On 17th December 2025, the German federal government passed the Infrastructure Future Act, which aims to simplify, digitalise and significantly speed up planning and approval procedures so that renovations and expansions can be implemented more quickly. For rail, it is planned that the electrification of railway lines under 60 km will be completely exempt from environmental impact assessments (EIA). In addition, EIA requirements for other railway measures are to be reduced to the minimum required under European law. Nature and species protection laws are to be made more uniform, legally secure and practical throughout Germany, and clearer legal requirements are announced for lawsuits against infrastructure projects. The Federal Environment Ministry will present a second package of legislation with significant environmental law amendments to further accelerate procedures by the end of February 2026.
