Rhine-Alpine News
19.04.2022
Critique on low rail investments of German government
Source: Pixabay
Several media report that the German government doesn’t put more money into the railways than into the expansion of the road network in 2022 as it promised. The promise by Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) to invest more money in the rail network than in the road network in 2022 is apparently based on a calculation trick, Spiegel reports. According to the draft budget, investments in rail include planning services that are allocated proportionately to rail funds. If the same criterion were applied to road construction expenditure, this would increase by around 980 million euros – and thus exceed the funds for rail transport. The electrification of the rails is also not going as announced. According to the coalition agreement, 75 percent of the network is to be electrified in the next eight years, currently around 62 percent. In order to achieve the goal, DB Netz AG would have to build 500 kilometers of new overhead lines per year – almost ten times more than in the years 2010 to 2020. In fact, the Deutsche Bahn subsidiary’s plans are below that, as an award preview shows. If 655 kilometers of overhead lines and conductor rails are to be built in 2022, only 390 kilometers are planned for 2024. The ministry says that almost 100 percent of all train kilometers in long-distance and freight transport could be covered electrically. Source: https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/deutsche-bahn-bund-trickst-bei-bahninvestitionen-a-ad7f3908-e9ca-4018-9b39-9669ab20d9e8
Connecting Europe Days from 28 to 30 June in Lyon
Source: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/connectingeuropedays_en
The Connecting Europe Days 2022, Europe’s mobility flagship event will take place from 28 to 30 June in Lyon, France. The Connecting Europe Days – formerly known as TEN-T Days – will bring together politicians, industry representatives and the European Commission to discuss transport and mobility, and their role in achieving the ambitious goals set out in the EU Green Deal and the Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy. Participants will consider new and innovative initiatives and ideas for greening the transport system and streamlining the implementation of transport projects. 2022 is a crucial year for the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). Last year the Commission proposed to revise the EU’s TEN-T Regulation, introducing new European Transport Corridors and improving city-to-city, citizen and business connections. The proposal will be discussed this year at a political level, together with other proposals from the Fit for 55 and Efficient and Green Mobility packages. This is an opportunity to feed into the political discussions. Source: https://transport.ec.europa.eu/connectingeuropedays/about_en
Call for Papers: Cross-Border Cooperation in Crisis
Source: Pixabay
With this call, scholars as well as practitioners are invited to submit papers for a Workshop on Cross-Border Cooperation in Crisis: to what extent does the institutionalized CBC contribute to resilience and innovation of the border regions? held on 20-22 October 2022 at Andrassy University Budapest, Hungary. Cross-Border Cooperation is a research field that requires a multi-disciplinary approach. This workshop aims to bring together scholars from various disciplines such as, for example, public administration and management, regional studies, economic geography, innovation studies, evolutionary economics, urban studies, economics, public policy, etc. who address the challenges for as well as potential solutions to interregional and cross-border cooperation during and in the aftermath of the pandemic. Among others, particularly submissions on the topic “EGTCs during the pandemic: is its formalized organization a help or a hindrance?” are also welcome. For detailed information see: https://www.arl-net.de/de/blog/call-papers-cross-border-cooperation-crisis-workshop-andrassy-university-budapest