Suche
Mein Konto
Gastel remains a rail expert: Urgent need for renovation in Filderstadt!
After the election, Matthias Gastel remains a rail expert in the Bundestag and is calling for urgent renovations to the dilapidated rail infrastructure.
Gastel remains a rail expert: Urgent need for renovation in Filderstadt!
Matthias Gastel, the Green Party's long-time rail expert in the Bundestag, will remain in office after the election. He has represented the party in the Bundestag since 2013 and has established himself as an expert on rail policy issues. He is a member of the transport and tourism committees and is particularly committed to maintaining and expanding the railways and road network. As Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports, Gastel criticizes the persistent unpunctuality of the trains and the poor condition of the rail infrastructure. He attaches particular importance to ailing railway lines, such as the connection between Stuttgart, Nürtingen and Tübingen.
The punctuality of trains on the Neckar Valley route is also an issue that Gastel addresses vehemently. In his role, he calls on the new federal government to take measures to renovate and modernize the infrastructure more quickly. Gastel will also remain a member of the supervisory board of the railway's infrastructure division.
Railway financing and infrastructure problems
However, the challenges of rail policy are not new. The traffic light government is currently faced with the need to fundamentally revise the rail financing models. According to Matthias-Gastel.de, the Approval Acceleration Act was passed to declare rail projects to be of paramount public interest. This is the first structural reform at Deutsche Bahn in 30 years.
In the draft budget, the funds for investments in the rail network were significantly increased, which is a positive development. Nevertheless, cuts in the overall budget, particularly in the transport sector, have also been announced, which is criticized as not being future-oriented. Freight transport will be affected by price increases and support for logistics companies looking to switch to alternative fuels remains uncertain.
Urgent need for action
The situation is further exacerbated by the 2022 Grid Condition Report, which shows a slight deterioration in the overall rating to 3.01. The urgently needed renovation of the rail infrastructure is estimated at 90.3 billion euros. The greatest financing needs relate to bridges and signal boxes, which together require large sums of money.
A forward-looking approach requires putting in place a financially viable plan over several years to address infrastructure shortfalls. As the reports indicate, a switch to modern interlocking technology will be necessary, with staff shortages posing a serious challenge. An equity grant to Deutsche Bahn is to be increased from 1.1 to 5.5 billion euros, while funds for expansion and new rail construction must be slightly reduced.
The coming years will be crucial in creating the framework conditions for a sustainable rail policy. Matthias Gastel remains a central figure in the discussion about the German rail infrastructure and its further development, as the current political framework now clearly shows. His desire to modernize the railway and increase punctuality and safety in rail transport is clear and will continue to be important in the future.