It can only go too slowly in getting the planning of the future train operation over the Fehmarn Belt started. That is the main message in a consultation response that Region Zealand has sent to the Danish Transport Agency’s draft Transport Plan 2023.
Planning and preparations must begin
The opening of the fixed connection over the Fehmarn Belt is approaching, and it is gratifying that it is getting a lot of focus in the Traffic Plan. It is definitely also time to start planning and preparing the future rail traffic over the Fehmarn Belt, writes Region Zealand in the response to the consultation, signed by regional council chairman Heino Knudsen from the Social Democratic Party.
In particular, Region Zealand is keen that the trains not only run through, but also stop in the region.
Concretely, Region Zealand has a goal that the train service will be as good as possible and, as a minimum, will include both regional train service with several local stops as well as long-distance trains with stops in the region, so that it will not only be transit traffic, says the response to the consultation.
Good train operation is a government task
According to Region Zealand, it is a state task to ensure good train service – no matter which operator runs the trains. However, the consultation response emphasizes that the region would like to cooperate on the task.
Danish-German cooperation on train operation
Region Zealand would also like to cooperate with the politicians in Northern Germany, and here the train traffic over the Fehmarnbelt will also be a key point.
At the same time, Region Zealand is in dialogue with the region’s political partners on the German side. It is expected that the train operation will be a focal point in the upcoming cooperation agreement between Region Zealand and Schleswig-Holstein, the response to the consultation states.
Crossing the border must be easy
Future ticket and tariff systems for cross-border public transport will also need to be looked at. It must be easy to cross the border with public transport. Region Zealand calls for concrete and joint work to be started to determine the operation of the future fixed connection over the Fehmarnbelt, the region writes in its response to the consultation.
It has not been possible to get a comment from regional council chairman Heino Knudsen.
