Private siding charter

A successful shift in traffic can only be achieved with sidings and access points close to the customer.

Private siding charter

Associations from trade, industry, logistics and public institutions have prepared a private siding charter, which is to draw attention to the key role of private sidings, access points close to the customers and the regional railway infrastructure in the political discussion on traffic. It is the objective to be able to offer economic high-capacity transport systems within the fields of combined transport and single wagonload traffic.

Why a private siding charter?

Both the federal government, the state governments and the municipalities as well as trade and industry and many citizens increasingly speak up for a modal shift to the rail to protect the environment, improve mobility and achieve real sustainability. Combined transport involving the rail already shows how transport can be successfully shifted in practice.

Despite the wish for more transport by rail and a federal private siding support programme, there are ever fewer private sidings in Germany, which affects transport systems based on private sidings and access points close to the customers like the single wagonload traffic. These systems can only contribute to the intended rail traffic growth if their access points are strengthened significantly.

In concrete terms, the conditions for the construction, maintenance, operation and serving of private sidings and access points close to the customers have to be improved. Thus, the trimodal/multimodal junctions and freight handling terminals as well as the feeder infrastructure have to be strengthened because transport via private sidings and access points close to the customers can only be attractive, competitive and economic with effective regional infrastructures.

Objective of the private siding charter

To realise a modal shift and reduce regional and local road freight traffic, there have to be enough private sidings, enough access points close to the customers, enough public loading areas, enough freight handling terminals and enough trimodal/multimodal junctions as well as an adequate feeder infrastructure for economic high-capacity rail transport systems (combined transport and single wagonload traffic).

To reach this objective, the charter defines central fields of action and makes concrete proposals for realisation to the federal and state governments, trade and industry and the logistic sector that supplement and/or substantiate the Rail Freight Masterplan of the German Federal Ministry of Transport.

Central requirements in the charter

  • Reduce bureaucracy and simplify rules
  • Improve support of private sidings
  • Reduce costs for connection to the public railway network
  • Guarantee high-capacity feeder infrastructure
  • Guarantee serving of private sidings and access points close to customers
  • Provide and secure more public loading areas
  • Connect industrial estates to the rail and secure areas
  • Strengthen trimodal/multimodal junctions
  • Support multimodality
  • Prepare new transport concepts considering private sidings
  • Promote innovations on the “first/last mile” (digitalisation, automation, modern locomotives)
  • Increase interest in a private siding

How you can support the charter!

We achieve more together!
Companies and institutions can also declare that they support the objective and the proposals made in the private siding charter. The more supporters the charter has the better it can influence the decision-makers of the federal and state governments, trade and industry and the general public.

You are cordially invited to support the private siding charter in the internet. As a supporter you declare that you welcome and support the objectives and proposals of the charter.

You can declare your support in an informal e-mail or fill in the pdf questionnaire, which is ready for download, and send it to us via e-mail.

Please send your e-mail to:

Judith Mattke
Verband Deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen e.V. (VDV)
mattke@acb9aa645e0540c4bb6495c66e2c6cdfvdv.de · +49 221 57979-145