AfD on transport

The AfD wants to give the Landesbetrieb Mobilität (state road agency) far more money and staff to repair and expand roads and bridges. In addition, all projects in the federal transport infrastructure plan located in the state would be built. The platform sees good roads as a factor for attracting business and as a contribution to road safety.

The AfD wants to fix broken roads and bridges. The agency in charge would get much more money and staff. All planned major roads would be built. This includes the missing stretch of the A 1 highway.

The agency manages nearly 17,000 kilometers of roads, which the platform says are often in poor condition. The 2030 federal transport plan lists more than 20 priority road projects for the state. The platform names closing the A 1 gap between Adenau and Kelberg, widening the B 10 to four lanes, a tunnel for the B 9 near Nierstein, and expanding the A 61 between Sinzig and Mendig. Legal and planning steps would be started so projects can be put out to tender quickly. As general priorities, the platform also names less red tape for infrastructure projects and fast internet.

The AfD wants all citizens to be able to choose freely between car, bus, rail, bicycle and walking. It rejects taxes and charges that burden particular modes such as the private car. Bike paths would be expanded without pushing out car traffic.

The AfD wants everyone to choose how they travel. Drivers should not pay extra charges. There should be more bike paths. But no parking spaces should be lost for them. Buses and trains should run better.

Transport networks would be expanded and bus and rail service scheduled sensibly. The network of separate bike paths, including commuter routes linking towns and villages, would grow, but parking spaces must not be removed for it. New bike paths would also be designed for future autonomous driving and keep traffic types clearly apart. Given tight budgets, the AfD prefers maintaining and expanding public transit over heavily discounted tickets. Public transit in rural areas would be specifically improved.

The AfD wants to build the Middle Rhine bridge near St. Goar with state money and put up another bridge between Mainz and Worms. The platform justifies this with the lack of Rhine crossings over long stretches and with traffic jams in the Rhine-Main area.

The AfD wants to build new bridges over the Rhine. One would be near St. Goar. The state would pay for it. Another would be built between Mainz and Worms. People would save detours and waiting time at ferries.

According to the platform, there is no bridge over the Rhine between Koblenz and Mainz or between Mainz and Worms. The AfD also wants a review of where a second inner-city road bridge between Mainz and Wiesbaden and a bridge between Bingen and Rüdesheim could be built. State staff would support planning and construction. The party expects fewer detours and easier business activity on both sides of the river.

The AfD wants new cars with combustion engines to remain eligible for registration, opposing the EU-wide phase-out from 2035. Engines and fuels should be developed in a technology-neutral way and sold freely. The platform justifies this with jobs in the state's auto industry.

From 2035, the EU wants to stop allowing new cars with combustion engines. The AfD is against this. Such cars should stay legal. The AfD says this protects jobs in the car industry.

Engines and fuels should be further developed without a prescribed technology and sold without restriction. The AfD rejects one-sided dependence on raw materials such as rare earths or on components from China. The platform calls Rhineland-Palatinate an important automotive location with several thousand employees. It argues that only manufacturers' investment and development decisions made independently of the state can secure these jobs.

The AfD wants more freight to be carried by ship on the Rhine and Moselle. To that end, shallow spots are to be removed and the Moselle locks expanded. According to the platform, this would take pressure off the roads.

The AfD wants more goods to travel by ship. The Rhine and Moselle rivers should be easier to use. Shallow spots in the river should be removed. The locks on the Moselle should get bigger. Then fewer trucks would be on the roads.

The platform says the two rivers' potential is not fully used because high and low water limit shipping. Shallow sections, for example on the Middle Rhine, are to be removed and the Moselle locks enlarged. The goal is to keep both rivers navigable at all times. The AfD argues that ships move large volumes cheaply and that roads would wear out more slowly and see fewer traffic jams.

The AfD wants the federal government to continue its noise-abatement program for the Middle Rhine Valley and would add state money for further noise protection. It also wants a bypass route for freight trains to be planned. Disused rail lines should only reopen if the benefits exceed the costs.

Trains make a lot of noise in the Middle Rhine Valley. The AfD wants more protection from this noise. The federal government should keep paying for it, and the state too. A new tunnel should take freight trains away from the valley. Old rail lines should only reopen if it is worth it.

The noise-abatement program for the Middle Rhine Valley ends in 2026, and the platform says further federal funding is uncertain. As an alternative route, the AfD names the Westerwald-Taunus base tunnel, meant to relieve the valley and add freight capacity. It justifies noise protection with residents' health and tourism. For disused lines such as the Zellertalbahn or Aartalbahn, the platform demands cost-benefit studies built on realistic assumptions; in the AfD's view, past studies were often too optimistic. Tax money should only be spent where there is a clear advantage.

The AfD wants to shorten the driving ban for trucks on public holidays to 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and create a transit rule for holidays that do not apply in every state. It also wants additional truck parking along the state's highways. This is meant to lower logistics costs and improve road safety.

On holidays, trucks may not drive for almost the whole day. The AfD wants to make this ban shorter. It should only apply from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. There should also be more parking spaces for trucks. Drivers can take their breaks there.

The ban currently runs from midnight to 10 p.m.; in the future, low-traffic night hours would be exempt. For holidays observed only in some states, through traffic would be allowed so haulers do not have to reroute. The AfD expects lower transport costs, less pressure on consumer prices, and drivers being able to spend the holiday at home. On parking, the platform cites at least 20,000 missing spaces nationwide according to the federal Autobahn GmbH. New rest areas should also include car parking and restrooms.