Good jobs for a "clean Austria"
vida calls for true costs in freight transport – fair conditions for the railways
Railroad
If Austria takes its climate goals seriously and at the same time wants to ensure fair working conditions, there is no way around rail. The trade union vida is therefore calling for honest cost transparency in the transport system – and an end to the one-sided preference for truck traffic.
"We are fighting for the preservation and creation of good jobs at the Austrian railways. Only when there is finally true costs will the railways have the opportunity to catch up with the road."
Rail instead of road: Facts speak for themselves
The current discussion about the truck toll shows how much political decisions determine whether traffic will be shifted from road to rail. "In the current debate about the truck toll, it is therefore high time to listen to the experts from science and practice if the shift to rail is to succeed," Tauchner continued.
Clear evidence of the structural imbalances is the latest report by Schienen-Control. This clearly shows that road is preferred over rail – for example due to a lack of toll obligations and social dumping in cross-border traffic. "We do not want wage and social dumping, as we see it through cross-border road freight transport," Tauchner clarifies.
Government programme provides tailwind
The trade union vida sees its demand confirmed by the government programme. There, the coalition parties are committed to modal shift for a "clean Austria". "We support that," emphasizes Tauchner. But for these goals to become reality, concrete measures are needed.
In addition to good working conditions and targeted funding models, one thing in particular must apply: the polluter pays principle. "The hauliers should bear the costs they cause - as is already the case with the railways due to the nationwide infrastructure use fee," said Tauchner.
Revenue potential of 700 million euros
The fact that a fair truck toll would not only make sense ecologically, but also economically, is also confirmed by today's edition of the Tiroler Tageszeitung. There, Günter Emberger, head of the Institute of Transport Sciences at the Vienna University of Technology, speaks of up to 700 million euros that could be collected through a nationwide truck toll.
Gerhard Tauchner comments: "In our transit-plagued regions, two-thirds of trucks are on the road with foreign license plates. We cannot afford to do without their contribution in Austria."
