Master plan for rail freight transport in Germany: implement the program faster 26/10/18

< Retour à la liste

July 2018

On 23 June 2017, the then Federal Minister of Transport in Germany, Alexander Dobrindt, presented the master plan for rail freight to the public.  The first positive steps have been taken since then, but much remains to be done.  Implementation  should be accelerated – among others –in the innovation component of the plan: "Future rail freight transport".  So far, however, the necessary funds for this program are missing in the budgets of the Federal Government for the years 2018 and 2019.

The track access charge reduction component for rail freight traffic has been initiated as of December 2018.  The expansion of important freight traffic routes for 740-meter-long freight trains have also been started to meet the urgent needs of the Federal Railroad Track Construction Act.  It is also important to promptly complete the Planning Acceleration Act in order to be able to implement the necessary infrastructure measures in the rail network more quickly in the future. 

The freight railway undertakings also took important steps to implement the master plan during the past year. In particular the sector is working at full speed on the noise reduction of the freight wagon fleet and the digitization of the rolling stock. The recently launched initiative will safeguard the next generation of personnel fulfills a sector commitment within the scope of the master plan, as at that time it was agreed that not only the political conditions for rail freight transport had to improve.  The sector has begun delivering its contribution to greater competitiveness.

 

After one year, it may be observed that both the rail freight sector and transport politicians have started to act to deliver the Rail Freight Master Plan, but additional efforts will be required.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#PoRF

#State_aid_to_rail-freight

#Germany

Haut