The main factor in Germany's steady economic growth is the intensification and modernization of production, which requires not only the introduction of new technologies and scientific developments, but also the development of transport and related infrastructure.
German transport system
Market and market relations are unthinkable without the interaction of producers and consumers of goods and services. The development of transport in Germany is inextricably linked with an increase in the scale of domestic and foreign trade. The times when the unhurried expanse of the Rhine was the only trade route remained in the distant past. Today, the transport system is a complex intersectoral complex, one of the leading in the world. There are about two kilometers of various roads and communications per 1 km 2 of German land. The main types of transport in Germany:
- Railway.
- Automotive.
- Air.
- Water.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the most environmentally friendly and slow transport - pipelines, which account for about 4% of the total cargo turnover of the republic.
Railways
The first regular rail service was opened in Bavaria in the winter of 1835. The train flew between Nuremberg and Furth twice a day, delivering goods and passengers.
Today, Germany ranks sixth in the length of railways (44 thousand km), and first in the world in concentration. Almost half of them are electrified. The main carrier is the DB concern (Deutsche Bundesbahn), which combines the railways of the western and eastern lands, and includes three divisions: Mobiliti, which manages passenger transportation, Logistic (cargo flow and logistics) and Networks (maintenance and infrastructure). Despite the improvement of rolling stock and the efforts of the government, the volume of cargo turnover is gradually decreasing.
German rail transport is more focused on the transport of passengers. The fleet of high-speed express trains (ICE) is developing, route speed is increasing (average - 240 km / h, maximum on the Berlin-Hanover route - up to 450 km / h). The base fare is quite high: for first-class cars - 0.41 euro / km, for the second - 0.27.
In the mountainous regions of the country, toothed railways operate. For the entertainment of tourists, several routes with steam locomotives and retro wagons have been preserved.
Motor transport
At the end of the twentieth century, thanks to a developed network of roads, including more than 40 thousand km of federal highways and almost 13 thousand km of autobahns (multi-lane highways with constructive separation of flows in the opposite direction), German road transport provided more than 60% of freight traffic and up to 90% of the country's passenger traffic . According to the Federal Motor Transport Agency, the total number of vehicles in the country is approaching 60 million, with a density of 640 cars per thousand inhabitants.
Although transport is prohibited in central areas in many large cities, parking problems are very relevant. In addition to specially designated areas for cars for disabled drivers, there are separate parking spaces for cars driven by representatives of the beautiful half of humanity.
Germany is the only European country with no speed limits when driving on the autobahn. On other roads, the allowed maximum speed is 100 km / h, in settlements - 50 km / h.
Air traffic
German air transport can be briefly described by the advertising slogan of the largest air carrier Lufthansa - the best way to fly!
Heavenly paths to cargo and passengers were beaten in 1909 by the German Airship Company. The most famous aircraft , the Earl Zeppelin, made 590 commercial flights to various parts of the world, breaking more than one and a half million kilometers. The development of domestic and foreign airlines was facilitated by Junkers, which began mass production of passenger aircraft in the first half of the 20th century.
Today, German air transport connects major centers of the republic with other countries of the world (the share of domestic flights is very small). The largest of the 16 international airports, occupying first place in terms of cargo turnover in Europe, is located in Frankfurt.
Waterways
Shipping lanes on the territory of the republic have a total length of about 7 thousand km. The volume of cargo transported on them reaches 260 million tons per year. Only the third part falls on domestic transportation. An important transport artery is the Rhine. Regular ship traffic on it was established back in the late 90s of the century before last. Currently, the Rhine daily runs up to 120 ships. Navigable canals with complex gateway systems connect it with the Danube, Elbe, Rhone and Weser.
German seaports have a very unfavorable geographical position and are significantly removed from the main industrial areas. Therefore, the main international trade is conducted through the Dutch harbors at the mouth of the Rhine, whose share in the foreign trade turnover of Germany is greater than at all ports of the republic.
City Posts
Public transport in Germany has the most developed and efficient infrastructure in the European Union. Represented by the following units:
- Underground. It operates in 19 major cities. The most extensive and oldest network, founded in 1902, belongs to the Berlin Underground (10 lines, 173 stations).
- Overhead commuter trains. Although they form an independent transport network, traffic patterns in many cities are closely linked to the "subway".
- Buses and trams. Bus traffic is well organized. Stop points can be found by the letter "H", green. Most stops are equipped with information screens showing the time of arrival of buses. Tram service is most developed in the Eastern Lands and in Bavaria. Part of the routes laid underground.
Comfort lovers can use the services of numerous taxi companies or rent a car.
There is an alternative!
Inspired by the example of neighbors - the Danes and the Dutch, the Germans also carried out their “pedal revolution”. The starting point in 2002 was the national cycling development plan. Within a decade, an extensive network of D-Netz was created, based on 12 federal bicycle roads, with a total length of 10.2 thousand km. Germany's bicycle transport has become an equal segment of the country's infrastructure.
Constantly improved service on trans-regional cycling routes made cycling comfortable, and every year the profit from this type of tourism is growing rapidly.
Since 2008, about 3 million euros have been allocated annually by the federal budget for the development of various bicycle projects, and positive effects in the areas of protecting public health and the environment, and road safety are allocated as dividends.
A bit about electric cars
Characteristic features of the development of transport in Germany and industry as a whole are minimization, and in the long term, the elimination of the dependence of the country's economy on energy imports. That is why Germany is the undisputed leader among European countries in the development of electric vehicles. And if in 2011 the fleet of electric vehicles consisted of only 2.3 thousand cars, then, according to the plans of the authorities, by 2020 their number will reach one million, and over the next decade will increase by another six times.
The solution promises to be comprehensive: in parallel, the necessary structure will also develop - the allocation of separate lanes for traffic, specialized parking spaces, the creation of a network of points for recharging batteries. Electric vehicle owners are already exempted from paying transport fees for 5 years, and in the future this period will increase by 2 times.
The German business community and the government plan to allocate 18 billion euros to implement these ambitious plans.
The main directions of development
German industry and transport make full use of scientific and technological progress to modernize their structures and technologies.
German companies are increasing the production of electric bicycles, in which the engine-wheels with a capacity of up to 300 watts are the movers. Refusal of transmission significantly increases the efficiency of the electric drive. The use of nickel-metal hydride batteries will increase the range without recharging up to 50 km.
The improvement of top-class railway transport intended for international routes continues. The search for alternatives to trains with distributed traction is underway, since the complete maintenance of the whole composition of motor wagons is associated with certain difficulties.
Despite the versatility, complexity and capital intensity of the processes, German transport seeks to meet the long-term requirements of the country's industry and society, in compliance with all environmental standards and requirements, which are becoming tougher day by day.