CDU on transport

The CDU wants to widen the A 4 autobahn east of Dresden to six lanes and complete the A 72. State roads are to get more money for repair and new construction.

The CDU wants to widen the A 4 highway. It should have six lanes all the way to Poland. The A 72 should be finished. State roads should get more money.

Until the A 4 is widened, the shoulders are to be opened temporarily to traffic; the A 72 is to be completed between Chemnitz and Leipzig. A separate program is planned for heavily strained mountain roads above 291 meters. New projects such as the Agra tunnel on the B 2 in southern Leipzig and the MiLau link are to be launched. Municipalities will continue to get help maintaining their roads. The CDU also wants to defuse accident hotspots for cyclists, support fast cycle routes, keep both of Saxony's airports and examine improving navigation on the Elbe.

The CDU rejects a ban on combustion engines as well as wider speed limits on autobahns and 30 km/h limits on through roads in towns. Low-emission zones it considers outdated are to be lifted. In the party's view, the car remains an important mode of transport in Saxony.

The CDU is against a ban on gasoline and diesel cars. It does not want new speed limits on highways. It also rejects more 30 km/h zones in towns. Low-emission zones in cities should go.

The program calls a widening of speed restrictions ideologically motivated and groundless. The CDU stresses free choice of transport and does not want to play modes of transport off against each other. It wants Saxony to remain a "car state." At the same time it commits to Vision Zero, the goal of zero road deaths and serious injuries, relying on education and prevention.

The CDU wants to electrify key rail lines in Saxony and improve connections to Poland and the Czech Republic. This is meant to speed up regional service and allow more long-distance trains.

The CDU wants to put electric lines on more rail routes. Trains to Poland and the Czech Republic should be faster. A tunnel under the Ore Mountains should be planned. Southwest Saxony should also get long-distance trains.

The party calls for quick electrification of the lines from Dresden to Görlitz and from Berlin via Cottbus and Weißwasser to Görlitz, also to enable a long-distance link to Wrocław and Kraków. The Ore Mountains base tunnel toward Prague is to be planned as a full tunnel. The Leipzig–Chemnitz line is to be electrified and double-tracked so that southwest Saxony gets long-distance service. The S-Bahn is to be extended from Kamenz via Bernsdorf to Hoyerswerda, in part to serve industrial sites and a planned Bundeswehr base. A feasibility study is to examine a second city tunnel in Leipzig.

The CDU wants to bring disused rail lines back into service for local passenger transport and to expand the PlusBus and TaktBus networks alongside them. In freight, more goods are to move by combined rail and road transport.

The CDU wants to use old rail lines again. Local trains should run there again. There should also be more buses on a fixed schedule. More goods should travel by train.

The main example named in the platform is the main line from Meißen to Döbeln, with connections toward Dresden and Leipzig. Because running rail lines is becoming harder to fund, the CDU sees expanded bus lines as a complement to rail. For freight, it wants to examine whether trucks can be carried on trains along the A 4 highway (a "rolling highway") and to hold talks with Poland, destinations in western Germany and western Europe, and rail companies. It also wants an open-ended review of how the Elbe can stay navigable for cargo ships, with the party favoring shallow-draft vessels. Applications for heavy-load transports are to be handled centrally in Saxony.

The CDU wants to strengthen Saxony's two airports because it considers them indispensable for the state's economic development. It plans to lobby airlines for better connections and to get regular ICE high-speed train stops at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

The CDU wants to strengthen the airports in Dresden and Leipzig. It says the airports matter for the economy. There should be more flight connections. ICE fast trains should also stop at Leipzig/Halle Airport.

The platform describes Dresden Airport as central for connecting the "Silicon Saxony" microelectronics cluster, mid-sized companies in eastern and central Saxony, and the aviation industry. The CDU describes air freight at Leipzig/Halle as a pillar of the logistics sector and a reason for major business settlements. The site is also to become a place for research and development on decarbonization, including ground operations.

The CDU wants to connect cars, bikes, buses and trains more closely and bring four out of five people in Saxony within reach of regular-interval scheduled services. In its view the car remains indispensable in rural areas because public transport cannot fully replace it there.

The CDU wants to link buses, trains, cars and bikes better. 80 percent of people should have buses or trains on a fixed schedule nearby. Timetables and tickets should be simple. In the countryside the car stays important, the CDU says.

More park-and-ride lots with secured bike parking are to be built at transfer points. Sparsely populated areas are later to get on-demand feeder services, and trip planning, ticketing and fares are to become easier to understand. The CDU would adjust the administrative structures of public transport if needed and streamline funding for student and trainee transport. A pilot project is to develop solutions for rural regions together with private and public players. The standard car driver's license is to become eligible for the Sächsische Aufbaubank's training voucher, and road safety work including cycling training will continue.