# Germany Gets New Transport Minister: Bilger to Replace Schnieder on Wednesday **Category:** Country Report | **Source:** Frachtportal Redaktion | **Published:** 2026-07-28 | **Updated:** 2026-07-29 **Tags:** Steffen Bilger, Patrick Schnieder, Bundesverkehrsministerium, Deutschland, Deutsche Bahn, DB, DB InfraGO, Schienengüterverkehr, Trassenpreise, Verkehrsinfrastruktur, Logistik, Logistik News, Transport News, Fracht News, Speditions News, Supply Chain News, Zoll News, Frachtportal News, Seefracht, Schienentransport > Steffen Bilger is to become the new German Transport Minister. He faces open issues in railways, roads, track access charges, and infrastructure financing. --- After several days of contradictory signals, Germany has a new transport minister. Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed Steffen Bilger from the CDU as successor to Patrick Schnieder. The official transfer of office is scheduled for Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Schnieder had requested his dismissal on Sunday of his own accord. According to his statement, he wanted to end an "undignified state" that made objective work in the ministry barely possible. It had previously become known that Merz was planning a change, but an initially intended successor was not available at short notice. Only then was Bilger presented. Bilger does not need to completely familiarize himself with the ministry. The 47-year-old lawyer has sat in the Bundestag since 2009 and was Parliamentary State Secretary in the then-Federal Transport Ministry from 2018 to 2021. Most recently, he was First Parliamentary Director of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. For the transport and logistics industry, however, this political theater is secondary. What matters is whether open projects will now be implemented more quickly. These include rail network rehabilitation, dilapidated bridges, insufficient capacity, lengthy approval procedures, and reliable funding over several years. The track access pricing system is also acute. Track access prices are, in simplified terms, the fees that railway companies pay for using the rail network. The Federal Network Agency has set new prices for 2026. Compared to the previous approval, prices for rail freight transport at DB InfraGO are falling by twelve percent. At the same time, prices in regional passenger transport are rising by nine percent. Retroactive billing corrections are to be made directly between the railway companies and infrastructure operators. The ministerial change initially does not change this. Bilger must now demonstrate whether the available billions will actually result in additional capacity, fewer disruptions, and better-coordinated construction sites. --- There is no immediate change to dispatching as a result of the ministerial change. Existing schedules, construction sites, and closures remain in place. For rail and intermodal transport, however, freight forwarders should check whether railway companies will pass on the lower track access charges for 2026. New price lists, credits, or adjusted surcharges are conceivable. An automatic reduction in the offered freight rate is not guaranteed as a result. For Swiss shippers, this personnel change is indirectly relevant. Many transport routes to northern Germany, the Benelux countries, and seaports run via German road and rail corridors. Delayed construction projects or poorly coordinated closures quickly lead to diversions, missing slots, and higher pre- and on-carriage costs. In short: What matters is not the name of the minister, but whether Germany now implements its infrastructure projects more quickly and reliably. --- Patrick Schnieder requested his own dismissal on July 26, 2026. Friedrich Merz proposed Steffen Bilger as his successor on the same day. As of July 28, Bilger is designated Transport Minister. His appointment and Schnieder's dismissal are scheduled for July 29 at 12:00 noon. Bilger was born in 1979 and is 47 years old. He has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009. From 2018 to 2021, he served as Parliamentary State Secretary in the Transport Ministry. Rail freight track charges for 2026 at DB InfraGO will decrease by twelve percent compared to the previous approval. Track charges in regional passenger transport will simultaneously increase by nine percent. A decision on a possible recalculation of track charges for 2025 will be made later in the year. ## Related Entities ### Countries - [Germany](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/land/de) ### Glossary - [Intercontinental Rail Freight](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/intercontinental-rail-freight) - [Trailer Utilization Rate Germany](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/trailer-utilization-rate-germany) - [A1 Autobahn Germany](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/a1-autobahn-germany) - [North Germany Peak Season in Maritime Transport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/north-germany-peak-season-in-maritime-transport) - [ADSp (General German Forwarding Conditions)](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/adsp-general-german-forwarding-conditions) - [infrastructure financing](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/infrastructure-financing) - [route price](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/route-price) - [Rail freight transport](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/glossary/rail-freight-transport-5) --- *Canonical URL: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/deutschland-bekommt-neuen-verkehrsminister-bilger-soll-schnieder-am-mittwoch-abloesen-20260728182650](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/news/deutschland-bekommt-neuen-verkehrsminister-bilger-soll-schnieder-am-mittwoch-abloesen-20260728182650)* *Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/deutschland-bekommt-neuen-verkehrsminister-bilger-soll-schnieder-am-mittwoch-abloesen-20260728182650](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/news/en/deutschland-bekommt-neuen-verkehrsminister-bilger-soll-schnieder-am-mittwoch-abloesen-20260728182650)*