‘Train drivers, sound your horns’, says German rail freight association
Tomorrow, Wednesday 17 January, will be a loud lunch in Berlin. At least 13 freight train drivers will sound their horns in protest to the cuts expected from the 2024 German federal budget. The proposal came from the rail freight association Die Güterbahnen.
The symphony will last five minutes, starting at 11:55 am until midday. Other than the 13 confirmed drivers in Berlin, Die Güterbahnen expects “that pretty much all trains from their members will protest by using their horns across Germany at 11:55 am”. Moreover, the association is suggesting drivers to sound their horns every time they go through a passenger station between 6 am and 10 pm. “Let’s use this protest to show politicians and the population how many freight trains ensure the supply of trade and industry every day!”, they stated.
Worries about the budget are spreading
Worries about the proposed federal budget for 2024 and the included cuts for rail freight were also brought up by another German rail alliance, Allianz pro-Schiene. They explained that, concerning only rail freight, the cuts amount to about 252 million euros. The budget is expected to be approved between the end of January and the beginning of February.
Die Güterbahnen, in addition to tomorrow’s protest, brought forward a few demands countering the government’s planned budget. No cuts in the promised investments for rail infrastructure expansion, compensations for the disadvantage with the road sector and no increases in “route prices” without a quality improvement are the main ones. They are also asking for a “coherent political concept” to increase the rail freight market share to 25 per cent in a concrete manner as well as the introduction of innovative technologies.
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