The German Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) believe that the road will stay the main transport modality in Germany. The party said this in a parliamentary motion, which also calls for extra medium-term funding for the road sector. In defiance of EU policy, the party does not seem to want a modal shift away from the road.

Contrary to EU policy, which has determined that half of freight should be carried by modalities other than trucks by 2050, the German CDU/CSU party does not seem eager to induce a modal shift away from the road. It filed a motion in which it calls for extra funding for the road sector, and expresses the view that road transportation will remain the main transport modality in the country. The party refers to projections from the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport to support that view.

The party wants to “align financing with the actual circumstances without playing the modes of transport off against each other”, referring to predictions that trucks will account for 77 per cent of freight traffic by 2051. In other words, it seems that there is no desire to change the prospect of three quarters of freight being carried via the road. In defiance of EU targets, the party wants to continue on the same track that Germany is already on.

“We need long-term funding for the railways”

CDU/CSU considers it “necessary to put the financing of the maintenance and expansion of the transport infrastructure on a secure and future-proof footing”, referring to the road sector. The party wants the 2025 budget to include more funding for that purpose. Moreover, the party wants to reintroduce the “road finances road” principle, in which revenue from truck tolls is entirely spent on road infrastructure. The carbon dioxide component of the toll should be spent on decarbonising the industry, the party says.

Andreas Geißler, head of transport policy at rail organisation Allianz pro-Schiene, criticises the party’s plans: “With its proposal that the revenue from the carbon dioxide toll on lorry traffic should only be used for road construction in future, the CDU/CSU remains stuck in the past in terms of transport policy. For the mobility of tomorrow, we need an expansion offensive for the rail network.”

“People and industry in Germany want an efficient railway system”, Geißler continues. “Rather than more funding for the road, he says that “we finally need sufficient and long-term funding for the railways in Germany, as has long been the standard in Austria and Switzerland. With the introduction of a rail fund, Germany could also secure the necessary investments for the coming years.”

Rail freight disappointment

The rail freight sector has long been disappointed with German policy to support the success of rail. For example, the sector cannot count on adequate compensation ahead of infrastructure renovation downtime. Moreover, track access charges stand to increase significantly in the near future, compromising the sector’s competitiveness. Now, it seems that it cannot count on the Christian Democrats to bring much-needed change. The CDU/CSU alliance is currently polling as the top party if elections were to be held today.

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