(Frankfurt am Main, September 18, 2025) 90 percent of rail traffic in Germany is concentrated on around 62 percent of the rail network – namely the part that is already electrified. Nevertheless, there is often a tendency in new planning procedures to work with transitional technologies such as battery or hydrogen hybrid vehicles. Dr. Carsten Söffker, head of the Electric Trains division at the Power Engineering Society within VDE (VDE ETG) notes: "Interim solutions are often preferred over investments that make sense in the long term. One reason for this is that it is not easy to get all stakeholders on board for larger construction projects."
Reducing CO₂ emissions and operating costs, increasing punctuality and availability
Trains powered by renewable energies with overhead lines save up to 90 percent CO2 and significantly reduce operating costs. A uniform rail network with an electrified vehicle fleet also increases punctuality and availability, which is of great importance for the future of logistics and passenger transport. In order to ensure greater speed and a simple, transparent evaluation of different approaches, especially at the beginning of new planning projects, VDE ETG presents an evaluation tool for decision-makers in its new white paper and the accompanying guide "Mut zur Fahrleitung" (Courage to use overhead lines) (German version). "Projects often get stuck at an early stage, external studies are commissioned and are of no help. Our proposal provides an initial approximation from a fairly high altitude and has been developed by practitioners for practitioners."
Best practice: Overcoming obstacles, creating solutions
The Karlsruhe model, now 20 years old, shows that it is possible to successfully implement even large-scale projects in regional and urban transport. From the outset, it was consistently communicated that the planned dual-system light rail system would enable journeys from Pforzheim to the center of the spa town of Bad Wildbad in the Black Forest without the need to change trains. This meant that all stakeholders were involved at an early stage and the project could be implemented without any major complications. The Breisgau S-Bahn is another, more recent example of how regional transport on secondary lines could be upgraded through electrification and modern vehicles. "There is no such thing as a perfect model; there are always a few teething problems to overcome," says Söffker. "But the examples show that implementation is possible even with many parties involved, as long as everyone pulls together."
Guide to evaluating different approaches in regional and urban transport
The evaluation tool presented by VDE ETG in its guide "Mut zur Fahrleitung" (Courage overhead lines) reduces the very extensive process to twenty essential criteria. Whether overhead lines, diesel railcars, or buses: for each mobility option, it is possible to define whether a criterion is very important, important, or unimportant for the municipality concerned. In the end, a simple calculation model can be used to determine how well the various proposals perform in terms of the different criteria. "The tool is designed so that users can omit or change criteria in order to ultimately obtain an initial utility analysis for their specific situation."
Among other things, it shows which stakeholders should be actively involved in order to win them over to a project. For example, if city planners are shown that overhead lines can blend discreetly into the cityscape and that design masts have even won architecture awards, opponents can become supporters. "This way, things can get moving more quickly, so that in the end, it is not the simpler solution that is chosen, but the more sustainable one," emphasizes Söffker.
