INNOTRANS: ‘We need to harness people’s passion for railways’, urged Germany’s Federal Minister for Digital & Transport Dr Volker Wissing at the opening ceremony for InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin on September 24.
Emphasising the need for a comprehensive modernisation and digitalisation of the country’s ageing rail network, he added that ‘we need to work together across the borders’ to develop an increasingly European railway.
Explaining the government’s priority to modernise around 1 500 route-km over the next three years with a series of blockades on key lines, he added that this would contribute to improving several of the core TEN-T corridors which cross the country. ‘We must modernise our railway to meet the needs of our society. People want to travel across borders, and companies to deliver their goods.’
As well as getting tracks and structures into a state of good repair, Wissing said the rapid rollout of ETCS would be a priority. Changing between signalling systems at borders was simply ‘not acceptable any more’, and so ‘we are committed to ensuring that rolling stock and infrastructure are equipped as quickly as possible’.
The minister added that he was also keen to see a rapid introduction of the digital automatic coupler, which he believed could transform rail freight operations and add capacity for modal shift as rail becomes more competitive with road haulage. However, he warned that EU support would be necessary to fund the investment, reporting that he had argued the case at a recent meeting of European transport ministers.
‘This trade fair shows what is possible’, he enthused, citing the huge range of advanced technologies and innovations on display across the Messe Berlin fairground.
Recognising the need to attract younger people with digital skills into the rail sector, he welcomed the growing number of students and trainees making use of the InnoTrans career platform, and commented on the enthusiasm of young people for using rail as a more sustainable mode of transport.
‘There is a huge potential that we can tap into’, he concluded.
