essential hubs, route expansions, and facilities for combined transport. Notable projects include those around Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Munich, as well as expansions between Karlsruhe and Basel, Hanover and Hamburg, or Munich and Rosenheim. For us freight forwarders, this is not merely a political sideline. If crucial routes and hubs are not expanded, bottlenecks will persist. Goods trains will have to wait, take detours, or may not even be scheduled due to lack of capacity. Ultimately, this also impacts road transport. If the railways do not provide sufficient capacity, more goods will end up on trucks. Meanwhile, there are ongoing calls to shift transport to rail. Therefore, the federal government must decide in the 2027 budget which projects will receive continued funding. Industry associations are demanding a long-term solution instead of ongoing rounds of financing from year to year. --- For shippers and freight forwarders, this means: The significant bottlenecks in the German rail network will not disappear as quickly as hoped. Those who regularly use rail or combined transport should remain realistic with long-term plans. New terminals, additional tracks, or improved hubs may continue to be delayed. This is particularly true for time-sensitive shipments and routes that are already heavily utilized. In short: More goods on the rail can only work if the infrastructure is financed and built in a timely manner. This is exactly what is currently lacking. --- More than 90 railway projects could come to a standstill due to a lack of financing commitments. The figure comes from a response by the federal government to an inquiry in the Bundestag. Projects in various planning phases, and some already under construction, are affected. For early projects, agreements for transitioning to the next planning stage are partially missing. For further advanced projects with design and approval planning, additional financing is also lacking in some cases. By the end of 2025, 21 projects had completed early planning phases without the subsequent funding agreements being finalized. Among those mentioned are line and junction projects in Hamburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Munich, Karlsruhe, and Hanover. Projects for combined transport and freight transport are also affected. A complete halt to all projects has not been decided. Crucial will be which funds are reliably provided in the federal budget for 2027. --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/deutsche-bahn-projekte-drohen-wegen-fehlender-finanzierung-zu-stocken-20260621180548](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/deutsche-bahn-projekte-drohen-wegen-fehlender-finanzierung-zu-stocken-20260621180548)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/deutsche-bahn-projekte-drohen-wegen-fehlender-finanzierung-zu-stocken-20260621180548](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/deutsche-bahn-projekte-drohen-wegen-fehlender-finanzierung-zu-stocken-20260621180548)*