German Greens Want Domestic Air Travel to Be Obsolete by 2035

Alliance 90/The Greens, a political party in Germany, wants the country's domestic travel to shift completely to rail. Achieving that goal will require making air travel more expensive and rail travel cheaper and easier.

1 minute read

July 29, 2019, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Hamburg, Germany

bibiphoto / Shutterstock

"Germany’s Greens plan to make domestic flights ‘largely obsolete’ by 2035," reports Florence Schulz.

The policy proposal would not ban domestic flights, but instead tax kerosene, increase train service, and reduce train fares, among other changes, to make rail travel the more attractive alternative.

A paper printed by the German Greens published the proposal, also suggesting €3 billion in annual funding for the German railway system Deutsche Bahn (DB).

The article includes a lot more detail on the tricky political proposition of taxing kerosene.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 in Euractiv

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9 - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation