Tarek Al-Wazir, the chairman of the Bundestag’s Transport Committee (Greens), is holding Federal Transport Minister Steffen Bilger (CDU) accountable regarding the rising costs for regional public transport. Speaking to the news portal T-Online, Al-Wazir stated that Minister Bilger must clearly define his policy during the upcoming Ministers Conference. The Green politician questioned whether Bilger intends to be the first Transport Minister in 30 years whose tenure sees regional train services decline, or if he will present a solution to the escalating track prices.
The transport ministers from the various German states are demanding federal funding to help cover the increased railway tolls charged to regional transport companies, especially since the European Court of Justice invalidated the German price cap on using the rail network for local public transport in March.
The agenda for the conference, which begins in Hohenschwangau, Bavaria, this Wednesday, also includes the issue of low water levels. Al-Wazir urged Bilger to finally develop a long-term strategy for resilient inland shipping. He questioned whether Bilger plans to genuinely modernize the waterways for the future or if the government will continue only reacting to one low-water crisis after another.
Al-Wazir criticized what he deemed “absurd,” noting that while the states are calling for ships designed to handle low water levels, the black-red federal government is planning to nearly halve funding for such schemes in the 2027 budget draft, reducing it from 35 million to 17.6 million Euros. Al-Wazir demanded that this financial reduction be corrected.
