SPD on transport

The SPD wants to reduce the gap in transport links between Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg. It plans a strategy covering all modes of transport in the metropolitan region and a joint fare system for local public transit.

The SPD wants better links between Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg. Commuter trains and subways around Hamburg should get better. Buses and trains should share one fare system. That means one set of prices for the whole region.

The strategy is meant to improve connections for bikes, cars, trucks, buses and trains within the metropolitan region. The platform names better S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines around Hamburg, easier switching between modes of transport, and a joint fare. According to the platform, the aim is to use the region's potential more effectively.

The SPD wants to create a modern, climate-friendly transportation system across the state by 2030, linked with Hamburg and Denmark. Private car traffic is to be reduced in cities, while in rural areas the car remains part of the plan but is to stop emitting pollutants.

The SPD wants to make transportation climate-friendly by 2030. Fewer cars should drive in cities. In the countryside, many people will still need a car. But cars should soon stop producing exhaust. People with little money should also be able to afford such a car.

The party's criteria are sustainability, affordability, accessibility and reliability. Cars are to run mainly on electricity in the future, in some areas also on hydrogen or synthetic fuels made from renewable energy. The state sees its job as organizing infrastructure together with the federal government, municipalities and companies, from highways and bike paths to rail and waterways, and linking modes of transport well. Overall transportation planning is to be tied to settlement and land-use planning; public transit is also to get more money through third-party financing such as job tickets.

The SPD wants children, teenagers and people with disabilities to ride buses and trains for free in the long run. As an interim step, it plans a 365-euro ticket for children and teenagers, an end to school transportation fees and stable ticket prices.

Children and teenagers should later ride buses and trains for free. This should also apply to people with disabilities. First there should be a yearly ticket for 365 euros. Getting to school should no longer cost anything. Ticket prices should stop rising.

The 365-euro ticket is to be introduced together with municipalities. A ticket for apprentices and one for people doing voluntary service are also planned. The SPD is aiming for a single fare network in northern Germany and wants to make the Schleswig-Holstein fare more attractive, for example with low-cost multi-ride tickets and discounted season passes. Prices in the NAH.SH fare network are to stop rising in the medium term.

The SPD wants to expand public transit, including in rural areas, with a focus on alternative drive systems and rail. A funding program for municipalities would support complementary services such as car sharing, shuttles and on-call shared taxis, accompanied by a digital mobility platform.

The SPD wants more buses and trains, also in the countryside. Towns should get money for new services. These include shared cars and bikes or shared taxis. A digital platform should connect buses and trains better. Volunteer-run community buses should also get more money.

The funding program targets "Mobility as a Service," meaning app-based ride services, car and bike sharing, shuttles and on-call shared taxis that complement existing transit without weakening it. Together with the Hamburg metropolitan region and Denmark, a public digital platform is to be developed that links buses and trains and manages private traffic better, for example by coordinating road works. Community buses and attractive stops are to receive more support. Mobility cooperatives would get advice, financial incentives and a digital networking platform; the state also wants to back solutions that relieve residential areas heavily burdened by road traffic.

The SPD wants no more diesel trains running in Schleswig-Holstein. More lines are to get overhead wires. Because that is costly and slow, the platform also relies on new propulsion and storage technology.

The SPD wants no more diesel trains in the state. More lines should get power lines above the tracks. That takes a long time and costs a lot. So trains with new technology, such as batteries, should run too.

According to the platform, only about one third of the state's rail lines are electrified. The SPD wants to build more overhead lines but does not think the backlog can be cleared within a few years. In parallel, new propulsion and storage systems are meant to allow clean travel on lines without overhead wires. The platform names, among others, electrifying the Marschbahn and the Itzehoe–Wilster–Brunsbüttel and Lübeck–Kiel lines.

The SPD wants to make train travel more attractive and enlarge the network. Everywhere in the state, the nearest station should be no more than 20 kilometers away, and rail use should rise by 20 percent in five years. This is meant to strengthen rural areas and relieve cities and roads.

The SPD wants more and better train connections. Nobody should live more than 20 kilometers from a station. In five years, many more people should take the train. Trains should be faster and more on time. All trains should have Wi-Fi.

The plan includes more reliability and speed, Wi-Fi on all trains, and bike transport on every train. Disused lines such as the one to Geesthacht are to reopen, and light-rail service is to be studied and tested, for instance between Malente and Lütjenburg. Together with the federal government and municipalities, the SPD wants to advance the S4, the Pinneberg–Elmshorn bottleneck, and possible light-rail systems in Kiel and Lübeck. For the Fehmarnbelt crossing, the hinterland link and extra noise protection are to follow the region's demands. The state-owned rail company AKN is to be strengthened, and ferries are to be fully integrated into public transit.

The SPD wants the state to guarantee a network of charging stations for electric cars without gaps. It treats this as a basic public service because running a station does not pay off at every location. Stations in densely built residential areas are to get special support.

The SPD wants charging stations for electric cars everywhere in the state. The state should make sure of this. Not every location makes money for companies. There should be many stations near apartment buildings.

The platform regards climate-friendly propulsion for cars, buses, and trucks as decisive. Unlike gas stations, charging stations are said not to be profitable everywhere, so the state should ensure coverage. People living in apartment buildings without a private parking space and wallbox are said to need public charging at affordable prices. Installation in densely built housing areas is therefore to be specifically subsidized.

In road construction, the SPD puts maintenance ahead of new building and wants all state roads repaired by 2035. Roads are still to be expanded at certain points, such as the A20 with an Elbe crossing. To speed up projects, the state road and transport agency is to get more staff.

Many roads in the state are in bad shape. The SPD wants to repair all state roads by 2035. Repairing matters more to it than building new roads. Some roads should still get bigger, such as the A20 highway. The road agency should get more staff.

According to the platform, about one third of state roads are in poor condition. As expansion projects from the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan 2030, the SPD names the A20 including an Elbe crossing near Glückstadt, the B5 on the west coast, the A21, and a replacement for the Rader Hochbrücke bridge. It says the problem is not new roads but the vehicles' propulsion. Transport projects are said to be carried out too slowly, which drives up costs. The SPD therefore wants a strong public infrastructure administration.

The SPD wants to renew or newly build 1,000 kilometers of bike paths within five years. Bike routes and fast cycle highways are to get special support. In transport planning, cycling is to be treated on an equal footing with car traffic.

The SPD wants to repair or build 1,000 kilometers of bike paths in five years. There should be fast bike paths between cities. Bikes should matter as much as cars in planning. At train stations, people should be able to park and charge e-bikes.

Where possible, the SPD wants the state itself to build and operate cross-regional cycle highways. New bike-and-ride stations at transfer points are to offer sheltered parking and charging for e-bikes. The infrastructure is to be developed together with cycling associations. A statewide bicycle safety action day is also planned, with information and targeted checks, for example on blocked bike paths and passing distances.

The SPD wants to invest in waterways and ports and shift more freight from roads to inland vessels. Seaports are to get better hinterland connections and cooperate more closely. The platform cites economic strength, less road congestion, and more climate-friendly transport.

The SPD wants to spend money on canals and ports. More goods should travel by ship instead of by truck. That is better for the climate and frees up roads. Ports should get better links to the rest of the country.

The platform says one modern inland vessel replaces up to 150 trucks, which makes the Elbe-Lübeck Canal especially important. Autonomous or semi-autonomous steering could help against falling water levels by allowing smaller vessels with a shallow draft. The state is to lead here and on sustainable propulsion, which could also benefit shipyards. Port funding is to reflect each site's existing strengths, and lobbying at the federal and EU levels is to intensify. Lübeck is to be prepared for the Fehmarnbelt crossing, and ports are to position themselves for a possible Arctic shipping route.