Linke on transport

The Left wants to give buses, trains, cycling and walking more space and priority. By 2035, at least 90 percent of trips within Berlin are to be made by these modes. According to the platform, mobility should not depend on where people live, whether they own a car, their health or their income.

The Left wants to strengthen buses, trains, bikes and sidewalks. They should get more space. By 2035, people should make almost all trips without a car. Everyone should be able to get around cheaply.

The Mobility Act is to be reviewed, developed further and implemented faster, backed by an alliance with civil society. The city's transport development plan, the local transit plan and the transit needs plan will be aligned with the 90 percent goal, guided by the idea of short trips close to home. The central administration and the boroughs are to get more planners for transit lines, bridges, bike paths and sidewalks, with a focus on trams and civil engineering. Federal and EU funds are to be fully used, with ready-made plans on hand for that purpose. Transport links in new neighborhoods are to be built faster.

The Left wants to make public transit cheaper: the social ticket is to cost 9 euros again, alongside discounted Deutschlandticket passes for several groups. The platform argues that mobility regardless of income is a precondition for taking part in society.

The Left wants to make buses and trains cheaper. The social ticket should cost 9 euros again. Students and older people should get a cheaper Deutschlandticket. People caught without a ticket should no longer be reported to the police.

The Left will negotiate with the regional transit association VBB to keep prices stable from January 1, 2028, and single tickets are to be valid in any direction. Plans include a Deutschland social ticket for Berlin, a discounted Deutschlandticket for schoolchildren that is free for holders of the Berlinpass-BuT, and a discount for seniors. The duty to carry one's benefits notice will be suspended, and a digital proof of eligibility added. The job ticket is to be available without a minimum number of users per company. Anyone who gives up their car gets the Deutschlandticket for one year. BVG and S-Bahn are to stop filing criminal complaints over riding without a valid ticket, and at the federal level the Left backs higher subsidies for the Deutschlandticket.

The Left wants to open up new sources of funding for public transit, including a transit levy on tourists. In the long term, the fare system is to be replaced by solidarity-based contributions so that buses and trains can be used without a ticket.

The Left wants to find new money for buses and trains. Tourists should pay a fee. Later, everyone should pay a contribution. Then nobody would need a ticket anymore.

Parking fees and the new levy on tourists are to help pay for transit. A levy on those who benefit from transit and a mobility pass are also under review. With the pass, employers, residents or vehicle owners pay a regular contribution and receive credit of the same value, for example for tickets. During the legislative term, a model is to be developed that replaces today's fares with contributions.

The Left wants to extend the tram network, especially into the western part of Berlin, and restart planning that was halted. On existing lines, trams are to run more often and get priority at traffic lights.

The Left wants to build more tram lines. Trams should also run in the west of Berlin. Plans that were stopped should continue. Trams should come more often.

The planning freeze on the Alexanderplatz–Kulturforum and Johannisthal–Gropiusstadt lines is to end immediately. Projects to be built quickly include Ostkreuz, Mahlsdorf, Turmstraße–Jungfernheide and Warschauer Straße–Hermannplatz; planning toward Spandau will be pushed ahead, and the platform rejects a maglev train. Further expansion follows the target network of the Pro Straßenbahn alliance. New lines get their own lane and low-noise tracks, and extra switches and curves are to allow detours during closures. Buying 60-meter trams is under review, and the Köpenick network will be rebuilt for modern vehicles.

For the U-Bahn (subway), the Left wants to invest first in renovating and technically modernizing the existing network, because it sees a large repair backlog. Trains are to run more often; it considers new lines useful mainly where there are gaps in the network.

The Left wants to repair and modernize the subway first. Trains should come more often. New lines should be built mainly where the network has gaps.

Investment focuses on structures and on signaling and safety technology. The option for 1,500 subway cars is to be used in full. The goal is a train every 90 seconds at peak times, for which automated operation is to be introduced faster. Existing planning staff will be kept and, after the Waisentunnel and the U3 extension, will work on closing network gaps.

The Left wants to switch the buses of BVG (Berlin's transit operator) to electric power by 2035 at the latest and to speed up and expand bus service. Canceled trips are to return, and after that a bus is to run at least every ten minutes across Berlin.

The Left wants all BVG buses to be electric by 2035. Buses should get their own lanes and be faster. Canceled trips should come back. Later, a bus should come at least every ten minutes everywhere.

More bus lanes and signal priority are to shorten travel times. BVG vehicles are to get privacy-compliant front cameras to monitor construction sites and penalize illegal parking. Night bus service will be expanded; in low-demand areas, minibuses at regular transit fares are to connect to rapid transit, at times as on-call buses or shared taxis that do not require an app. Bus lines crossing the city limits are to be better linked. For BVG, a binding schedule of measures is to set out when more frequent service will be possible again, and old bus shelters will be replaced step by step.

The Left wants to improve working conditions at Berlin's public transit operator BVG so that staff stay for the long term. More staff at stations is also meant to make riders feel safer.

The Left wants better jobs at BVG. BVG runs buses, subways and trams in Berlin. Workers should stay there for a long time. There should be more staff at stations. This should help riders feel safer.

Efforts to recruit and train drivers are to be supported and expanded. New staff housing is to be built for BVG employees and trainees. The roughly 2,000 employees of the subsidiary Berlin Transport are to be brought back into BVG under a set plan. The party wants to station its own emergency medical staff at high-traffic stations. It also plans more station attendants, more cleaning patrols on heavily used subway lines, and structural changes and better lighting around stops. Public transit is also supposed to grow with the city and be planned in from the start for new neighborhoods.

The Left wants to transfer Berlin's S-Bahn commuter rail into public ownership by the states. This is meant to secure investment, keep profits in the city, and allow direct contract awards instead of lengthy tenders. The network is also to grow with more frequent service and new lines.

Today the S-Bahn belongs to Deutsche Bahn. The Left wants the states to own it. Then the money stays in Berlin, the party says. Trains should run more often. There should be new lines and new stations.

Public ownership is to come either through Berlin and Brandenburg taking a stake in S-Bahn Berlin GmbH or through a new state-owned operating company; talks with Deutsche Bahn and the federal government are to begin for this. New trains are to arrive on time, and the contract awards for the Stadtbahn and Nord-Süd subnetworks are to be completed in a legally sound way. On several outer lines, such as those to Bernau, Oranienburg and Hennigsdorf, largely double-tracked routes are to allow trains every ten minutes. The party backs the extension from Wartenberg, the new line from Hauptbahnhof to Anhalter Bahnhof, the Siemensbahn to Hakenfelde, and the Stammbahn to Potsdam. Additional platform, storage and turnaround tracks are planned for the Ringbahn and Siemensbahn, along with new stations such as Kamenzer Damm.

The Left wants to expand regional and S-Bahn rail service into Brandenburg so that commuters switch from cars to public transit. In addition, bike highways and transfer facilities are to be developed jointly with Brandenburg.

Many people drive to work in Berlin. The Left wants more trains to the area around Berlin. Then more people can take the train. There should also be fast bike routes to Brandenburg. Berlin and Brandenburg should plan this together.

On the busiest regional line between Brandenburg an der Havel and Frankfurt (Oder), trains are to run every 15 minutes; capacity on the Stadtbahn, the north-south link, and around Spandau is to be increased for this. The i2030 expansion program is to be revised, reprioritized, and given continuous funding by its tenth anniversary in 2027. The Ostbahn and the Nahverkehrstangente Ost are to be double-tracked and electrified, and the federal government is to start planning the rebuilding of the Nordbahn. Regional train platforms are to be planned at transfer points such as Buckower Chaussee. The party also wants to talk with Brandenburg about park-and-ride lots, bike parking garages, and bike paths.

The Left wants to base road safety policy on the goal that no one is killed or seriously injured in traffic. To get there, it relies on 30 km/h as the default urban speed limit, less car traffic, and more enforcement. SUVs are to face higher parking fees, and at the federal level the party wants to end new SUV registrations.

The Left wants fewer crashes in Berlin. No one should die in traffic. Cars should mostly drive only 30 km/h in the city. There should be more speed cameras. Parking should cost more for big cars.

The program names cities such as Helsinki as models whose measures are to be reviewed. Plans include separate signal phases for pedestrians, cyclists and cars, safer intersections, more mobile speed cameras, more staff at the fines office, and cameras that detect phone use while driving. SUV parking fees are to rise following the Paris model, which the program justifies with the climate crisis. Residents of noisy streets, especially those with low incomes, are to get relief through less and quieter car traffic. The duty to clear and grit sidewalks is to shift from property owners to the city sanitation service BSR, and the ban on road salt is not to be loosened further. For children, school streets, traffic calming, and mobility education are planned.

The Left wants everyone to be able to use streets, buses and trains without obstacles. Stops and stations are to be made accessible, and support services for people with limited mobility are to be secured permanently.

Everyone should be able to get around the city well. This includes people in wheelchairs. Stops and stations should have no barriers. Elevators should work better. There should be more taxis for wheelchairs.

Bus stops are to be rebuilt together with the districts, starting with those identified as especially important with disability associations. Every stop is to get a covered, planted waiting area with seating. Elevators and escalators are to run more reliably, spare parts are to be kept in stock, and stations are to offer more public restrooms. The "Alternative Barrierefreie Beförderung" (alternative accessible transport service) is to be continued and developed further, and accessible taxis are to be easier to get on short notice and continue to receive subsidies. The escort service of the VBB transit association is to be written into the Mobility Act.

The Left wants to keep building safe bike lanes and create a continuous network based on the existing bike network plan. The program sees cycling as an affordable way to get around that supports social participation.

The Left wants to build more safe bike lanes. The bike lanes should connect everywhere. Children and older people should be able to ride safely too. There should be more bike parking at stations. Rental bikes should be free for half an hour.

Closing gaps and building key corridors come first. The design standards of the cycling plan, including protected bike lanes, are to apply throughout, and routes are to be designed with children, families and older people in mind. Bike parking garages and more bike-and-ride spaces are planned at stations. The party will examine whether public construction capacity can support building and repairing sidewalks and bike paths. A public, station-based bike-share system is to be funded again, with 30 free minutes for holders of a transit ticket; neighborhood cargo bike rentals are also to grow.

The Left wants to give pedestrians more room by reducing traffic lanes and parking spaces for cars. Sidewalks are to be maintained, crossings expanded, and the pedestrian traffic plan adopted.

The Left wants more space for people on foot. Cars should get less space for this. Sidewalks should be in good shape and clear. There should be more crosswalks. The city should put up 1,200 new benches.

Car space is to shrink mainly on major shopping streets, promenades, and in Kiezblocks (traffic-calmed neighborhood blocks). A condition registry is to record sidewalk damage, and districts get help with repairs. Crosswalks, median islands, curb extensions, and areas protected by bollards are to increase in cooperation with the districts. Traffic signals are to be timed so that people can cross the entire street in one green phase, which is meant to help people with walking impairments in particular. The pedestrian traffic plan is to be adopted and implemented as a priority. A program of 1,200 benches is planned for the twelve districts.

The Left wants to greatly reduce car traffic in Berlin and dedicate streets on a large scale to walking and cycling. The program cites climate and heat protection, road safety, quality of life, and economic reasons. Necessary trips such as deliveries, emergency services and buses are to get more room.

The Left wants far fewer cars in Berlin. Many streets should be for walking and biking. Cars should no longer drive through residential areas. Ambulances and garbage trucks can still drive there. Wrong parking should be checked more strictly.

A new category called "gemeinwohlorientierte Straße" (public-interest street) is to be written into the Street Act; it allows streets to be partly withdrawn from car use and is to be applied in consultation with districts and residents. Districts are to decide on the fitting traffic-calming model with public participation. Kiezblock initiatives will continue to get support; road closures to through traffic or one-way streets are to cut through traffic, while residents, emergency services, garbage collection and deliveries keep access. Parking violations are to be enforced consistently, as soon as possible using scan cars, whose data may by law serve only this purpose. Districts are to receive funding to expand paid parking zones.

The Left wants to strengthen Berlin's taxi trade and end what it sees as preferential treatment of ride-hailing platforms such as Uber. Rental-car-with-driver companies are to face tighter checks and have to charge minimum prices.

The Left wants to help taxis in Berlin. Companies like Uber should get stricter rules. Their rides should have a minimum price. The city should check these companies more often. At night there should be a taxi service for women.

As in Hamburg, these companies would have to install fiscal taximeters, devices that record trips and revenue in a tamper-proof way. The party advocates well-equipped taxi stands and better conditions at the main train station; a central contact person for taxi stands is to be set up in the Senate. Talks with the Dahme-Spreewald district are meant to secure the right for all Berlin taxis to pick up passengers at BER airport. Together with taxi associations and BVG, a concept for a women's night taxi is to be developed to supplement public transit.

The Left wants to build a high-capacity public network of charging stations for electric cars. The state-owned utility (Stadtwerk) is to be in charge. The platform argues that the future of motor traffic is electric.

The Left wants more public charging stations for electric cars. The utility owned by the state of Berlin should build them. Renters without their own parking spot should be able to charge there too.

The platform assumes that cars and trucks will run on electricity in the future. For that reason, the utility owned by the state is to set up and expand public charging points. These are explicitly meant to serve people who rent and have no parking space of their own.

The Left rejects new highways in Berlin and wants the A100 to end at Treptower Park. The planned 17th construction section is to be removed from planning documents. Existing highways are to get more noise protection.

The Left does not want new highways in Berlin. The A100 highway should end at Treptower Park. The next planned section should not be built. Existing highways should get more protection from noise.

The party wants to take the 17th section out of Berlin's land-use plan and press the federal government to remove it from the federal highway expansion law as well. Planning approval authority is to be transferred from the federal level back to the state of Berlin. A noise barrier is planned for the east side of the 16th section. The party also wants to examine whether that section can be converted into a city street with a fast cycle route.

The Left wants road policy to focus on maintenance and repair, especially of bridges. Construction sites are to be better coordinated and approved faster through a new staff unit in the Senate and digital tools.

The Left mainly wants to repair existing roads and bridges. Construction sites should be planned better. A new office in the Senate should take care of this. Permits should come faster.

The bridge master plan is to be carried out, and further steps to speed up repairs and replacement bridges will be examined. For remaining new road projects, public transit, cycling and walking are to take priority when goals conflict. A construction coordination unit in the Senate is to develop a strategy for aligning building work and traffic. A central digital platform and better-equipped authorities are meant to speed up permits, particularly for essential public infrastructure. Work in the street space is to be fully coordinated with the BVG, Berlin's public transit operator.

The Left wants providers of rental scooters and similar vehicles to bear more of the costs through higher fees and to face stricter requirements. At the same time, sharing services are to be available across the whole city and linked to public transit.

Companies rent out e-scooters and other vehicles in Berlin. The Left wants these companies to pay higher fees. The vehicles should only be parked in set areas. The services should be available all over the city, also in the outer districts.

Parking areas open to all providers are to be set up across the city. Future licenses are to go only to providers that offer adequate service everywhere in Berlin. Companies are to allow parking only in designated areas, remove wrongly parked vehicles quickly and be reachable for complaints; the platform cites the protection of waterways, green spaces and people with reduced mobility. More Jelbi mobility hubs and integration into public transit are supported. Targeted support is meant to bring car sharing to the outer districts as well.

The Left wants more delivery and freight traffic to run on rail, waterways and public transit infrastructure, reducing truck trips. Electric delivery vehicles, cargo bikes, micro-depots and delivery zones are to be promoted. Inner-city logistics centers are to be run by a state-owned company.

The Left wants fewer trucks on Berlin's streets. Goods should come by train or ship more often. There should be shared depots and parcel lockers for packages. Every street should have parking zones for tradespeople and delivery services.

A study on the feasibility and potential of freight trams is planned; they are not supposed to restrict passenger service. For local deliveries, the party wants to promote electric vans, electric cars and cargo bikes, for example through well-placed parking spots. Micro-depots and parcel lockers are to be open to all providers. Delivery and commercial parking zones are planned for every street, while dangerous illegal parking is to be pursued more strictly. Company rail sidings, transshipment sites, old rail facilities and freight stations are to be examined for reactivation, and unused rail land is to be kept for that purpose.

The Left wants aviation to become climate-neutral and advocates bans on short-haul flights and on private and business flights at BER airport. The night flight ban is to cover more hours. The party rejects privatizing the airport company FBB.

The Left wants fewer flights. Short flights should be banned if the train takes six hours or less. No planes should fly at night between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. BER airport should not be sold to private companies.

The ban would apply to routes that trains can cover in six hours or less. Alongside this, the party calls for a major expansion of the rail network and lower fares. The night flight ban is to run from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., and further noise reduction measures are to follow at BER. The Left wants to press the federal government for a ban on private and business flights at BER, except for urgent, unavoidable ones. The FBB is not to be privatized, either fully or in part.

The Left wants boats in Berlin to run on electricity as far as possible and seeks stricter emissions rules. Checks on the waterways are to be stepped up. The cable car at the "Gärten der Welt" park is to stay and become part of public transit.

The Left wants boats in Berlin to run on electricity. There should be stricter rules for exhaust from boats. The police should do more checks on the water. The cable car at the "Gärten der Welt" park should stay and be part of public transit.

The party wants to plan the necessary infrastructure for private boats. It intends to lobby federal authorities for tougher emissions rules for private and commercial vessels. The water police are to carry out considerably more checks to improve safety and environmental protection on the waterways. The state of Berlin is to ensure the cable car keeps operating.

The Left wants streets, transit stops, and neighborhoods designed so that older people can move around safely and reach everything they need on foot. It invokes the idea of the 15-minute city and opposes further loss of local shops and services. Older people should also be able to keep their homes and stay in their familiar surroundings.

The Left wants to make the city better for older people. There should be more traffic lights, and they should stay green longer. Every transit stop should have a roof and seats. Shops and doctors should be within walking distance. There should be free public toilets.

More traffic lights are to be installed on busy streets, timed so that people can cross slowly. All transit stops are to have shelters and seating. The platform calls for a plan, including penalties, against rental e-bikes and scooters left dangerously on sidewalks. It also wants more public seating and free public toilets. The party also wants to support initiatives that help young and old people live together.