SSW on transport

The SSW wants to greatly expand the local transit network and gradually make it cheap or free to use. A statewide ticket should come in the short term; the party opposes pushing up fuel prices through taxes.

The SSW wants more buses and trains. Riding should become cheap, and later maybe free. Soon there should be one ticket for the whole state. Driving should not keep getting more expensive through taxes. Many people in rural areas still need their cars.

The platform notes that in largely rural Schleswig-Holstein many people will depend on cars for some time. Instead of making fuel more expensive through taxes, there should be massive investment in the transit network. People would then switch voluntarily to more climate-friendly transit. If costs rise because of carbon pricing, mobility should be secured in other ways and citizens given financial relief.

The SSW wants heavy investment in expanding and electrifying rail lines and wants the federal government held responsible for it. Rail is to become an alternative to the car and carry more freight.

The SSW wants to put a lot of money into rail. More lines should get electric power and a second track. More goods should travel by train. The federal government should pay for this.

The platform notes that less than 30 percent of lines in Schleswig-Holstein are electrified. It names, among others, the routes Denmark–Flensburg–Hamburg, Westerland–Niebüll–Hamburg, Niebüll–Esbjerg, Husum–Kiel, Flensburg–Kiel, Kiel–Lübeck, Neumünster–Bad Oldesloe and the S4. It also calls for a German-Danish border station at Flensburg-Padborg, a replacement for the Rendsburg high bridge, more night trains and lower track access charges. Quality criteria such as punctuality, coordinated timetables and Wi-Fi are to count in tenders. Trucks are also to shift to electric or hydrogen drives.

The SSW wants to expand local public transit, make it cheaper for certain groups and introduce a single fare system for northern Germany. The platform treats mobility as a basic need that should not be restricted.

The SSW wants more buses and trains. The federal government should give more money for this. Commuters, students and trainees should travel more cheaply. There should be one shared ticket system for all of northern Germany.

The federal government is to provide more Regionalisierungsmittel, the funds it gives states for local transit. The desired fare association is to stretch from Flensburg to Göttingen. Light rail and trams, car sharing and new mobility projects in cities and rural areas are to be supported. For low-carbon drives, the platform calls for a statewide network of hydrogen filling stations and more charging points. All public transportation is to become barrier-free.

The SSW wants to expand the bike path network in cities and rural areas and better link cycling, walking and public transit. This is meant to further reduce car traffic; the platform cites Copenhagen as a model.

The SSW wants more and better bike paths. This also applies in the countryside. Bikes, buses and trains should fit together better. Cities should have more parking spots for bikes.

Urban and regional planning are to be better coordinated. Counties, independent cities and municipalities are to get more support for building bike paths. The state's Cycling Strategy 2030 is to be further funded, reviewed and adjusted where needed; the cycling round table is to continue. Bike-and-ride services and bike parking are to be improved. Traffic education in schools is to be expanded.

The SSW wants to quickly renovate the Kiel Canal, link ports better to rail and reduce pollution from ships. To do so, the platform relies on alternative propulsion and shore power.

The SSW wants to modernize shipping. The Kiel Canal should be repaired quickly. Ships should give off less exhaust. In port, ships should get electricity from land.

The canal renovation is to cover expansion, locks, ferries and landing stages; the waterways and shipping office is to get more staff. Combined rail-ship transport is to grow through better transshipment technology and rail links to ports. For propulsion, the platform mainly names hydrogen and synthetic or plant-based fuels. Shore power connections are to reduce air pollutants and noise while ships are docked.

The SSW wants to give priority to maintaining and repairing existing roads while still carrying out planned major projects such as the A20 and the widening of the A7. The platform calls roads essential for the economy and tourism.

The SSW wants to fix damaged roads first. That matters more to it than new roads. Some big projects should still go ahead. These include the A20 highway and a wider A7 up to Denmark.

The state program for repairing state roads is to continue. The A7 is to get three lanes up to the Danish border; until then, a temporary ban on trucks passing is to apply between the Bordesholm interchange and the border. The A20 is to be continued with an Elbe crossing near Glückstadt, and the west coast route of A23 and B5 is to be upgraded. The replacement for the Rader high bridge and the hinterland link to the Fehmarnbelt crossing are to come quickly, the latter with noise and vibration protection. Trucks and buses used by public institutions are to be required to retrofit turning assistants.

The SSW calls for a maximum speed of 130 km/h on the autobahn. The platform justifies this with greater road safety and a contribution to climate protection.

The SSW wants a speed limit on highways. No one should drive faster than 130 km/h there. This should make roads safer. It should also help the climate.

The limit is to be 130 kilometers per hour. So far there is no general speed limit on German highways. The SSW gives road safety and climate protection as its reasons.

The SSW wants to shorten planning procedures for roads and rail without restricting rights to participate and to sue. To that end, planning law is to be streamlined, procedures digitized and agencies given more staff.

The SSW wants roads and rail lines to be planned faster. The rules for this should become simpler. But citizens should have a say early on. The right to go to court should stay. Planning offices should get more staff.

Following the Danish model, the Bundestag is to approve individual projects directly by law more often, with the public still involved. Those affected are to be included as early as the needs-planning stage, when route options and alternatives such as rail or road are still open. Agencies are to share knowledge better and run procedures digitally so that reviews are not duplicated. State planning authorities are to get more staff. Environmental protection and the rights of those affected are to be preserved.