Entrepreneur Martin Herrenknecht strongly backed the replacement of the Minister of Transport, stating that Patrik Schnieder was an insufficient choice for a ministry as critical to the country’s future. According to Herrenknecht’s remarks to the “Handelsblatt”, not enough is being done, despite the dedicated Special Fund providing the necessary money for projects. He argues that expanding infrastructure is the only viable way for Germany to quickly recover from its current cyclical and structural crises.
Herrenknecht urged the new Transport Minister, Steffen Bilger, to provide “full backing” to head of the rail system, Evelyn Palla, as she takes on this enormous responsibility. He stressed that Germany urgently needs an implementation sprint and that the new Minister should also focus on boosting privately financed projects to accelerate progress and resolve the project backlog. Palla’s efforts, he recommended, should prioritize developing rail bypasses-parallel high-speed routes-to overcome the current bottlenecks.
Furthermore, the industrialist endorses an application for the 2036 Olympic Games. Herrenknecht believes that hosting an Olympics would create the necessary sporting impetus to finalize massive infrastructure projects much faster than usual-an impulse he feels Germany desperately needs.
However, Herrenknecht maintains fundamental criticism regarding large-scale projects, citing the difficulties in connecting the Brennertunnel in Bavaria as an example. He warned that the years of delays are causing Germany to breach state contracts, embarrassing the nation with neighbors, and ultimately paralyzing its own economy, concluding that “Germany is planning itself right to death.”
