AfD on transport

The AfD wants Saarland to remain a car-making region and rejects driving bans for vehicles with combustion engines. All drive technologies are to be supported equally, including gasoline and diesel engines. The party says rules it sees as ideological and excessive put jobs at risk.

The AfD wants to keep the car industry in Saarland. It is against driving bans for cars with gasoline or diesel engines. The state should support all kinds of engines. The party says strict rules put many jobs at risk.

The platform points to about 44,000 people working in Saarland's vehicle industry and some 260 companies with about 17 billion euros in annual revenue. The AfD calls for a commitment to the car as individual transport and to Germany as a car-making country. Support should be open to all technologies and include further development of combustion and diesel engines. The party sees an opportunity in autonomous driving, because German companies hold almost 60 percent of the relevant patents.

The AfD wants to spend more on state roads and close gaps and bottlenecks in the highway network. It cites heavy congestion, what it sees as the poor condition of roads, and the resulting costs for trades and logistics firms.

The AfD wants better roads and bridges in Saarland. The state should spend more money on them. Bottlenecks on highways should go away. Road works should take less time. This should mean fewer traffic jams.

The platform lists as bottlenecks the junction of the A623 with the Ludwigskreisel roundabout, the A1 ending in the middle of Saarbrücken, the two-lane A620 lacking continuous shoulders, and the Nordsaarlandstraße, unbuilt after 30 years. The AfD criticizes that only 0.2 percent of investment in the federal transport plan for 2030 goes to Saarland. Funding for state roads would rise step by step and permanently, and the state road agency (LfS) would get more planning staff. To fill those jobs, public-sector pay should match neighboring states. Better site management and bonus-penalty clauses in contracts should shorten road works.

The AfD wants to make local public transit a mandatory task for municipalities and give them more funding for it. Buses and trains should run more often, especially in rural areas, and remain affordable. The platform rejects a transport shift imposed from above; citizens should choose their mode of travel freely.

The AfD wants better local buses and trains. Towns and cities should have to offer them. They should get more money from the state for this. Buses in rural areas should run more often. Tickets should be affordable but not free. Only school students should ride for free.

The change would come with the upcoming revision of the state's local transit law. The organization of transit associations should follow the subsidiarity principle, meaning tasks stay at the lowest level possible. Apart from tickets for school students, transit should not be free of charge. Whether bus or rail is used should depend on cost-effectiveness. Bike lanes in city centers should be made safer without unduly obstructing other traffic.

The AfD wants to move freight from roads to rail and ships wherever possible. To that end, more rail lines would be electrified and a closed line reopened. People living along rail lines should be better protected from noise.

The AfD wants fewer trucks on the roads. Goods should travel more often by train or ship. More rail lines should get electric power lines. People living near rail lines should have less noise. The state should pay part of this.

The platform notes that only 80 percent of Saarland's rail network is electrified and that the Illtalbahn, Würzbachtalbahn, and Niedtalbahn lines are not. It criticizes the transport minister for not registering these lines for the federal "Elektrische Güterbahn" (electric freight rail) program. The Homburg–Zweibrücken link should return to service as quickly as possible. Noise-protection standards on existing rail lines should be raised, with the state contributing money. The AfD welcomes the requirement for quiet brakes since late 2020 and calls for close checks.

The AfD wants driving to stay affordable and rejects a CO2 tax and driving bans for diesel vehicles. It argues that many commuters in rural Saarland depend on their cars. All drive technologies, including the combustion engine, should receive equal support.

The AfD says many people in Saarland need a car. Driving should stay affordable. The AfD does not want a CO2 tax. It does not want driving bans for diesel cars. The state should not support only electric cars. Gasoline and diesel engines should also be developed further.

The platform calls Saarland a car state and sees the car as a source of personal freedom. It says drivers already carry enough taxes and charges. The AfD views diesel driving bans as a restriction on mobility and a de facto expropriation, since the vehicles have lost much of their value. It calls for technology-neutral support for all drive types and opposes favoring electric mobility alone. As evidence of diesel's potential, it notes that the nitrogen oxide limit has fallen from 500 to 80 mg/km since 2000.