No bridges, no tanks

Infrastructure has one major advantage over armaments: investments in it can be supported by a majority – even far beyond a two-thirds majority. Everyone from the AfD to the Left wants to invest in dilapidated bridges and the run-down rail network. This could prove to be a decisive advantage at a time when serious consideration is being given to using the comfortable composition of the existing parliament to quickly create a second special fund for the Bundeswehr before the inaugural session of the new Bundestag. That is why, in addition to the new billion-euro pot for armaments, a second one for infrastructure is also being discussed. Strictly speaking, it may even be the other way around: could the special fund for infrastructure become a bridge for armaments – and at the same time for a spontaneous Kenya coalition between the Union, SPD and Greens?

The latter have certainly sensed a new dawn since CDU party leader Friedrich Merz signaled that they might still be needed. After the election, the middle class lost its two-thirds majority, making it difficult to amend the Basic Law on the debt brake. The Greens are therefore attaching conditions to their approval of a special fund for the Bundeswehr . The aim is a fundamental reform of the debt brake so that, in addition to investments in external and internal security, more investments in climate protection, the ailing infrastructure, a competitive economy and education are possible, said outgoing Green MP Sven-Christian Kindler on Wednesday, bringing up the "Germany Fund" outlined in the election manifesto.

If his party colleague Paula Piechotta has her way, a special fund for the construction, expansion and renovation of the rail network as well as the renovation of motorway bridges would be the minimum compensation for the favor. A special fund for the Bundeswehr alone would fail not only because of the progressive parties, but also because of the East German state premiers, Piechotta suspects.

The idea of ​​reactivating the expiring Bundestag seemed daring on Monday, so soon after the general election. But many things are now conceivable, especially since infrastructure and its long-term financing play a key role in all parties. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (formerly FDP) proposed an infrastructure fund a year ago and began work on it. In addition to the Greens, the SPD is also enthusiastic about it.

However, the Union, which provided all transport ministers between 2009 and 2021, could only bring itself to make a succinct commitment in its election manifesto: "We stand for adequate financing of motorways, bridges and road infrastructure." This should be financed "solidly". The sentence "We ensure permanent financing stability that is independent of fluctuating budget resources" could indicate a fund solution. So far, however, it has reacted cautiously to the demands.

In doing so, the parties are responding to demands that the industry has been making for years, both Deutsche Bahn and its competitors. "We need financial and planning security, not just for the current fiscal year, but for several years and beyond the current legislative period," says Dirk Flege, managing director of the lobby association Allianz pro Schiene. "This creates orientation and reliability for everyone who builds on the railways, and also for those who use them every day."

It is already clear that the planned renovation projects will require billions in additional funds. At the beginning of his term in office, Wissing determined that around 4,000 bridges in Germany are in urgent need of renovation or new construction. The Rahmede Valley Bridge near Lüdenscheid is a particularly drastic example of this: at the beginning of December 2021, it had to be closed overnight due to safety concerns.

Wissing and the motorway company pushed ahead with the demolition of the old bridge and its new construction at full speed. The new bridge is now expected to be completed somewhat earlier than originally planned: instead of summer 2026, part of the structure may be completed in spring 2026, said Wissing at the bridge's "steel wedding" on Tuesday. There is also a need for haste: the closure of the central motorway bridge plunged the region into chaos. Last summer, the collapse of the Carola Bridge in Dresden became a symbol of the deplorable state of infrastructure in Germany.

This was accompanied by a series of negative records that the railway had to report in terms of punctuality last year. In addition to staff shortages, the railway management also blamed the poor condition of the infrastructure for the delays: In its current network status report, the railway estimated its investment backlog of the past decades at around 90 billion euros. The complex planned general renovation of 40 heavily used corridors has just started. The first stage between Frankfurt and Mannheim cost 1.3 billion euros. They were installed in just five months. So far, the cost framework has not been exceeded, said a railway spokeswoman.

The industry's demands for longer-term financing are so loud because it sees itself as a victim of the last budget round. After months of wrangling, the SPD, Greens and FDP agreed to structure part of the necessary billions for the railway as a "financial transaction": instead of transferring the money as construction cost subsidies as usual, the state-owned company's equity was increased. This resulted in a significant increase in track access prices, which primarily affects long-distance traffic and the many private competitors in freight transport. The austerity efforts in the federal budget are therefore costing the industry dearly.