CDU on transport

The CDU wants to connect Saarland better to national and international long-distance transport, especially by rail. Saarbrücken Airport is also to be kept as a factor for the location's appeal.

Saarland should get better train connections. There should be more direct trains to big cities. A direct train should also run to Luxembourg. Saarbrücken Airport should stay.

The platform names more direct services on the Paris–Saarbrücken–Frankfurt and Saarbrücken–Trier–Cologne routes. The upgrade of the Niedtalbahn rail line is to be pushed forward to allow a direct link from Saarbrücken to Luxembourg. The area around Merzig, Mettlach and Saarlouis, home to many cross-border commuters, is also meant to benefit. Funding is to be sought from the federal government and partners in the border region. Studies and plans are to be ready in advance so that work can start quickly once approval is given.

The CDU wants to upgrade the design of roads running through towns when state roads are renovated, rather than only renewing them technically. According to the platform, heavy through traffic contributes to vacancies in town centers.

Many roads run right through towns. The CDU wants to make these roads nicer when they are repaired. There should be more room for cyclists and people on foot. Trees, benches and lights are part of this too. The CDU says heavy traffic leads to empty buildings in towns.

During major renovations, state roads are to be adapted together with the municipalities to cycling, walking, parking, noise protection, road safety and the look of the town, for example with greenery, benches and lighting. The CDU wants to press the federal government to treat federal roads in Saarland the same way. Municipalities are to get conceptual support in designing their public spaces. A guide with examples is to be drawn up with universities, authorities, associations and the Stiftung Baukultur (building culture foundation).

The CDU wants to reduce the dangers caused by parents dropping off and picking up children by car at schools. Traffic-calming measures are to be expanded statewide. A statewide plan for school bus service is also to be developed.

Many parents drive their children to school by car. That can be dangerous. The CDU wants calmer traffic in front of schools. It also wants better school buses across the state.

The platform sees so-called parent taxis as a cause of dangerous situations and accidents. It says existing measures by individual schools and municipalities are not in place everywhere. It lists no-stopping zones at school entrances, school route plans at all schools, longer green lights, and easier approval of crosswalks. A statewide public transit plan is to include sensibly timed school bus networks and a safety check of bus stops.

The CDU wants to build a noise barrier along the urban highway in Saarbrücken and use low-noise road surfacing. According to the platform, the burdens caused by the highway reduce quality of life and the appeal of the city center.

The CDU wants to build a noise wall along the city highway in Saarbrücken. The road should get a quieter surface. This should make the city center quieter.

The barrier is to run from Bischmisheim to Burbach, partly made of glass and partly covered with greenery. So-called whisper asphalt, a surface that reduces tire noise, is also planned. The platform calls this a realistic approach to the highway's location right along the Saar river.

The CDU wants to maintain and repair the existing road network and build only a few new roads, including the Nordsaarlandstraße. Replacing dilapidated bridges is to be subject to simpler approval rules than building new roads.

The CDU wants to repair roads and bridges in Saarland. Only a few new roads should be built. The Nordsaarlandstraße should be finished. Broken bridges should be replaced faster. The federal government should change the rules for that.

The platform points to full closures of dilapidated bridges, which it says showed how much the economy and commuters depend on a functioning network. The CDU will press the federal government, which has sole responsibility for the autobahns, on maintenance and repair. New construction is meant, among other things, to support development in rural areas. Because planning law is designed for new routes, replacing existing bridges takes too long in the CDU's view. The federal government is therefore to propose separate standards for the formal approval of repair projects.

The CDU wants to make buses and trains attractive enough to ease the switch from cars. This includes better service with regular intervals, expansion of the Saarbahn light rail, transfer hubs with parking and, in the longer term, an annual ticket for 365 euros.

The CDU wants better buses and trains. More trips should run at regular times. The Saarbahn should get new routes. Later, a ticket for one year should cost 365 euros. Bikes should ride on trains for free.

Service is to grow first so that price is not the only argument. Timetables in the state are to align with the Deutschlandtakt (nationwide coordinated timetable) and long-distance trains. The Saarbahn is to run on additional routes, such as from Saarbrücken via Fürstenhausen to Großrosseln. The semester ticket for students is to be kept. Hubs are to get enough car and bike parking as well as charging stations, and the CDU wants to renegotiate with train operators over free bike transport even at peak times. Park-and-ride lots and carpooling are to be promoted and linked to public transit.

The CDU wants a digital platform where all mobility services can be planned, booked and paid for. Anonymized movement data is to help match service to demand, and an e-fare with automatic check-in and check-out is to be examined.

The CDU wants one app for all kinds of transport. People can plan, book and pay for trips there. Later, the phone should buy the right ticket by itself. All trains should have good Wi-Fi. Data without names should show where many people travel.

Open data is to connect services from beyond the region to the platform. Plans include digital displays at stops and real-time data on the location of buses and trams. The CDU wants to draw up a plan for stable Wi-Fi on all trains, partly so that working people can work on the move. GPS data voluntarily provided from smartphones is to reveal heavily used routes and times; the platform calls data protection an important concern here. All those responsible are to tackle the "last mile" problem together.

The CDU wants to expand the bike path network quickly, especially for trips to shops and to work. It wants to examine where bike highways make sense and improve safety for cyclists.

Many people ride bikes or e-bikes. The CDU wants to build more bike paths. The paths should work for daily life, like getting to work. Cycling should become safer. There should be markings and lights for that.

Thanks to e-bikes, the platform sees cycling as a fast, cheap and climate-friendly alternative to the car. The CDU wants to examine where in Saarland bike highways could be built. In and outside towns, markings, lighting and clear traffic layouts are to improve safety.

The CDU wants to draw up a joint mobility plan for the Greater Region. Transit operators are to cooperate more closely and link their services at attractive prices so that buses and trains become an alternative to the car.

Many people cross the border every day. Buses and trains there are often not good enough. The CDU wants one shared transportation plan for the whole region. Transit companies should work together better. Prices should be attractive.

The platform names missing infrastructure and unattractive public transit as obstacles on the way to work, family and friends. The core of the plan is a working cooperation structure among transit companies. The CDU considers suitable technical infrastructure and coordinated transportation services necessary for this.