Strengthen competition on the railways – secure long-distance rail connections for Saarland
In response to media reports about a possible threat to Saarbrücken's ICE connection due to the planned market entry of the Italian railway company Italo, the state chairwoman of the FDP Saar, Angelika Hießerich-Peter, states:
"More competition on the railways is basically good news for passengers. New providers can deliver better services, more innovation, and more attractive prices. Those who take the transport transition seriously must not prevent competition but instead create fair framework conditions for all market participants. At the same time, we expect that Saarland will continue to be efficiently connected to the national long-distance transport network in the future."
The FDP Saar warns against reducing the current discussion to a contrast between competition and connectivity in rural areas. Rather, politics must ensure that regions outside the major metropolitan areas are attractively connected as well.
The transport policy spokesperson of the FDP Saar, Tobias Kuhn, adds: "If the market entry of a single competitor should already be enough to call existing long-distance transport services into question, this primarily reveals the weaknesses of the German rail system. The future of rail does not depend on whether we allow competition, but on whether we finally create the infrastructure that enables reliable and attractive long-distance travel. Saarland needs strong connections to the German and European economic centers – with reliable, fast, and attractive services."
The FDP Saar therefore demands the preservation and further development of Saarbrücken's long-distance transport connections, as well as stronger integration of the Saarland into national and international transport corridors. This calls for a transport policy that also keeps regions outside the major metropolitan areas in mind. The expansion and modernization of rail infrastructure and fair competitive conditions for all railway companies must be a matter of course.
"Saarland must not be cut off from long-distance traffic. Our goal is an efficient, reliable, and attractive rail service, also from different providers, that meets the needs of both citizens and the economy equally!" concluded Hießerich-Peter and Kuhn.
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