Special train to Berlin: Mayor call for railway expansion for Rügen!

Special train to Berlin: Mayor call for railway expansion for Rügen!

Sassnitz, Deutschland - The railway expansion between the metropolis of Berlin and the picturesque Western Pomerania is the focus of current protests. It is currently evident that the citizens and local politicians no longer want to put their hands in their laps. A special train from Rügen to Berlin was organized to loudly underline urgent demands for an improved rail connection. The train started on Monday morning in Sassnitz and brought about 50 participants-including numerous mayors, district councilors and state politicians who advocated the quickly expansion of the Western Pomerania Magistrals. schiene.de reports that the journey with a planned demonstration before the Federal Chancellery ended in the afternoon.

The goal of these actions is clear: the expansion of the train route to Stralsund to a speed of 160 km/h should finally be promoted. Heiko Miraß, State Secretary of the SPD, named the project a central traffic project for the region and underlined the need for the federal government to take the expansion into account in the upcoming federal budget in 2025. The already estimated costs of around 500 million euros raise the question: Where is the financing?

A call to solidarity

The mayors of cities such as Anklam, Stralsund, Pasewalk and Greifswald have not put a leaf out of their mouths and turned to Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a fire letter. They fear that the "Western Pomerania Magistrale" is not realized due to the lack of means, although last summer Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck agreed to expand the Berlin-Binz railway line for the said 500 million euros. Furthermore, the city leaders criticize the cessation of the already started at the beginning of 2024 and warn of serious economic and democratic consequences if the expansion should finally be left behind. In this context, protests in Berlin have been announced for September 17th.

The expansion of the connection between Berlin and Rügen, which also improves the train connection between the popular tourism centers, is crucial for the economic development of the entire region of Western Pomerania. Among other things, networking with the attractive excursion destinations Hiddensee, Fischland-Darß, Usedom and the Peene-Having region should also be improved. The infrastructure often reaches its limits, especially in the high season.

political and social effects

With the construction of the LNG terminal on Rügen, support for the railway expansion was agreed, but the necessary funds from the federal government are far from being available. State Secretary Miraß appealed to the solidarity of the Federal Republic to take the necessary steps. The connection via the Western Pomerania Magistrale could shorten the travel time between Berlin and Rügen by half an hour and thus benefit both the population and tourism.

The building information provides detailed information on the planned construction projects and the progress of these measures is to be followed via Deutschebahn.com . Interested parties can not only find photos and videos on the projects, but also contact the responsible bodies directly.

In the midst of all these developments, the question remains: Will the expansion of Western Pomerania Magistral reality or does it remain another unfulfilled promise? The next few months will be decisive.