City Council adopts municipal statement on the draft federal transport infrastructure plan

Yesterday, the City Council unanimously adopted the statement of the City of Chemnitz in the participation process for the current draft of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030. In addition, Mayor Barbara Ludwig, Mayor of Construction Michael Stötzer and city councillors once again called for broad participation in the participation process for the draft.

The statement from the city of Chemnitz states that it is unacceptable that the region with over 1.6 million inhabitants is permanently cut off from long-distance rail passenger transport and that a region as economically strong as Chemnitz, which is also the third largest city in eastern Germany, continues to have no direct long-distance transport connection. No other economic centre is as neglected as Chemnitz when it comes to long-distance transport connections.

The argument put forward by the federal government's experts when assessing the route that there is no demand for rail freight transport and that the route would not be used supra-regionally is in no way comprehensible. The issue of long-distance passenger rail transport, which is important for the region, is not substantiated in the expert opinion on the assessment of the application with either traffic data or regional planning facts.

The main objectives of the new Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan include smooth mobility in passenger transport and efficient freight transport. The environmentally friendly rail mode of transport is also to be strengthened by shifting traffic. These objectives must also apply to the Chemnitz conurbation.

It would be irresponsible and reckless to continue to make an important economic region for the economic performance of Saxony and Germany and an important centre of science dependent on long-distance rail transport. The further development of a growing city and the entire region is thus being deliberately prevented by accepting economic and demographic risks for the future.

In view of the growing freight transport services (State Transport Development Plan 2025) and the goal of further shifting freight transport to the railways, this decision deprives the region of the prospects for long-distance passenger rail transport and also the development opportunities for future-oriented rail freight transport.

The City of Chemnitz is calling for the expansion of the Chemnitz - Leipzig rail link to be included in the 2030 Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan in line with the application submitted by the Free State of Saxony as a prerequisite for reconnecting the Chemnitz region to long-distance passenger rail transport.

Further projects

The City of Chemnitz welcomes the inclusion of the missing expansion section of the Franconia-Saxony Main Line in the urgent requirements of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan. With the electrification of Reichenbach i. V. - Hof in 2013 by the Free State of Saxony, a third of the electrification project has now been built and is in operation. However, at the end of the term of the 2003 Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan, there will still be a gap in electrification from Nuremberg and Marktredwitz to Hof and the Czech border. As a result, the Franconia-Saxony Main Line suffers from disrupted passenger transport and uneconomical conditions for freight transport.

The city of Chemnitz also welcomes the inclusion of all four sub-projects for the upgrading and new construction of the B 107/B 174 motorway in the urgent requirements. The division into four independently realisable sub-projects will create the conditions for faster implementation of sub-project 2 Südverbund - Ebersdorf. The proposed division into four sub-projects is supported by the City of Chemnitz. The City of Chemnitz is calling for urgent planning and realisation of sub-project 2 Südverbund - Ebersdorf as part of the overall B 107/B 174 project.

Participation in the participation procedure

The Federal Ministry of Transport is running the public participation process for the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan until 2 May. Every citizen, every institution and every company can submit their objections to the plan electronically or in writing. Mayor Barbara Ludwig, Mayor of Construction Michael Stötzer and city councillors have once again campaigned for this opportunity to be utilised. Last week, the Lord Mayor published a similar appeal together with the presidents of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the Chemnitz Chamber of Crafts. The main arguments in favour of expanding the route are summarised in the attachment.

The following channels are available:

• In writing, quoting the keyword "BVWP 2030" Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure / Department G12, Invalidenstr. 44, D - 10115 Berlin Keyword "BVWP 2030"
• Electronically at www.bmvi.de