Federal audit office finds "serious failings" in Deutsche Bahn corridor overhauls
Auditors accuse the railway of flawed cost-benefit analyses and rising costs. The Greens say Deutsche Bahn has squandered trust.
Symbolic image · Photo: Spoorjan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped and resized)
In a report to the Bundestag budget committee seen by dpa, the Federal Court of Audit criticizes the overhauls of heavily used rail corridors: "The first corridor renovations show serious undesirable developments." Previous cost-benefit analyses were "flawed and unreliable", and costs of the first projects rose considerably in some cases.
The railway has cut the promised construction-free period after completion from ten to five years, and even that will not be met because of follow-up work, the auditors said. The transport ministry confirmed shortcomings; Deutsche Bahn pointed to renovations completed below budget, such as Nuremberg–Regensburg.
Greens budget spokeswoman Paula Piechotta summed up: "Escalating costs, longer closures, reduced scope of renovation." Deutsche Bahn had "completely used up" the trust placed in it, she said.