Bundestag Election 2025: Which Parties Back the Transrapid?

AfD: Interest exists, clear initiative missing (Medium)

The Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) is considered the party with the most consistent recent interest in the Transrapid, which is why it has the highest likelihood of endorsement. The 2025 platform does not mention the Transrapid directly, but it contains numerous approaches that could harmonize with the technology. The AfD attaches great importance to modernizing the rail network, stresses its openness to technological innovation and highlights the "Made in Germany" seal of quality, an argument that could underpin the Transrapid as a German engineering product.

In the past the AfD has repeatedly demonstrated its commitment to maglev technology, but many of these initiatives were short-lived and suggest that a sustained, party-wide will to implement them is still lacking, with one exception. In 2024, the party introduced a motion in the Lower Saxony state parliament aimed at reviving the test track in Emsland and resuming research on Transrapid technology. This step was promising, as it went beyond mere rhetoric and proposed concrete measures, an indication that the AfD may now be pursuing its commitment more seriously, possibly all the way to the Bundestag. As early as 2021, Bystron, a member of the Bundestag, voiced an idea: he proposed building a Transrapid line from Munich to Prague. The AfD in Baden-Württemberg also positioned itself clearly in favor of the Transrapid in 2020. These earlier proposals, however, often remained "flashes in the pan": after the announcements there was no discernible follow-up or long-term plan, which raises doubts about whether the AfD would actively turn its visions into action. The 2024 motion stands out from this and could be a sign that the AfD is ready to step up its engagement.

The likelihood of endorsement is therefore rated medium, based on the repeated historical interest, but also taking into account that nothing about it appears directly in the election platform.

FDP: Open, but reserved (Low to medium)

The Free Democrats (FDP) show a mixed attitude toward the Transrapid, which places their position in the medium likelihood category. The 2025 platform does not address the Transrapid directly, but the party places great emphasis on competition in long-distance travel, modernizing rail infrastructure and a pronounced openness to technology. In theory these priorities could favor the use of the Transrapid, especially as the FDP rejects technology bans (such as on the combustion engine) and prefers innovation-friendly approaches. The FDP regards technological developments as drivers of economic growth and might see the Transrapid as an example of German engineering with potential for mobility and the economy. However, the FDP's focus, according to Lindner's statement when asked for his opinion on the Transrapid in May 2024, is clearly on digitalizing local public transport, which could push the Transrapid into the background as a priority project. Moreover, its rejection of large state subsidies argues against comprehensive public funding; private financing would be an option compatible with the party's market-economy orientation, but would not make sense for national infrastructure.

Historically, the FDP has sent contradictory signals that make its commitment to the Transrapid unclear. One advocate was Transport Minister Volker Wissing, who rode the Transrapid in China in 2024 and had earlier spoken positively about the technology. However, Wissing left the FDP in 2024, so his influence on the party line falls away; his position therefore no longer reflects the party's current opinion. Party leader Christian Lindner commented on the Transrapid in May 2024, stressing that it was a great German innovation that was not brought to success; he sees the potential rather in digitalizing the existing wheel-on-rail system to improve local public transport. This statement shows respect for the technology, but also a clear prioritization of existing infrastructure and its improvement through digitalization, without seeing the Transrapid as a current option. The FDP thus shows a certain openness, but no clear party-wide support or vision to actively push the Transrapid forward. The likelihood of endorsement is therefore rated medium.

CDU/CSU: Turned away (Low to medium)

The CDU/CSU (the conservative Christian Democratic Union and its Bavarian sister party) occupies a position between low and medium likelihood, reflecting its changeable history with the Transrapid. The 2025 platform does not mention the Transrapid directly, but focuses on modernizing Deutsche Bahn, for example through a structural separation of infrastructure and operations and the promotion of competition in rail transport. Openness to technology is emphasized, for example through support for fourth- and fifth-generation nuclear energy or e-fuels, which in theory could also leave room for the Transrapid. The Union sees technological innovation as part of Germany's economic strength and might regard the Transrapid as a disruptive German technology. However, one focus is on local public transport. Instead, several CDU/CSU politicians express a preference for Hyperloop research, which they regard as a futuristic alternative. This attitude ignores, however, that the Transrapid is a finished, proven technology, while the Hyperloop has remained technically unfeasible for decades and merely devours subsidies, a contradiction that illustrates the Union's current distance from the Transrapid.

Historically, the CDU/CSU was a strong supporter of the Transrapid. In the 2000s, under the leadership of Edmund Stoiber, it pushed the Munich Transrapid project, which was meant to create a high-speed connection between Munich Central Station and the airport, alongside many other projects across Germany. These plans all failed because of political incompetence: decision-makers failed to convincingly communicate and politically push through the long-term benefits and the need for new long-distance infrastructure. The result is a Deutsche Bahn that remains overloaded and unreliable to this day and is reaching its limits without relief from the Transrapid. Since that setback, the Union has turned away from the Transrapid completely and shows no sign of taking up the technology again. The current turn to the Hyperloop underscores this shift, a technology far less mature than the Transrapid whose feasibility remains questionable. The likelihood of endorsement is therefore rated low to medium; a return to its earlier support would only be conceivable with an unexpected change of party line, but currently seems unlikely.

Greens: Clear rejection (Very low)

The Greens show consistent rejection of the Transrapid and are rated with the lowest likelihood. In the past they permanently demanded the end of the test facility and the technology. Albert Schmid spoke in the Bundestag in favor of the airplane because it needs no guideway of its own, which dismissed all manner of climate aspects that the Greens actually stand for. The Greens rely on improving existing infrastructure to ensure nationwide mobility and climate protection, for example through denser networks, modernized lines and faster connections between metropolitan areas. Openness to technology is limited among the Greens and focused on sustainable, already available approaches; disruptive technologies such as the Transrapid are consistently rejected. The party sees sufficient potential for fast connections in existing "wheel-on-rail" technology, without having to build a parallel infrastructure like the Transrapid, which completely disregards that this approach has failed again and again in the past. Without building new infrastructure, no fast passenger transport can be established on the already overloaded and dilapidated rail network.

Historically, the Greens have always viewed the Transrapid critically and clearly voiced their rejection. In 2021, in response to an inquiry, the team of Annalena Baerbock stated that the Transrapid had not been successful in Germany and was not a building block for improving European rail transport; it relied on the further development of the existing wheel-on-rail system and is thus a supporter of the status quo. There are occasional local chapters that advocate for the technology, but these initiatives could not prevail within the party and have no influence on the overall line. The Greens see the Transrapid as a relic that serves neither climate goals nor social mobility, which is a fatal misconception. The likelihood of support therefore remains very low; a change of this position is hardly imaginable.

SPD: No current position (Very low)

The Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) shows no clear position on the Transrapid and is therefore rated with a very low likelihood. The 2025 platform does not mention the Transrapid and instead focuses on modernizing Deutsche Bahn, for example through the introduction of the Deutschlandtakt (nationwide integrated timetable), the electrification of lines and the use of hydrogen trains. The SPD attaches great importance to social mobility and nationwide accessibility, especially in rural areas, as well as a climate-friendly orientation of transport. These goals are to be achieved through investment in existing infrastructure, for example via the planned Deutschlandfonds (Germany Fund), which is meant to mobilize public and private capital for modernization projects. Openness to technology exists, for example through the promotion of electromobility and hydrogen solutions, but it is limited to practical, already established technologies, which underscores the focus on existing infrastructure. The Transrapid, as a high-speed system requiring investment, does not fit this orientation.

Historically, the SPD's attitude toward the Transrapid was ambivalent and changeable. Under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (1998-2005), the technology was discussed as part of the Hamburg-Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia and Munich projects, with several high-speed connections to be created. Implementation never came about, however, due to political incompetence that did not recognize or push through the need for new long-distance infrastructure. This failure contributed to Deutsche Bahn remaining overloaded and unreliable to this day, with the Transrapid never established as relief. Since then, the SPD has taken no clear position, and current statements or demands are entirely absent. The 2025 platform shows no signs of a revival of this topic. The likelihood of endorsement is therefore rated very low. In 2024 the SPD also rejected the AfD motion for Transrapid reactivation and research in Emsland.

Die Linke (The Left): Other priorities (Very low)

Die Linke shows no inclination to support the Transrapid and is therefore rated with a low likelihood. The 2025 platform does not mention the Transrapid; instead the focus is on promoting affordable local and regional transport, for example through the demand for a €9 Deutschlandticket. The party relies on repairing and expanding the existing railway as a non-profit system, with a clear focus on social justice and nationwide mobility for all sections of the population. Its attitude toward large technological projects is decidedly skeptical; the platform blanketly labels them "technological sham solutions" that do not sufficiently justify their social benefit and tie up resources that would be better spent on social projects. The Transrapid, as a capital-intensive high-speed system (like the ICE and other express trains) that mainly connects metropolitan areas, does not fit this concept.

Historically, Die Linke has not actively promoted the Transrapid. In the past (2008), Die Linke welcomed the fact that the "stillborn Transrapid" had finally been buried. In 2022 it questioned the dismantling of the test track in Emsland, which could at first be interpreted as interest. On closer inspection, however, no concrete support or proposal to resume the technology followed; the party stayed with observation and no active engagement. This restraint fits Die Linke's long-standing orientation of rejecting expensive but necessary investments in favor of social solutions. The likelihood of endorsement is therefore rated very low; a change of this position would only be conceivable with a fundamental change in the party line, which is not currently discernible.

5. BSW: No clear transport focus (Very low)

The Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW), founded in 2024, occupies a position between very low and low likelihood. The 2025 platform does not mention the Transrapid, but the party shows a pronounced openness to technology, for example through support for combustion engines and hydrogen technologies as alternatives to strict bans. The general call for infrastructure modernization, for example through a reform of the debt brake (Germany's constitutional limit on public borrowing), could in theory also apply to transport projects such as the Transrapid. In concrete terms, however, transport issues are hardly addressed; the party's focus is clearly on industrial and energy priorities. Moreover, its rejection of expensive state subsidies argues against support, as the Transrapid would require substantial investment that is not compatible with the party's fiscal restraint.

Since the BSW is a young party, there are no historical statements on maglev technology. The combination of a missing transport focus in the platform, the industrial emphasis and the historical orientation of the party's founder leads to a likelihood rating of very low to low. Support would only be conceivable with an unexpected shift toward a stronger transport policy, which is not foreseeable at present.

Background: Political incompetence as the reason for failure

The Transrapid in Germany did not fail primarily because of factual reasons, but because of political incompetence that failed to recognize the need for new long-distance infrastructure for decades. Projects such as the planned line between Hamburg and Berlin were not abandoned for factual reasons, but because political decision-makers failed to convincingly communicate and politically push through the long-term benefits and the need. This failure has meant that Deutsche Bahn today remains heavily overloaded and unreliable, with no relief created in long-distance travel by new Transrapid infrastructure. The 2025 federal election could offer a chance to correct this course, or to cement the status quo further.

Conclusion

None of the major parties explicitly names the Transrapid in its 2025 election platform, but the analysis shows clear differences in potential support. The AfD leads with a medium-high likelihood, supported by repeated historical interest, even if earlier initiatives often remained short-lived; the 2024 motion in the Lower Saxony state parliament could, however, pave the way to the Bundestag. The FDP also shows medium interest, but with a lower likelihood than the AfD. The CDU/CSU has turned away despite earlier support (low to medium) and prioritizes Hyperloop pipe dreams over the ready-to-deploy Transrapid. Die Linke (low) as well as the BSW, SPD and Greens (very low) pursue other goals that completely disregard the need for relief infrastructure in long-distance travel and merely perpetuate the current status quo (unreliability and delays).