The Alps are the hub of the European transport network and at the same time a sensitive ecosystem. The Brenner base tunnel is to be completed in a decade, thereby strengthening alpine rail traffic. The people bordering the Alps advocate another measure to pursue the climate goals.
In order to reduce traffic and environmental pollution, Bavaria, Tyrol and South Tyrol are calling for the introduction of a new corridor toll for trucks on behalf of 16 Alpine regions. In a joint letter to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and the transport ministers of Germany, Austria and Italy, the Brenner route is the bottleneck in a cross-Alpine comparison “the most heavily loaded corridor”.
“An active modal shift policy and the associated achievement of the climate targets also include user-related pricing. The introduction of a corridor toll on the motorway as an essential part of a uniform traffic policy along the Brenner route is essential,” says the two-page letter.
In it, the signatories, Bavaria’s Minister of State Melanie Huml from the CSU, the Tyrolean Governor Günther Platter and the Bolzano Governor Arno Kompatscher emphasize that the infrastructure offers on the rails must be improved for sustainable transport planning: “There are already free capacities on the rails We therefore call on the ministries to take steps towards a uniform road toll on the Brenner route as soon as possible.”
According to the letter, the construction of the Brenner Base Tunnel and its feeder lines is crucial in order to be able to provide the capacities on the rails in the face of increasing freight traffic. “Due to the massive burden on people, nature, but also the existing road infrastructure itself, we cannot wait for the Brenner Base Tunnel and its access routes to go into operation.” Appropriate accompanying measures to strengthen the competitiveness of the railways need to be implemented now. The Brenner Base Tunnel should be ready in 2032 at the earliest.
It goes on to say that seven of the nine corridors of the Trans-European Transport Network lead through the Alps macro-region. At the same time, the Alps represent an extremely sensitive ecosystem in the heart of the European continent. “Coordinated measures at macro-regional and European level are therefore necessary to create a functioning transport system on the Alpine corridors.” In order to increase the share of rail as a sustainable and energy-efficient mode of transport, a committed modal shift policy is needed.
In order to make rail more attractive, the EU must create equal competitive conditions as a basic requirement between the modes of transport, the statement says. A higher attractiveness of rail transport has advantages for greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution and noise, at the same time there are fewer deaths and traffic jams compared to road traffic.
The 16 regions that support the declaration “Rail traffic in the Alpine region – together for a sustainable traffic and mobility system” include all those bordering the Alps, including Baden-Württemberg and the Austrian federal states of Carinthia, Salzburg, Vorarlberg and Styria.
