Who pays for this? The tickets are either vastly over-priced or the government will have to allocate the lost money, meaning, taxpayers still pay
Germany OKs Cheaper Train Tickets in Plan to Lower Emissions
Germany’s upper house of parliament has approved a plan to make rail travel cheaper as part of a package of measures to combat climate change.
The decision Friday by the chamber representing Germany’s 16 states will reduce value-added tax on train tickets, making them about 10% cheaper starting Jan. 1.
The German government hopes that cutting rail prices will encourage more people to use trains, thereby helping reduce emissions of planet-warming greenhouse gases.
Rail travel in Germany, where much of the track is electrified, produces significantly less carbon dioxide per passenger kilometer (mile) than conventional road transport. The country has a well-developed rail network with high-speed connections between most major cities and to neighboring countries.
Deutsche Bahn, the main rail operator in Germany, expects passenger numbers to increase by 5 million a year as a result of the VAT cut.
A lot of people aren’t taking the train because it is inconvenient. It’s a lot easier for them to jump in their fossil fueled vehicles for longer trips, rather than waiting around, getting on a crowded, smelly train, taking longer than driving, then having to get from the train station to wherever you are going. It can work well on a small scale, like in NYC, DC, London, and others. Other cities? Not so. Much. Trying to take a bus to work would take me at least an hour. I can drive there in less than 20 minutes.
And then there’s Democrat/Warmist run Virginia
Virginia announces big plans for cleaner transportation, economy
In two separate announcements, Virginia leaders introduced plans yesterday to dramatically improve and expand the state’s rail network and legislation to cut the state’s carbon emissions by encouraging energy efficiency, rooftop solar, and joining the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
The rail agreement between Virginia, Amtrak, and freight rail provider CSX includes doubling capacity at a notorious bottleneck and the state taking ownership of hundreds of miles of track and rail right-of-way to facilitate expanded service. A key component of the initiative will be much more frequent passenger rail service between Richmond and D.C., which is projected to reduce traffic and vehicle emissions on the notoriously clogged stretch of I-95 between the two capitals. By comparison, a recent Virginia analysis found that adding new lanes to I-95 would be prohibitively expensive and do very little to address rush-hour congestion.
Another stretch of rail right-of-way to be acquired by Virginia could host high speed rail from Richmond to Raleigh, while an additional rail line to be acquired could be a key component of a new east-west rail service SELC proposed in a report we co-authored in September.
“Transportation is Virginia’s leading source of climate pollution,†said Trip Pollard, SELC’s Land & Community Program leader. “We’ve got to provide cleaner transportation options, and this agreement is a bold effort that could transform rail in Virginia, cutting pollution while also reducing congestion.â€
Well, good luck getting riders. Though, I’d love it if the plan between Richmond and D.C. would work. Extend it to Baltimore. Because traffic on 95 during the day stinks. It is always backed up from about an hour south of DC to just north of Baltimore. It makes a car trip that should take 7.5 hours take 9. But, will people take the train? And why are we moving back to the 19th Century for the climate cult?
