The association of the railway industry in Germany VDB has registered record figures for both revenues and order intake for the 2025 fiscal year. Revenues rose to EUR 15.6 billion, while order intake reached EUR 21.8 billion. Domestic business grew by 7.7% to EUR 9.8 billion. According to the VDB, the primary drivers were federal investments in the railway infrastructure as well as the refurbishment of key corridors. In the infrastructure segment, revenues increased to EUR 4.7 billion. Within the domestic market, this segment expanded by 15.6%. Growth was driven in particular by civil engineering, electrification, as well as construction and specialised vehicles. Furthermore, more than 4,200 control units such as interlocking systems, signals and switches were installed in 2025, up from an average of around 2,500 in previous years. At EUR 10.9 billion, the rolling stock segment remained the largest sector, however, according to the association, its performance within the domestic market was weaker than expected, thereby falling short of political expansion targets. In terms of orders, the infrastructure business grew by 36%, while international orders in this sector nearly doubled. The number of direct employees rose to around 57,700. The VDB is calling on the federal government to establish a dedicated railway infrastructure fund and to provide legally binding, multi-year investment commitments in order to secure the long-term financing of network expansion.
