Further electrifying Germany's railway lines key for climate, national security – train lobby groups

Germany must speed up the electrification of its rail network for military purposes as well as for environmental reasons, said the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) and transport NGO Pro-Rail Alliance. "No one has thought about military purposes in the upgrading and modernisation of the German rail network in recent decades," said VDV head Oliver Wolff.

Longer and heavier trains can be operated on routes with overhead lines, according to the associations. "Germany is the central logistics hub for goods and freight transport in Europe, and we must take this into account for [military] cases and across the entire rail network," Wolff added.

In their joint appeal, the lobby groups called on Germany to prioritise the electrification of border crossings. "Far too little has been done in this area for years," said Pro-Rail Alliance head Dirk Flege. "Only 28 of 57 border crossings are equipped with overhead lines, and there is a huge backlog, particularly on the borders with Poland and the Czech Republic. It is important from a defence policy perspective to address this as quickly as possible."

Over the past 14 years, railway line electrification has happened at a sluggish rate, growing three percentage points between 2010 and 2024 to reach 62 percent and averaging 75 kilometres per year, according to the associations. This means that for over a third (38%) of railway lines in the country, diesel-powered trains are used. Busy routes usually have overhead lines, which means that the proportion of rail transport powered by electricity stands at around 90 percent.

The groups welcomed the historic infrastructure and climate fund, and said with the money, "it is entirely realistic to become eight times faster than before and electrify 80 percent of the network by 2035". Germany is aiming to shift traffic from road to rail, as well as replace diesel engines with climate-friendly alternatives to reach climate targets. The transport sector has repeatedly missed emission reduction targets and is often referred to as the country's "problem child" when it comes to climate action.