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Western Pomerania mobilizes: Special train pushes for a fast rail connection to Berlin!
On June 23rd, Western Pomerania will campaign for railway expansion in Berlin: faster connections to strengthen the region.
Western Pomerania mobilizes: Special train pushes for a fast rail connection to Berlin!
Today is the day: On Monday, June 23rd, a special train will set off from Western Pomerania to Berlin, with over 60 local politicians, business developers and administrative heads from the region on board. The aim of this trip is to lobby the Federal Chancellery for the expansion of the railway line from Sassnitz to Berlin. This reports svz.de.
On board, among others, are two district administrators from Western Pomerania, as well as 15 mayors from cities such as Stralsund, Greifswald, Anklam, Pasewalk, Ueckermünde and Eberswalde. An appointment with the head of the Chancellery, Thorsten Frei, is on the agenda, as is a conversation in the Paul-Löbe-Haus with the MV Bundestag member Frank Junge (SPD), who will talk about possible financial support. The Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Christian Hirte (CDU), will also welcome the delegation to the state representation.
Railway line expansion with added value
The focus of the discussions is clearly on the urgently needed renovation of the railway line, which would enable train speeds to be increased from the current 120 to 160 km/h. This would not only shorten the travel time between Berlin and Rügen by around half an hour, but would also significantly boost the region's economic development. Commuters and tourists traveling to Rügen and Usedom in particular could benefit from this measure.
However, everything does not only depend on the talks in Berlin. The mayors from the region expressed their displeasure about the stalled development of the project in a fire letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This form of protest was necessary because they fear that the “Western Pomerania Mainline” will not be implemented due to cost reasons. The fire letter mentions that planning could be stopped at the beginning of 2024. In the summer of 2023, the Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck even promised 500 million euros for the expansion of the route - but the money from the federal government is still outstanding, as NDR has found ndr.de.
Tourism and rural development in view
The planned Berlin-Sassnitz-Binz route is to be expanded to 160 km/h, while the expansion on Rügen will continue. Eastern Commissioner Carsten Schneider had already announced in October 2023 that the travel time between Berlin and Rügen would be reduced by just under half an hour. The better rail connection could provide positive economic stimulus as it better connects rural regions and supports tourism.
This is even more important because many rail lines have been closed in the past, which has affected mobility in rural areas. Reactivation could not only improve accessibility, but also contribute to creating equivalent living conditions in these regions, according to the Federal Institute for Building, Urban and Spatial Research BBSR.
Finally, it remains to be hoped that the special train on Monday and the talks in Berlin will lead to rapid progress in railway expansion. The region's eyes are on developments - every step counts in this important matter for the future of Western Pomerania.