Flanders lags behind as Rhineland-Palatinate invests in public transport despite challenges

While Flanders in Belgium continues to scale back its public transport network, citing low cost-recovery ratios, the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate demonstrates that geographical and demographic challenges need not be a barrier to ambitious investment. 

According to Nico Callens of Duurzaam Mobiel, Flanders’ approach contrasts sharply with that of Rhineland-Palatinate, where public transport is treated as a societal necessity rather than a financial burden.

A question of priorities

Rhineland-Palatinate, a rural state in Germany with lower population density and complex terrain, invests heavily in its bus network despite the inevitable low cost recovery. 

“The state explicitly acknowledges that accessibility in rural areas comes at a cost, and it assumes that cost”,  Callens explains. Each year, Rhineland-Palatinate allocates an additional €200 million to fully fund over a hundred regional bus lines, ensuring connectivity even in areas where rail expansion is unfeasible.

Flanders, however, takes a different approach. Despite its flat terrain, high population density, and short distances – factors that should make a robust bus network easier to achieve – the region’s public transport system suffers from chronic underfunding and fragmented responsibility. 

“In Flanders, a low cost-recovery ratio is treated as a reason to cut services further, rather than as a challenge to overcome”, Callens argues. He points to years of underinvestment, unclear priorities, and frequently altered networks as key factors undermining the system’s effectiveness.

Investment as a measure of ambition

Callens highlights a telling comparison: “Flanders currently invests around €207 per inhabitant annually in public transport through De Lijn. Rhineland-Palatinate, despite its greater geographical and demographic challenges, demonstrates a stronger commitment to mobility as a public good.” 

The German state’s use of the Deutschlandticket, a national fare instrument, serves as a catalyst to expand and improve services, rather than an excuse to reduce them.

In Flanders, by contrast, public transport is often viewed through a purely financial lens. “The focus is on managing costs and maximising efficiency, rather than on creating an attractive, reliable network that meets societal needs”, Callens observes. 

He warns that this approach risks creating a self-fulfilling prophecy: as services are cut, passenger numbers decline, and the resulting low revenues are then used to justify further reductions.

A call for policy change

The comparison with Rhineland-Palatinate, Callens concludes, exposes the flaws in Flanders’ current strategy. 

“Low cost recovery is not the problem; failing transport policy is. If a sparsely populated, geographically complex region can prioritise investment in public transport, Flanders has no excuse for hiding behind financial figures to justify its own shortcomings.” 

His analysis underscores a fundamental question: is public transport a cost to be minimised, or a vital service to be nurtured? Rhineland-Palatinate, it seems, has already chosen its answer.