France stops construction of new motorways – Germany just continues building

Berlin. France is planning a radical change in its transport policy: of the 170 billion Euros that the government is planning for investments in transport infrastructure over the next two decades, 90 percent is being reserved for forms of transport that offer an alternative to flying and the roads. Half of the budget - 85 billion Euros - is due to be spent on high speed railway lines. An additional 53 billion Euros has been earmarked for expanding regional public transport infrastructure. Only 4.5 percent is being reserved for the construction of new national highways. These are the details of a draft 'National Strategy Plan for Transport Infrastructure', which was published by the French government in Paris this week.

"Whereas France has practically stopped the construction of new motorways and is putting all its efforts into energy efficient rail transport, the German government's annual budget for motorways and national roads is still three times what it spends on railway construction," criticised Dirk Flege, managing director of the German Pro-Rail Alliance on Thursday in Berlin. The government's recent answer to a parliamentary question put by the Green Party faction shows that between 2006 and 2010, the German state spent a total of 13.2 billion Euros on constructing and expanding motorways and national roads, but only 4.3 billion Euros on rail network expansion and construction. "Per person and year, every German contributes 13 Euros for the construction of new motorways and national roads, and just 4 Euros for the expansion of the rail network. This one-sided favouring of highway construction by the government is no longer up-to-date," complained the Pro-Rail Alliance's managing director.

For years, Austria and Switzerland have spent more money on the railways than on road infrastructure, with considerable success with regards to transport. Referring to an interview with Austria's transport minster Doris Bures in the Standard, Flege said: "In this country, it would be unthinkable for a government politician to make a statement such as 'And when we invest in the railways, it is also worthwhile because rail is an ecological and modern mode of transport that is far more important in terms of transport policy that the roads, as far as I am concerned.'" Flege warned Germany against being "left behind when it comes to transport policy".