German infrastructure woes

Germany is losing its reputation globally as a splendid logistics location, a transportation expert from the Federation of German Wholesale, Foreign Trade and Services (BGA), Gerhard Riemann said in a statement on Wednesday.

Riemann claimed the German government had been giving short shrift to important traffic infrastructure projects and increased the financial burdens on haulers. He also hinted the current toll system might be expanded to include other major roads.

"The loss of our former title as logistics champion as awarded by the World Bank doesn't mean the end of the world," Riemann said, adding the ranking in question now saw Germany in fourth position after Singapore, Hong Kong and Finland.

Scarce resources

"But the shortcomings in place are increasingly becoming a growth problem," he argued. Riemann said flexibility, quick solutions to traffic issues and reasonable prices for infrastructure usage mattered most in international competition. "But there's not much left of that in Germany at the moment," Riemann quipped.

He particularly complained about the government not having given the green light yet to gigaliners or super-trucks on selected roads, praising their economic and ecological advantages.

Riemann maintained that not enough money was being provided to maintain or expand the current traffic infrastructure in Germany, saying there was a lack of five billion euros ($6.16 billion) annually for road transportation projects alone.

The trade expert also feared that a renewed delay of Berlin's new international airport would mean irreparable image damage for the country abroad.

hg/jlw (Reuters, dapd)