In an open letter to the parliamentary groups in the state parliament, several Saxon tram cities and their transport companies have called for better funding of public transport by the Free State. The public transport service and its necessary expansion can only be secured at the municipal level with sufficient funding from the federal government and the Free State, according to the letter, which was signed by the mayors and transport companies of Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz, Görlitz, Plauen and Zwickau. The state political goals of strengthening public transport as an attractive alternative to private motorised transport can only be achieved with sufficient support. Otherwise, service cuts will soon be threatened.
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Cities warn of underfunding
Public transport is severely underfunded, which can be attributed to both sharply increased costs and politically desired price reductions through the Deutschlandticket and the Bildungsticket. It is also unclear whether the federal government is prepared to provide half of the funding for the Deutschlandticket in the long term. However, the cities and transport companies see this federal involvement as essential for the long-term continuation of the Deutschlandticket.
“Improving the financial resources for public transport is essential for a medium-sized city like Plauen,” said the mayor of Plauen, Steffen Zenner (CDU). He pointed out that the sharp rise in costs for energy, infrastructure and personnel could no longer be covered by tariff increases and profit transfers. All savings options had already been exhausted. Anyone who seriously wanted to promote public transport would have to relieve the burden on municipalities with their tram operations.
The Green Party’s transport policy spokesman, Gerhard Liebscher, described the demand as “clear and understandable”. He stressed: “An attractive public transport system needs appropriate funding.” Over the past five years, the problems listed in the letter and known to the public have not been adequately addressed by the Ministry of Transport. According to Liebscher, the Free State also has options for support: “For example, by fully passing on the regionalization funds, which would bring the municipalities a good 43 million euros more per year, and even around 55 million euros from 2026.”
Saxony’s Transport Minister Martin Dulig (SPD) firmly rejected the accusation. He stressed: “We would also have liked to spend significantly more money on public transport and that is why we have ensured that state funding for public transport has increased fivefold since 2016.” However, the state budget approved jointly by the three coalition factions does not provide for any additional funds. Dulig also explained that he had sought to establish a state transport company in this legislative period in order to transfer greater responsibility and financial obligations to the Free State. However, this plan was rejected by the district administrators and mayors and also failed due to a veto by the Greens.
In an open letter to the parliamentary groups in the state parliament, several Saxon tram cities and their transport companies have called for better funding of public transport by the Free State. The public transport service and its necessary expansion can only be secured at the municipal level with sufficient funding from the federal government and the Free State, according to the letter, which was signed by the mayors and transport companies of Dresden, Leipzig, Chemnitz, Görlitz, Plauen and Zwickau. The state political goals of strengthening public transport as an attractive alternative to private motorised transport can only be achieved with sufficient support. Otherwise, service cuts will soon be threatened.
