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Cost explosion on Bremen tram: CDU demands clarification!
CDU criticizes jump in costs for Bremen tram project Cross Link East; Urgent need for action on infrastructure investments.
Cost explosion on Bremen tram: CDU demands clarification!
In Bremen there is currently great concern about the cost development of the Querleitung Ost tram expansion project. According to recent reports from Weser courier The members of the CDU parliamentary group speak of a clear lack of understanding after the estimated project costs increased by a whopping 23.5 million euros to a total of 87.7 million euros. Converted, this means that the costs per meter of the planned 1.5 kilometer long new line are now over 58,000 euros.
The transport authority cannot give any guarantee that costs will stabilize. Michael Jonitz, the CDU's transport policy spokesman, has made it clear that the ongoing cost jumps are a negative signal for confidence in the city's infrastructure projects. “We need reliable planning to promote both the economic recovery and the transport transition,” said Jonitz.
Investment needs in the public sector
Like many other cities in Germany, Bremen's infrastructure is facing a massive challenge. As a study by the German Institute for Urban Studies on behalf of the Main Association of the German Construction Industry, the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) and the ADAC shows, an investment requirement of over 370 billion euros must be raised by 2030 to maintain and expand rail networks, roads and paths. Almost every second road bridge is in poor condition and almost a third of the roads have major defects like this daily news reported.
- Investitionsbedarf bis 2030: > 370 Milliarden Euro
- Schlechte Zustand der Straßenbrücken: fast 50%
- Größere Mängel bei Straßen: 33%
Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has already announced an increase in funding for bridge renovation, but according to VDV Managing Director Oliver Wolff, the required funding may soon no longer be sufficient. From 2026 onwards, the annual funding increase will be 2.5 billion euros, but the renovation backlog currently affects around 4,000 bridges in Germany.
Cost monitoring as the key to the solution
In order to address the challenges more effectively, experts are calling for a rethink in the planning and execution of infrastructure projects. PwC describes the current underfunding as one of the main reasons for the inefficiency in planning. Inefficient processes and a lack of transparency call for reform. A proposal to create a cross-functional organizational unit at the federal level could be an important instrument for the successful implementation of public infrastructure projects.
The central tasks of this unit should be improving governance and clear project standards in order to build trust in public infrastructure policy and promote the realization of projects. This could not only lead to a more sustainable infrastructure, but also ultimately remove the bottleneck in planning and implementation.
The developments surrounding the east link clearly show that there is something going on in Bremen, and it is time for a thorough review of the planning and cost developments in order to ensure a sustainable and reliable infrastructure for all citizens.