Description
Rail Market: Germany 2022
In our “Rail Market” publication series, we present national rail markets and the economy behind them within a scientifically sound and methodologically defined framework. The data analyses presented, in particular on market attractiveness, provide our customers with the necessary data basis to decide on strategic realignments and market entries.
The promise to shift traffic from road to rail has been a regular lip service in transport policy for more than 30 years. The success has, to put it mildly, remained manageable. Traffic jams on Germany’s roads are getting longer, CO2 emissions from transport are rising – while the railway, of all things, which is environmentally and climate-friendly compared to other modes of transport and could form the “backbone” for the transport transition, remains in a niche of the transport system.
With around 38,400 kilometres of track, Germany has the largest rail network in Europe and therefore plays a significant role in the European rail market, and not just because of its central location within the continent.
Where politicians only pay lip service, the domestic railway industry is driving development in the German railway market, but it too must face up to its limits and explore what is feasible.
The funds to maintain and in some cases modernise the German rail network are now available, but there is a lack of manpower and rapid implementation of planned measures.
However, the opportunities for foreign companies wishing to penetrate the German railway market are all the greater: Not only are workers needed, but also innovative technologies, pioneering concepts to drive forward the digitalisation and modernisation of the rail network and software to streamline and optimise planning processes.
The aim of this dossier is to provide foreign companies with all the basic information they need to develop a well-founded market entry strategy.
To this end, we show the structures of the German rail market, outline the status quo and analyse the attractiveness of the market.
