In future, railway areas can be exempted if they are not required for railway operations either now or in the future. A corresponding amendment to the General Railway Act

(Section 23 AEG) was passed by the German Bundestag on 26 June 2025, thereby relaxing the conditions for the exemption of land from the purpose of railway operations, which were tightened in 2023. Decommissioned railway land should no longer stand in the way of development within cities and municipalities. The new regulation thus opens up new opportunities for local authorities to create residential and commercial space in locations close to city centres. It is no longer possible to automatically refer to the overriding public interest of railway use in order to prevent a change of use. Instead, it depends on whether the land is actually still needed for railway purposes.