CDU on transport

The CDU wants to turn the entire state into a testing area for autonomous driving. Pilot corridors in urban and rural areas and a dedicated legal framework are to be created for this. Baden-Württemberg is meant to take an international lead.

Autonomous cars drive without a driver. The CDU wants them to be tested across the whole state. There should be special test routes for this. New rules should allow the tests and make them safe.

Research and development on autonomous driving is to move faster. The pilot corridors are to be linked with public transit, logistics and campus sites. Universities, mid-sized firms and industry will be involved. A clear legal framework, wider options for permits and practical safety standards are planned.

The CDU wants a "planning offensive" to modernize transport routes faster and to swiftly carry out all planned autobahn projects in the state. Funding for bridge maintenance is to double by 2030. It wants to drop the climate check in funding for municipal transport projects.

The CDU wants to build and repair roads, rail and bridges faster. Bridges should get twice as much money by 2030. All planned autobahns should be built. A climate check for transport projects should be dropped.

Clear procedures and quick decisions are to replace long permitting processes. Major traffic arteries in cities are to be moved underground where possible. The CDU calls the climate check in the administrative rule on the state's municipal transport financing law ideologically driven. Large road and bridge works are to be managed digitally via BIM platforms, with dynamic traffic control and 24-hour construction sites on heavily used routes. When renovating roads first built before October 3, 1990, for which development charges were never levied, it should be possible to waive such charges.

The CDU rejects a truck toll on state and municipal roads so as not to add burdens on commercial traffic. Terminals for combined transport are to be expanded and digitized. The "Güterverkehr 2036" (Freight Transport 2036) initiative plans more truck parking, charging points and delivery zones.

Trucks should not pay a toll on state and local roads. A toll is a fee for using roads. The CDU wants more parking and charging stations for trucks. Goods should switch more easily between rail and truck.

The state is to support terminals along the main transport axes where goods switch between rail and road; automated handling is meant to relieve the roads. The federal and state governments are to invest jointly in truck parking, charging points for electric and hydrogen trucks, and delivery zones in cities. In model cities, the CDU wants to test new last-mile concepts with retailers and logistics firms, such as micro-depots, automated delivery vehicles and digital platforms. It expects more efficient and lower-emission transport in city centers from this.

The CDU wants to support electric mobility, hydrogen and synthetic fuels on an equal footing. Charging and fueling stations are to be built quickly through faster permits, and synthetic fuels are to get a reliable legal framework.

The CDU wants to support different ways to power cars. These include electricity, hydrogen and man-made fuels. More charging and fueling stations should be built faster. Companies should be able to rely on stable rules.

Permits for charging and fueling infrastructure are to be sped up. Bidirectional charging, where cars can also feed power back, is meant to stabilize grids and improve self-consumption of solar power. A pilot project would turn streetlights into charging points. For synthetic fuels, the CDU wants concrete application projects, stable funding and long-term strategies to keep value creation and technology leadership in the state.

The CDU wants smoother traffic through smart traffic lights, real-time data and AI-supported guidance systems. It rejects a city toll or similar fixed access restrictions.

The CDU wants fewer traffic jams through modern technology. Traffic lights and parking guidance should work smarter. The CDU does not want a fee for driving into city centers. Nobody should die in traffic.

According to the platform, digital traffic and parking guidance systems will improve traffic flow and cut emissions. On road safety, the CDU sticks to Vision Zero, the goal of zero traffic deaths. Autonomous driving, automated logistics and digital mobility services are meant to open up new options, especially in rural areas. The party relies on pilot projects for this.

The CDU wants to expand public transit with more frequent service, new routes and modern vehicles. The service is meant to win over passengers, since in the party's view switching cannot be imposed. Modes of transport are to work together better through unified ticketing and digital platforms.

The CDU wants more buses and trains. They should run more often and be on time. Rural areas should also get good service, such as on-call buses. Tickets and timetables should become simpler. Drivers should not be put at a disadvantage.

Bus companies are to get help switching to modern drive systems, and disused rail lines are to be reopened where there is demand. The CDU backs four-tracking the Rhine Valley line from Offenburg to Basel and closing the gap in the Frankfurt–Karlsruhe freight route. Smaller transit associations should be able to merge, and tendering procedures are to be simplified. The Regiobus program will continue and grow, with attention to private bus companies. In rural areas, on-call buses, on-demand services, ride-sharing platforms and sharing schemes are added, with municipalities deciding what is needed.

The CDU wants to make regional rail more reliable, including through incentives and penalties for rail companies when trains are late or canceled. More security staff and video surveillance are also meant to make passengers feel safer.

Trains in the state should be more on time. Rail companies should face penalties when trains are late or canceled. More security staff should ride along in the evening and at night. There should be cameras everywhere in trains, buses and stations.

Rail companies are to cooperate more closely, with short decision paths and digitized processes. Construction sites are to be registered on time and finished within the planned period. For evening and night hours, the platform calls for additional security staff. Video surveillance is to be used across the board in trains, commuter rail, buses and stations.

The CDU wants to finish the Stuttgart 21 rail project together with the Stuttgart digital rail hub to secure capacity, punctuality and connections. The Gäubahn line is to be linked directly to Stuttgart and the airport through the Pfaffensteig tunnel.

The CDU wants to finish building the new Stuttgart 21 station. Trains there should run on time and connect well. The Gäubahn line should get a new tunnel. Until then, it should still run well to Stuttgart.

Disruptions for passengers from construction work are to be kept as small as possible. Until the Pfaffensteig tunnel is finished, the platform demands an attractive Gäubahn connection to the state capital. The direct Singen–Zurich link must not be interrupted before Stuttgart 21 goes into operation. Work to speed up the Gäubahn is to move ahead quickly.

The CDU wants to make cycling and walking safer and more practical for everyday use, with continuous bike networks, safe intersections and accessible sidewalks. Bike paths are to be built where they are actually used, not everywhere across the board.

The CDU wants better paths for bikes and people on foot. Intersections and routes to school should become safer. New bike paths should go where many people ride. People should be able to park bikes safely at train stations.

Plans include bike paths along federal and state roads, safe routes through towns and crossing aids, with a focus on gaps in rural areas. On heavily used routes, fast bike highways for everyday traffic are to be built. Safe school routes, bike parking and good lighting are also part of it. The bike route planner is to show construction sites, closures and parking in real time. For mountain bikers, the CDU wants solutions that work for all user groups.

The CDU demands that EU laws rely on technology neutrality instead of bans such as the phase-out of combustion engines. The EU should support the shift to climate-friendly drive systems and autonomous driving through incentives, innovation funding and infrastructure.

The EU wants to ban new cars with combustion engines. The CDU is against such bans. It wants all technologies to stay allowed. The EU should promote clean engines with incentives. It should also build things like charging stations.

The CDU wants technology neutrality to be the guiding principle of European lawmaking. In place of bans, the platform names incentives, support for innovation and a targeted buildout of infrastructure. Through its trade policy, the EU should also secure free and fair market access for vehicles and vehicle parts.