Saxony's Infrastructure Minister Regina Kraushaar (CDU) believes that eastern Germany, and Saxony in particular, has been on hold for far too long when it comes to the expansion of rail transport. "It is a fatal signal to the people if they feel they are being sidelined by transport policy," said the minister in an interview with the German Press Agency in Dresden. The connections to the east and south are a huge problem. While the Czech Republic and Poland had long since done their homework in this area, Germany was lagging behind and was now also causing displeasure among its neighbors.
Minister: Current situation unacceptable
The minister referred to the European dimension of efficient train connections to Eastern Europe. Saxony is the most important rail hub to Northern and Western Europe for the countries there, and central European transport axes run through the Free State. "I told Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz during his visit to Dresden that although we have high-speed rail links to many western cities such as London, Paris or Rome, the east is not nearly as well connected and that this situation cannot be acceptable."
"The connection is clearly about economic and transnational aspects in long-distance and freight transport," continued the minister. Poland and the Czech Republic are important trading partners for Saxony. Due to the changed security situation as a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, fundamental military issues are now inevitably being added, the Minister clarified. Last but not least, a high-performance connection will hopefully be needed in the near future for reconstruction in Ukraine.
Saxon rail routes are of international importance
Instead of high-performance corridors, Saxony currently has gaps in electrification and bottlenecks in cross-border rail transport, Kraushaar explained the situation. The corridors to Central and Eastern Europe have so far been neglected. Yet Saxony's rail routes have long been of international strategic importance. Achieving the climate targets in transport also requires the rapid expansion of routes to Poland and the Czech Republic.
Kraushaar sees the greatest need for action in the planned new line from Dresden to Prague, for example. It is intended to close a gap in the connection between northern and southern Europe. The project is currently on its way to the Bundestag. If it receives a green light from there, all further steps, including financing, should be taken quickly, said the Minister. The Czech Republic is ready and is pushing for the signing of the jointly prepared state treaty.
Saxony focuses on several railroad lines
For a long time, the focus has been on the Dresden-Görlitz railroad line. As early as 2003, a German-Polish agreement stipulated a fully electrified line between Wrocław, Görlitz and Dresden. Poland has implemented this. But the contact wires stop at the border. Electrification on the Saxon side could cost at least three quarters of a billion euros - recently, cost forecasts for rail projects have repeatedly skyrocketed.
Saxony is also focusing on the electrification and expansion of the line from Cottbus to Görlitz. Trains are to run at 160 km/h there one day. This would also significantly reduce the travel time between Berlin and Görlitz. Funds for structural change in the coal regions are to flow into the project, but these must be spent by 2038 at the latest. In addition, the project could become significantly more expensive than initially estimated. Kraushaar hopes that the federal government's special fund will speed things up.
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