Mobilized Western Pomerania: Special train is pushing for a quick rail connection to Berlin!

Mobilized Western Pomerania: Special train is pushing for a quick rail connection to Berlin!

Anklam, Deutschland - Today the time has come: On Monday, June 23, a special train from Western Pomerania will leave Berlin, over 60 local politicians, business development agency and heads of administration from the region. The aim of this trip is to advertise the Federal Chancellery for the expansion of the railway line from Sassnitz to Berlin. This reports Svz.de Among other things, there are two district councilors from Western Pomerania, as well as 15 mayors from cities such as Stralsund, Greifswald, Anklam, Pasewalk, Ueckermünde and Eberswalde. An appointment with the Chancellor Department Thorsten Frei is on the agenda, as well as a conversation in the Paul Löbe house with the MV member of the Bundestag Frank Junge (SPD), which will talk about possible financial support. The parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Transport, Christian Hirte (CDU), will also welcome the delegation in the state council.

railway expansion with added value

The focus of the talks is clearly on the urgently needed renovation of the railway line, which would enable an increase in the train speed from currently 120 to 160 km/h. This would not only shorten the travel time between Berlin and Rügen by about half an hour, but also boost the economic development of the region vigorously. Especially commuters and tourists who travel to Rügen and Usedom could benefit from this measure.

However, everything depends not only on the conversations in Berlin. The mayors from the region expressed their displeasure in a fire letter to Chancellor Olaf Scholz about the staggering development of the project. This form of the protest was necessary because they fear that the "Western Pomerania Magistrals" will not be realized for cost reasons. The fire letter mentions that the 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 pending, as NDR found ndr.de .

tourism and rural development in view

The planned Berlin-Sassnitz-Binz route is to be expanded for 160 km/h, while the expansion on Rügen continues. Ost representative Carsten Schneider had already reduced a travel time between Berlin and Rügen in October 2023. The better rail connection could provide positive economic impulses because it better connects rural regions and supports tourism.

This is all the more important because many rail routes have been shut down in the past, which has affected mobility in rural areas. Reactivation could not only improve accessibility, but also contribute to the creation of equivalent living conditions in these regions, according to the Federal Institute for Building, City and Spatial Research BBSR .