Veraltet und verspätet: Lutz und Fabian machen Bestandsaufnahme bei der Deutschen Bahn | heute-show

Summary

The heute-show uses interviews, field reports and satire to examine Deutsche Bahn’s delays and deteriorating infrastructure.

Passenger experience and punctuality

The report opens with travellers describing missed connections, cancellations and long delays. It cites a long-distance punctuality rate of 65%—meaning about one train in three was late—and notes that the railway carried 132 million long-distance passengers last year.

How the network deteriorated

The segment traces the decline to the 1994 railway reform and subsequent cost-cutting. It says the operating network has shrunk from more than 41,000 kilometres to around 33,000, while many switches have been removed. With more trains using an ageing network and little new infrastructure, disruptions can spread quickly.

Investment and political responsibility

A rail expert argues that Germany invests too little in rail compared with other countries. Infrastructure spending has long-term benefits, the expert says, making it less attractive to politicians focused on the next election.

The programme contrasts planned 2023 spending of €12 billion on federal roads with €9 billion on rail, and cites 74 kilometres of new track compared with 10,000 kilometres of road built in 2022. Transport Minister Volker Wissing defends planned investment and says the government intends to accelerate rail expansion, but the segment questions whether funding and progress match the promises.

Labour and railway management

Union leader Claus Weselsky criticizes Wissing for being too hesitant and says the railway board must carry out the owner’s wishes. A visit to a rail operations centre shows staff coordinating thousands of journeys and illustrates how one disruption can affect many trains. A comic “poodle incident” is said to have caused a total of 996 minutes of delay across 47 trains.

Infrastructure condition and Deutsche Bahn’s response

The report cites a condition assessment in which 26% of switches, 42% of level crossings and 48% of signal boxes are in poor or inadequate condition. Repairs are estimated to cost €89 billion.

Deutsche Bahn spokesperson Achim Staus points to around 1,000 simultaneous construction sites and the need for a major renovation. The programme’s board-game sketch mocks the delays, compensation payments and uncertainty passengers face.

A delayed journey and missing rail links

Lutz and Fabian’s own train trip becomes an example of the problems: they encounter communication failures, a reversal and substantial delays. In Lütjenburg, a local association is working to revive a line that has been out of use for decades.

The segment argues that local connections and a denser network may matter more to many passengers than expensive prestige projects. Transport planner Heiner Monheim criticizes decisions based on cost-benefit projections that attempt to predict a line’s value decades into the future.

The scale of the challenge

Deutsche Bahn is reported to need €88 billion by 2027, while only €43 billion has been secured so far. Government goals include doubling passenger numbers by 2030 and raising electrification from 61% to 75%; the annual pace required is far above recent progress. The planned regular-interval “Deutschlandtakt” is also delayed.

The Swiss comparison

The report contrasts Germany’s situation with Switzerland, citing 93% punctuality—or 97% when connections are counted—and a fully electrified network. It highlights reliable connections and replacement arrangements as part of the Swiss approach.

Overall argument

The programme argues that chronic underinvestment, a shrunken and ageing network, political short-termism and difficult management choices have left Deutsche Bahn struggling to meet demand. It presents Switzerland and local line restoration as examples of alternatives, while stressing the scale of the challenge and the funding gap ahead.

Presenters and named contributors: Lutz van der Horst, Fabian Köster, Professor Böttger, Volker Wissing, Claus Weselsky, Achim Staus, Philipp Amthor, Heiner Monheim and Swiss railway veteran Walter Finkbona.