CDU on transport

The CDU rejects blanket bans in transportation and wants to stick with the car, including the combustion engine. In the platform's view, this technology has a future with synthetic, CO2-neutral fuels, and the car remains indispensable above all in rural areas.

The CDU does not want to ban cars. Cars with combustion engines should stay too. They should run on clean, man-made fuel. Many people in rural areas need a car. No type of transportation should be treated worse than another.

The platform speaks of "mobility peace": cars, trains, buses, planes, bikes, and walking should not be played off against each other. Instead of bans, the CDU relies on openness to all technologies. The combustion engine is to be developed further with synthetic fuels and is seen as part of leadership in automotive innovation. Hesse is to remain a car-making location, with a focus on autonomous driving, hybrid technology, lightweight construction, and drive and battery technology.

The CDU wants to make Hesse the state with the most autonomous vehicles in transportation. Self-driving buses are to bring passengers from the city outskirts to public transit in metropolitan areas, and pilot projects are also planned for rail.

The CDU wants to support vehicles that drive without a driver. Such buses should bring people from the edge of town to transit. Hesse should have more of them than other states. Trains without drivers should be tested too.

The state is to help shape the rules for autonomous driving and support research on self-driving vehicles. According to the platform, Hesse already has the largest on-demand fleet in German public transit and should also lead in autonomous vehicles. Suitable test tracks in Hesse are to be designated for rail. All modes of transportation are to be linked through sharing services.

The CDU wants to expand Hesse's rail network, with priority for the Rhein Main Plus program in the Frankfurt area. Closed lines are to be reopened where it makes sense, and train stations are to be renovated.

The CDU wants more and better rail lines in Hesse. New lines around Frankfurt matter most. Old lines should get trains again where it makes sense. Train stations should look better.

Rhein Main Plus includes the Nordmainische S-Bahn, four tracks between Frankfurt and Friedberg, the Wallauer Spange, the Frankfurt Stadion junction, and the Regionaltangente West; planning for the Regionaltangente Ost continues. Also planned are electrifying the Taunusbahn, upgrading the Vogelsbergbahn, and a Westerwald tunnel as an alternative to the Middle Rhine valley. Reopenings are underway for lines such as the Horlofftalbahn and Lumdatalbahn, and the Aartalbahn is being considered. Hydrogen trains are to be used alongside overhead lines. According to the platform, about 500 million euros will go into Hessian stations by 2030. The CDU expects the federal government to lay the groundwork for a "Hessen-Takt" timetable and provide enough regional transit funding.

The CDU wants buses and trains to run reliably and regularly everywhere in Hesse and aims for at least half-hourly service, especially in rural areas. On-demand services, community buses, and weekend night service are to be added.

The CDU wants better buses and trains in Hesse. In rural areas, something should run at least every 30 minutes. There should also be buses and taxis you can order. On weekends, buses and commuter trains should run at night too. People should still be able to buy tickets without a phone.

Municipalities are to get help with digital mobility services such as on-demand transit and community buses, and with setting up shared call taxis. The platform points to existing flat-rate tickets for seniors, students, and state employees and calls the Deutschlandticket another step toward affordable transit. Tickets are to remain available in non-digital form, especially for older people. Commuter trains and buses are to run at night on weekends to give young people an option.

The CDU wants to make crosswalks and pedestrian signals easier to approve, based on how dangerous a spot is rather than only on the number of cars. For bike paths, an amount equal to ten percent of road construction funds is to remain available.

The CDU wants to protect pedestrians better. Crosswalks and signals should be easier to set up. What matters is how dangerous a spot is. Bike paths should keep getting fixed funding. There should be more fast bike routes.

Crossing aids are to become easier above all where especially vulnerable people are present. Bike paths are to be planned in coordination with public transit. More fast cycling routes are to be built based on existing potential studies, with the state supporting project sponsors and municipalities. Whenever roads are built or renovated, officials are to check whether a bike path can be added or improved, especially on long-distance cycling routes that matter for tourism.

The CDU wants to fund road construction and maintenance adequately over the long term and complete ongoing highway projects. Town bypasses are to be built step by step from a dedicated budget line according to fixed criteria.

The CDU wants to build roads and keep them in good shape. The A49 and A44 highways should be finished. Many towns should get a bypass road. Then fewer cars drive through town. Planning and permits should be faster.

Funds for construction and upkeep are to at least match accounting depreciation. Besides the A49 and A44, the platform names the Riederwald tunnel, further gap closures, and the Darmstadt interchange. Bypasses are to be ranked by traffic flow, safety, rural connections, waiting time, and the county council's vote; rural projects are to rank equally with those in metropolitan areas. Also planned are more truck parking along highways, a coordination office, a telematics push for traffic management, truck passing bans at congestion points, and opening shoulders to traffic. Rail freight is to grow without taking away the logistics industry's prospects.

The CDU rejects blanket, across-the-board speed limits beyond today's rules. Instead, variable speed limits that respond to traffic and weather are to apply.

The CDU does not want a new speed limit for all roads. Speed limits should apply where it is dangerous. The allowed speed should be able to change. That depends on traffic and weather.

In the CDU's view, speed limits should be targeted and based on risk. The platform rules out new general limits beyond the existing ones. Dynamic signs that continuously adjust speed to traffic and weather conditions are to be used more.

The CDU wants to promote electric mobility and names climate-neutral drive systems as its long-term goal. As a first step, a statewide charging network with competition among electricity providers is to be built, while other drive types remain an option.

The CDU wants to support electric cars. There should be charging stations all over Hesse. Different power companies should be able to sell electricity there. Street lamps could become charging stations too. Other types of engines should still be possible.

Up to 150 charging points per year are to be installed at state-owned buildings. A pilot project is to test whether street lamps can be converted into charging points. Together with gas station operators, especially along highways, more fast-charging points are to become possible. The platform also stresses openness to other drive technologies.

The CDU wants to manage road construction sites better to reduce congestion. It also pursues the goal of zero road deaths and calls for European rules requiring driver-assistance systems in trucks and buses.

The CDU wants fewer traffic jams caused by roadworks. On busy sites, crews should work six days a week in three shifts. Traffic should also become safer. Trucks and buses should get technical aids such as cameras and emergency brakes.

Start and end dates of roadworks are to be communicated more widely, and construction sections kept smaller where possible. On heavily used sites, a six-day week and three-shift operation are to become the norm, with occupational safety taken into account; daylight is to be used better as well. On road safety, the platform cites "Vision Zero." In the medium term, EU rules should require all trucks and buses to have emergency braking, a rear-view camera, surround view, a blind-spot assistant and pedestrian detection. On waterways, the CDU wants to expand the use of e-fuels in shipping.

The CDU backs Frankfurt Airport as an international hub and supports construction of Terminal 3. The airport is also meant to become a pioneer in e-fuels, while EU climate programs, in the party's view, must not put the location at a disadvantage. The CDU also commits to Kassel Airport.

The CDU wants to strengthen Frankfurt Airport. This is meant to secure jobs. The new Terminal 3 should be built. The airport should become more climate-friendly, but EU climate rules should not hurt it. The CDU also wants to support Kassel Airport.

The basis is the existing planning approval; cargo functions are to be expanded further together with operator Fraport, also to secure supplies in crises. Links between rail and air travel are to grow, including an S-Bahn connection for Terminal 3 and federal funding to develop the long-distance station into an "AiRail Plaza." At EU level, the CDU wants to make sure programs such as "Fit for 55" do not distort competition. Noise reduction is to continue within the "Allianz für Lärmschutz" (noise protection alliance), and the CENA competence center will be kept. For Kassel Airport, passenger numbers should rise, and a rail link to the Kassel ICE station is to be examined.

The CDU wants to strengthen the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main metropolitan region and, for the first time, develop a joint mobility plan with Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is to cover all modes of transport.

The region around Frankfurt reaches beyond Hesse. The CDU wants to plan transport there with three neighboring states. The plan should cover buses, trains, cars, bikes and walking. The CDU wants to make the whole region stronger.

The plan is to be drawn up in the FrankfurtRheinMain strategy forum and take buses, trains, cars, bicycles and pedestrians into account. The CDU also wants to strengthen residents' sense of belonging to the metropolitan region and will push for a "Metropolitan Region Award." Cooperation in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, which matters for the Bergstraße county, is also to be supported.