Bild Reports Merz Fires Transportation Minister

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has dismissed Transportation Minister Patrick Schnieder over the condition of Germany's rail network, Bild reported, citing conservative sources.

Reuters said neither the chancellor's office nor the Transportation Ministry immediately commented on the report.

According to Bild, Merz had grown increasingly frustrated that Schnieder had failed to improve Germany's rail network and deteriorating infrastructure despite the ministry's record budget.

The newspaper said Schnieder would be replaced by Fritz Güntzler, a CDU lawmaker and auditor from Göttingen who has served in the Bundestag since 2013 and sits on its Finance Committee.

The dismissal broadens the reshuffle of Merz's cabinet following the sudden resignation of CDU/CSU parliamentary group leader Jens Spahn amid controversy surrounding surrogacy.

Reuters also reported on Thursday, citing sources, that Health Minister Nina Warken is expected to become head of the Federal Chancellery, while Thorsten Frei is set to succeed Spahn as leader of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. Warken would become the first woman to head the Federal Chancellery in postwar Germany.

Schnieder has served as transportation minister since May 2025. According to Bild, he also faced criticism in September after saying that, despite his ministry's large budget, it lacked sufficient funding for new bridges and other infrastructure projects.

(Reuters, Lud)