“Digitalisation will make railway transport more reliable and will lead to the future of transport. All products, from traction units to e-ticketing guarantee its future. We are committed to develop and transform our railway transport sector and here, the digitalization process matters,” Federal Minister of Transport and Digital Infrastructure Andreas Scheuer said during InnoTrans opening ceremony.
Germany’s goal is to make railways most environmentally friendly means of transport for a digital society which will enable an increased attractiveness and modal shift.
Implementing its development strategy, by 2040 Germany intends to have a free emission railway network and by 2021, to largely introduce battery traction units.
“We need a railway system which can achieve our climate goals, which can cope with traffic growth and relieve the road traffic. It will bring people safely, quickly, comfortably, environmentally friendly and cheap from one place to another,” the Minister said.
In this context, the German authorities rely on key components. They include the digitalisation and innovation of the entire system, to make railways the future of transport, capacity expansion, which will lead to a more reliable railway transport, the strengthening its competitiveness, to make it more flexible, and the reduction of noise emissions, to make the train quieter.
“The Federal Government will tackle all issues and challenges to fully develop the railway system and we are committed to railways. The 2030 Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan envisages a EUR 270 billion investment, of which almost 42% [over EUR 112 billion] will be delivered to railway transport development,” the Minister explained.
InnoTrans 2018 breaks the previous editions with a record of 3,000 exhibitors from 60 countries. 155 vehicles are displayed and more than 400 innovations, 146 of them on show for the first time anywhere in the world.
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