Müller: "Development of the Munich - Mühldorf - Burghausen section must go ahead at a faster pace"
During a visit to the chemical triangle, the Bavarian Minister of Economic Affairs and Transport, Emilia Müller, underscored the region’s need for an efficient railway network. "The growing volume of goods transported by rail in the direction of the chemical triangle is making rapid development measures essential. In the next few years, the chemical industry is going to invest over € 1 billion in the region, which will mean that the transport volume from and to the chemical triangle will double from the present level of 3 million tons to 6 million tons in 2015. Unless the railway infrastructure is developed simultaneously, it will be impossible to cope with this surge," she underlined at a tour of the Wacker Chemie plant in Burghausen.
The course had generally been set for these improvements. Müller: "Development of the railway infrastructure is a central feature of the Chemical Triangle Rail Master Plan agreed between Deutsche Bahn AG, the industry and the State of Bavaria." Besides upgrading the signal technology and other block improvements in the Mühldorf - Landshut and Mühldorf - Berghausen sections, emphasis would also be placed on developing the sections Markt Schwaben - Hörlkofen, Thann-Matzbach - Dorfen, Ampfing - Mühldorf and Müldorf - Tüssling into double-track lines by 2015.
"Implementation of these improvements in line with demand is a central facet of Bavarian transport policy. The key financial aspects have in the meantime been agreed with the Federal Government and Deutsche Bahn AG. Now it is a matter of pressing ahead with the planning work and starting construction," the Transport Minister added. Bavaria would continue to put all its weight into supporting these projects.
During her visit, Economics Minister Müller stressed how important the chemical triangle was for growth and employment in Bavaria. Müller: "The billions currently being invested by OMV in additional propylene und ethylene capacities and by Borealis in an ultramodern polypropylene plant underscore the attraction of the location. This will apply all the more, if Burghausen, for instance, succeeds in holding its own against alternative international and national sites like with Wacker. The development of polysilicon capacities in Burghausen is a clear sign of the future viability of the chemical triangle in the South-Eastern corner of Bavaria."
The State Government and the industry based in the chemical triangle were continuing to work together on boosting the location. This was demonstrated by the example of the ethylene pipeline. Müller: "Construction work on the ethylene pipeline funded by the State of Bavaria was started in September. The pipeline will make a big contribution towards securing the future of the region." The industry and its employees in the chemical triangle could rely on the support of the State Government.
