The need for repair and renewal across the German railway network continues to expand. According to “Tagesspiegel Background” which cites current internal documents from DB InfraGO, the cumulative backlog of investment-adjusted for inflation-rose by an additional €2.6 billion in 2025, bringing the total to €136.5 billion.
These internal records show that the backlog has been climbing steadily over recent years. In 2024, the increase was the largest of the past nine years: an addition of €6.9 billion brought the total to €134 billion. This sharp rise means that, over the last two years, nearly €10 billion more was needed to maintain Germany’s second‑most important transport infrastructure than was actually invested.
The updated 2024 price‑level data series also reveal that the only time the backlog dipped was in 2023, when it fell slightly by €500 million to €127.1 billion-a single, modest reduction amid an overall long‑term uptick.