Planning Acceleration: Freight Railways Want Priority for Rail

In the coalition dispute over the Planning Acceleration Act, various industry associations have meanwhile spoken out. They all share the desire to urge politicians to take action. However, while the construction industry, among others, is calling for "Germany speed" for rail and road, explicitly including the construction of new highways, the Association of Freight Railways is pushing for a significant focus on rail freight transport.

Don't Downplay Rail Freight Transport

Uncontested measures to expand rail are stuck in the federal government because, according to the FDP's will, the construction of new highways should also be accelerated, complained lobby representatives of the rail and freight transport sector at a joint press conference in Berlin. Dirk Flege, Managing Director of the Alliance for Rail, criticized:

"We have now reached the point where the Federal Transport Minister is downplaying rail freight transport to legitimize the construction of new roads. Yet it's actually quite simple: we need to accelerate everything for rail, only the refurbishment for roads."

Peter Westenberger, Managing Director of the Association of Freight Railways, called on the coalition to dissect the debate, which has been inflated into a bundle of demands and counter-demands.

"The clock is ticking. To accelerate the undisputed expansion of the railway, the coalition agreement and the result of the Railway Acceleration Commission are sufficient. The 70 proposals have been sitting idle for nearly two months under Wissing."

GDL Chairman Claus Weselsky reiterated how necessary it is to prioritize the expansion and modernization of the rail network. Only in this way can the capacity advantage of the road, which has steadily increased over decades of road-oriented infrastructure policy, be counteracted.

All Eyes on the Railway

"Now more than ever: all eyes on the railway to achieve political goals. Resources - in planning, approval, the courts, and in transport route construction - must be prioritized for the railway," said Weselsky.

For Prof. Dr. Matthias Gather of FH Erfurt, road freight transport is the "blind spot of German transport policy." In recent years, apart from slight modifications to the truck toll, no active attempts have been made to create incentives for shifting freight to the railways.

Example Austria

"The example of Austria shows that with an active transport policy with a clear focus on the railway, a rail transport share of over 30 percent in the transport market is not unrealistic. However, further expansion of the road network does not solve any of the problems in road freight transport," said Gather.

Malte Lawrenz, Chairman of the Freight Wagon Holders Association VPI, emphasized the importance of political reliability:

“The statements made by the Federal Minister of Transport about the future performance of the railways are regrettable and demotivating. Numerous master plans and, most recently, the Rail Acceleration Commission appointed by the Minister of Transport have shown how the railway system can be improved – the knowledge is there. Rail freight transport still has enormous capacity reserves that can be tapped through targeted modernization.”

Focus on Highways

Flege added:

“In the coalition agreement, everyone agreed that the rail system should be rapidly expanded, while roads were not mentioned. Through his focus on new highways, Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing is causing internal coalition disputes. As a result, the accelerated expansion of the rail system, which could have long been initiated, is being hindered. This blockade further exacerbates the problems in the transport infrastructure instead of solving them.”

The Road is Crucial

On the sidelines of a joint appointment with DB Cargo in Brunsbüttel, Federal Minister Dr. Wissing responded to the criticism from freight railways:

“The demands on our transport infrastructure will massively increase for all modes of transport. The road plays a very crucial role in freight transport. This will remain the case in the future. Nevertheless, we are doing everything we can to promote a shift to rail.”