View source for Transport in Germany

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{{More citations needed|date=August 2016}}
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[[File:Aerial View of Frankfurt Airport 1.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Frankfurt Airport]], the fourth-busiest airport in Europe]]
[[File:Leipzig-Hauptbahnhof-overview.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Leipzig Hauptbahnhof]], Europe's largest railway station by floor area]]
[[File:Verkehrswegebündelung KRM.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Cologne–Frankfurt high-speed rail line]], running parallel to [[Bundesautobahn 3]]]]
As a densely populated country in a central location in [[Europe]] and with a developed [[Economy of Germany|economy]], [[Germany]] has a dense [[transport]] [[infrastructure]].

One of the first [[limited-access highway]] systems in the world to have been built, the extensive German [[Autobahn]] network has no general speed limit for light vehicles (although there are speed limits in many sections today, and there is an {{convert|80|km/h|abbr=on}} limit for trucks). The country's most important waterway is the river [[Rhine]], and largest port is that of [[Hamburg]]. [[Frankfurt Airport]] is a major international airport and European transport hub. [[Air travel]] is used for greater distances within Germany but faces competition from the state-owned [[Deutsche Bahn]]'s rail network. High-speed trains called [[Intercity-Express|ICE]] connect cities for passenger travel with speeds up to 300&nbsp;km/h. Many German cities have [[Rapid transit in Germany|rapid transit]] systems and [[public transport]] is available in most areas. Buses have historically only played a marginal role in long-distance passenger service, as all routes directly competing with rail services were technically outlawed by a law dating to 1935 (during the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] era). Only in 2012 was this law officially amended and thus a long-distance bus market has also emerged in Germany since then.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Long-distance buses – DW – 11/04/2012 | url=https://www.dw.com/en/regulations-eased-on-long-distance-busing/a-16354136 | access-date=2025-08-15 | website=www.dw.com}}</ref>

Since [[German reunification]] substantial effort has been made to improve and expand transport infrastructure in what was formerly [[East Germany]].<ref>[http://www.bundesregierung.de/nn_80758/Content/DE/Artikel/2001-2006/2006/09/2006-09-13-gute-infrastruktur-in-den-neuen-laendern.html bundesregierung.de] - The federal government says 40% of €164,000,000,000 spent on transport infrastructure where spent in the eastern part</ref> Due to Germany's varied history, main traffic flows have changed from primarily east–west (old Prussia and the [[German Empire]]) to primarily north–south (the 1949-1990 [[German partition]] era) to a more balanced flow with both major north–south and east–west corridors, both domestically and in transit. Infrastructure, which was further hampered by the havoc wars and [[scorched earth]] policies as well as reparations wrought, had to be adjusted and upgraded with each of those shifts.

'''''Verkehrsmittel''''' ({{IPA|de|fɛɐ̯ˈkeːɐ̯sˌmɪtl̩|lang|audio=De-Verkehrsmittel.ogg}}) '''''and Verkehrszeichen''''' - [[Road signs in Germany|Transportation signs in Germany]] are available here in German and English.

==Road and automotive transport==

===Overview===
[[File:Autobahnen in Deutschland.svg|thumb|Map of the German autobahn network]]
The volume of traffic in Germany, especially goods transportation, is at a very high level due to its central location in Europe.
In the past few decades, much of the freight traffic shifted from rail to road, which led the [[German Government|Federal Government]] to introduce a motor toll for trucks in 2005. Individual road usage increased resulting in a relatively high traffic density to other nations. A further increase of traffic is expected in the future. In 2023, 286 billion tonnes-kilometres are travelled by freight.<ref>{{Cite web | title=Road freight transport by journey characteristics - Statistics Explained - Eurostat | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Road_freight_transport_by_journey_characteristics | access-date=2025-08-15 | website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref> In 2018, 630 billion kilometers were driven by german cars. In 2023, 591 billion kilometers were driven by german cars.<ref>{{Cite web | title=The mobility paradox: more cars, less mileage {{!}} Fleet Europe | url=https://www.fleeteurope.com/en/financial-models/europe/features/mobility-paradox-more-cars-less-mileage?a=FJA05&t[0]=Fleet%20Management&t[1]=Shared%20Mobility&curl=1 | access-date=2025-08-15 | website=www.fleeteurope.com}}</ref>

From 2019 to 2021, road death per billion traveled kilometres is in range 3.7 to 4.0. The Common strategy for road safety activities in Germany from 2021 to 2030 is known as the “Road Safety Pact”.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Road safety annual report 2022 | url=https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/irtad-road-safety-annual-report-2022.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103182924/https://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/irtad-road-safety-annual-report-2022.pdf | archive-date=2023-01-03}}</ref>

In Germany urban mobility is mostly performed as a driver by car (about 58%) by urban rail or by train (about 14%) or as passenger car (12%).<ref>{{Cite web | title=Passenger mobility statistics - Statistics Explained - Eurostat | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Passenger_mobility_statistics | access-date=2025-08-15 | website=ec.europa.eu}}</ref>

Germany has 229,601 kilometers of road in its road network, which make a density of 0.60 kilometer of road per square kilometer. 5.7% of those roads are known as motorways in European English<ref>{{Cite web| title=Country Profile Germany | url=https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2024-01/erso-country-overview-2024-germany.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331125052/https://road-safety.transport.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2024-01/erso-country-overview-2024-germany.pdf | archive-date=2024-03-31}}</ref> and eventually in British English ([[Autobahn]]).

High-speed vehicular traffic has a long tradition in Germany given that the first [[freeway]] ([[Autobahn]]) in the world, the [[AVUS]], and the world's first [[automobile]] were developed and built in Germany. Germany possesses one of the most dense road systems of the world. German motorways have no blanket [[speed limit]] for light vehicles. However, posted limits are in place on many dangerous or congested stretches as well as where traffic noise or pollution poses a problem (20.8% under static or temporary limits and an average 2.6% under variable traffic control limit applications as of 2015).

The German government has had issues with upkeep of the country's autobahn network, having had to revamp the Eastern portion's transport system since the unification of Germany between the [[German Democratic Republic]] (East Germany) and the [[West Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] (West Germany). With that, numerous construction projects have been put on hold in the west, and a vigorous reconstruction has been going since the late 1990s. However, ever since the [[European Union]] formed, an overall streamlining and change of route plans have occurred as faster and more direct links to former [[Soviet bloc]] countries now exist and are in the works, with intense co-operation among European countries.

[[Intercity bus service]] within Germany fell out of favour as [[Wirtschaftswunder|post-war prosperity increased]], and became almost extinct when legislation was introduced in the 1980s to protect the national railway. After that market was deregulated in 2012, some 150 new intercity bus lines have been established, leading to a significant shift from rail to bus for long journeys.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwyman/2015/10/20/european-bus-upstarts-snatch-20-of-passengers-from-rail/2/|title=European Bus Upstarts Snatch 20% of Passengers from Rail|first=Oliver Wyman on Transportation &|last=Logistics|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> The market has since consolidated with [[Flixbus]] controlling over 90% of it and also expanding into neighboring countries.

=== Roads ===
{{Main|Autobahn|Bundesstraße|Landesstraße|Kreisstraße}}
[[File:Münchberger Senke.jpg|thumb|Three-lane autobahn]]
[[File:Leipzig-Halle Airport Condor.jpg|thumb|right|An airport [[taxiway]] crossing the [[Bundesautobahn 14]]]]

Germany has approximately 650,000&nbsp;km of roads,<ref name="transtatsde">{{cite web|url=http://www.iraptranstats.net/de |title=Transport in Germany |access-date=2009-02-17 |work=International Transport Statistics Database |publisher=[[International Road Assessment Program|iRAP]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307013745/http://www.iraptranstats.net/de |archive-date=March 7, 2009 }}</ref> of which 231,000&nbsp;km are non-local roads.<ref>{{cite web | publisher=[[Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development|BMVBS]] | url=http://www.bmvbs.de/SharedDocs/DE/Artikel/StB-LA/strasse.html | title=BMVBS - Verkehr und Mobilität-Straße | access-date=2011-05-22 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111011121646/http://www.bmvbs.de/SharedDocs/DE/Artikel/StB-LA/strasse.html | archive-date=2011-10-11 }}</ref> The road network is extensively used with nearly 2 trillion km travelled by car in 2005, in comparison to just 70 billion km travelled by rail and 35 billion km travelled by plane.<ref name="transtatsde"/>

The Autobahn is the German federal highway system. The official German term is ''{{Lang|de|Bundesautobahn}}'' (plural ''{{Lang|de|Bundesautobahnen}}'', abbreviated 'BAB'), which translates as 'federal motorway'. Where no local speed limit is posted, the advisory limit ''([[Richtgeschwindigkeit]])'' is 130&nbsp;km/h. The ''Autobahn'' network had a total length of about {{convert|12996|km}} in 2016,<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.statistik-bw.de/Statistik-Portal/de_jb16_jahrtab36.asp| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20031115021121/http://www.statistik-bw.de/statistik-portal/de_jb16_jahrtab36.asp| archive-date = 2003-11-15| title = Gemeinsames Datenangebot der Statistischen Ämter des Bundes und der Länder}}</ref> which ranks it among the most dense and longest systems in the world. Only federally built [[controlled-access highway]]s meeting certain construction standards including at least two lanes per direction are called ''"Bundesautobahn"''. They have their own, blue-coloured signs and their own numbering system. All ''Autobahnen'' are named by using the capital letter A, followed by a blank and a number (for example [[Bundesautobahn 8|A&nbsp;8]]).

The main ''Autobahnen'' going all across Germany have single digit numbers. Shorter highways of regional importance have double digit numbers (like [[Bundesautobahn 24|A&nbsp;24]], connecting Berlin and Hamburg). Very short stretches built for heavy local traffic (for example [[ring road]]s or the [[Bundesautobahn 555|A&nbsp;555]] from Cologne to Bonn) usually have three digits, where the first digit depends on the region.

East–west routes are usually even-numbered, north–south routes are usually odd-numbered. The numbers of the north–south ''Autobahnen'' increase from west to east; that is to say, the more easterly roads are given higher numbers. Similarly, the east–west routes use increasing numbers from north to south.

The autobahns are considered the safest category of German roads: for example, in 2012, while carrying 31% of all motorized road traffic, they only accounted for 11% of Germany's traffic fatalities.<ref name="http://www.bast.de 2012">{{cite web
|title=Traffic and Accident Data: Summary Statistics - Germany
|date=September 2013
|url=http://www.bast.de/EN/Publications/Media/Unfallkarten-national-englisch.pdf?__blob=publicationFile
|work=Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen (Federal Highway Research Institute)
|publisher=Bundesanstalt für Straßenwesen
|access-date=2014-04-07|format=PDF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140408224423/http://www.bast.de/EN/Publications/Media/Unfallkarten-national-englisch.pdf?__blob=publicationFile |archive-date=2014-04-08}}</ref>

German autobahns are still toll-free for light vehicles, but on 1 January 2005, a blanket [[LKW-Maut|mandatory toll on heavy trucks]] was introduced.

The national roads in Germany are called ''Bundesstraßen'' (federal roads). Their numbers are usually well known to local road users, as they appear (written in black digits on a yellow rectangle with black border) on direction traffic signs and on street maps. A Bundesstraße is often referred to as "B" followed by its number, for example [[Bundesstraße 1|"B1"]], one of the main east–west routes. More important routes have lower numbers. Odd numbers are usually applied to north–south oriented roads, and even numbers for east–west routes. Bypass routes are referred to with an appended "a" (alternative) or "n" (new alignment), as in "B&nbsp;56n".

Other main public roads are maintained by the ''[[States of Germany|Bundesländer]]'' (states), called ''Landesstraße'' (country road) or ''Staatsstraße'' (state road). The numbers of these roads are prefixed with "L", "S" or "St", but are usually not seen on direction signs or written on maps. They appear on the kilometre posts on the roadside. Numbers are unique only within one state.

The ''[[Landkreis]]e'' (districts) and municipalities are in charge of the minor roads and streets within villages, towns and cities. These roads have the number prefix "K" indicating a ''Kreisstraße''.

==Rail transport==

===Overview===
{{main|Rail transport in Germany|History of rail transport in Germany}}
[[File:DeutscheBahn gobeirne.jpg|thumb|[[ICE 3]] train at [[Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof]]]]
Germany features a total of 43,468&nbsp;km railways, of which at least 19,973&nbsp;km are electrified (2014).<ref name=ciafactbook>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ |title=CIA World Facebook: Germany}}</ref>

[[Deutsche Bahn]] (German Rail) is the major German railway infrastructure and service operator. Though Deutsche Bahn is a private company, the government still holds all shares and therefore Deutsche Bahn can still be called a state-owned company. Since its reformation under private law in 1994, Deutsche Bahn no longer publishes details of the tracks it owns; in addition to the DBAG system there are about 280 privately or locally owned railway companies which own an approximate 3,000&nbsp;km to 4,000&nbsp;km of the total tracks and use DB tracks in ''open access''.

Railway subsidies amounted to €17.0 billion in 2014<ref>{{cite web |title= German Railway Financing |url= https://www.deutschebahn.com/file/de/2192370/2RLvPOzueXgX19CucGFn4Wofp5E/2267530/data/finanz_eisenbahn_dtl.pdf |page= 2 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160310165357/https://www.deutschebahn.com/file/de/2192370/2RLvPOzueXgX19CucGFn4Wofp5E/2267530/data/finanz_eisenbahn_dtl.pdf |archive-date= 2016-03-10 }}</ref> and there are significant differences between the financing of long-distance and short-distance (or local) trains in Germany. While long-distance trains can be run by any railway company, the companies also receive no subsidies from the government. Local trains however are subsidised by the German states, which pay the operating companies to run these trains and indeed in 2013, 59% of the cost of short-distance passenger rail transport was covered by subsidies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/BNetzA/Areas/Railways/Downloads/RailwayMarketAnalysis2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1 |title=Market Analysis: German Railways 2014 |access-date=2015-11-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151127032909/http://www.bundesnetzagentur.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/BNetzA/Areas/Railways/Downloads/RailwayMarketAnalysis2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1 |archive-date=2015-11-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref> This resulted in many private companies offering to run local train services as they can provide cheaper service than the state-owned Deutsche Bahn. Track construction is entirely and track maintenance partly government financed both for long and short range trains.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}} On the other hand, all rail vehicles are charged track access charges by [[DB Netz]] which in turn delivers (part of) its profits to the federal budget.

High speed rail started in the early 1990s with the introduction of the Inter City Express (ICE) into revenue service after first plans to modernize the rail system had been drawn up under the government of [[Willy Brandt]]. While the high speed network is not as dense as those of France or Spain, ICE or slightly slower (max. speed 200&nbsp;km/h) Intercity (IC) serve most major cities. Several extensions or upgrades to high speed lines are under construction or planned for the near future, some of them after decades of planning.

The fastest high-speed train operated by Deutsche Bahn, the [[InterCityExpress]] or ICE connects major German and neighbouring international centres such as [[Zürich]], [[Vienna]], [[Copenhagen]], [[Paris]], [[Amsterdam]] and [[Brussels]]. The rail network throughout Germany is extensive and provides services in most areas. On regular lines, at least one train every two hours will call even in the smallest of villages during the day. Nearly all larger metropolitan areas are served by [[S-Bahn]], [[Rapid transit in Germany#U-Bahn|U-Bahn]], [[Trams in Germany|Straßenbahn]] and/or bus networks.

The German government on 13 February 2018 announced plans to make public transportation free as a means to reduce road traffic and decrease air pollution to EU-mandated levels.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/14/german-cities-to-trial-free-public-transport-to-cut-pollution|title=German cities to trial free public transport to cut pollution|last=Oltermann|first=Philip|date=2018-02-14|website=the Guardian|language=en|access-date=2018-02-15}}</ref> The new policy will be put to the test by the end of the year in the cities of [[Bonn]], [[Essen]], [[Herrenberg]], [[Reutlingen]] and [[Mannheim]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/morgen-europa/politico-morgen-europa-freie-offis-gegen-schlechte-luft-neues-zum-spitzenkandidatenprozess-in-eigener-sache/|title=POLITICO Morgen Europa: Freie Öffis gegen schlechte Luft — Neues zum Spitzenkandidatenprozess — In eigener Sache|date=2018-02-13|work=POLITICO|access-date=2018-02-15|language=en-US}}</ref> Issues remain concerning the costs of such a move as ticket sales for public transportation constitute a major source of income for cities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/auto/aktuell/kostenloser-nahverkehr-so-teuer-wie-eine-elbphilharmonie-pro-jahr-a-1193400.html|title=Kostenloser Nahverkehr: Allein in Hamburg so teuer wie eine Elbphilharmonie pro Jahr|date=2018-02-14|work=Spiegel Online|access-date=2018-02-15}}</ref>{{update inline|date=November 2023}}

=== International freight trains ===
While Germany and most of [[Geographic contiguity|contiguous]] Europe use {{RailGauge|1435mm|allk=on}}, differences in signalling, rules and regulations, electrification voltages, etc. create obstacles for freight operations across borders. These obstacles are slowly being overcome, with international (in- and outgoing) and transit (through) traffic being responsible for a large part of the recent uptake in rail freight volume. EU regulations have done much to harmonize standards, making cross border operations easier. [[Maschen Marshalling Yard]] near Hamburg is the second biggest in the world and the biggest in Europe. It serves as a freight hub distributing goods from Scandinavia to southern Europe and from Central Europe to the port of Hamburg and overseas. Being a densely populated prosperous country in the center of Europe, there are many important transit routes through Germany. The [[Mannheim–Karlsruhe–Basel railway]] has undergone upgrades and refurbishments since the 1980s and will likely undergo further upgrades for decades to come as it is the main route from the North Sea Ports to northern Italy via the [[Gotthard Base Tunnel]].

=== S-Bahn ===
Almost all major metro areas of Germany have suburban rail systems called [[S-Bahn]]en (''Schnellbahnen''). These usually connect larger agglomerations to their suburbs and often other regional towns, although the [[Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn]] connects several large cities. An S-Bahn calls at all intermediate stations and runs more frequently than other trains. In [[Berlin]] and [[Hamburg]] the S-Bahn has a [[U-Bahn]]-like service and uses a [[third rail]] whereas all other S-Bahn services rely on catenary power supply.

=== Rapid transit (U-Bahn) ===
[[File:Munich subway C-Zug.jpg|thumb|Train ([[MVG Class C]]) on the [[Munich U-Bahn]]]]
Relatively few cities have a full-fledged underground [[Rapid transit in Germany#U-Bahn|U-Bahn]] system; [[S-Bahn]] (suburban [[commuter railway]]) systems are far more common. In some cities the distinction between U-Bahn and S-Bahn systems is blurred; for instance, some S-Bahn systems run underground, have frequencies similar to U-Bahn, and form part of the same [[integrated transport network]]. A larger number of cities has upgraded their tramways to [[light rail]] standards. These systems are called [[Stadtbahn]] (not to be confused with S-Bahn).

Cities with [[Rapid transit in Germany#U-Bahn|U-Bahn]] systems are:
* [[Berlin]] ([[Berlin U-Bahn|U-Bahn]])
* [[Hamburg]] ([[Hamburg U-Bahn|U-Bahn]])
* [[Munich]] ([[Munich U-Bahn|U-Bahn]])
* [[Nuremberg]]/[[Fürth]] ([[Nuremberg U-Bahn|U-Bahn]])
[[File:Street car passengers as percent of total by German lander gradient map (2016) 2.gif|thumb|Street car passengers and tram systems by [[German Länder]]]]
With the exception of Hamburg, all of those aforementioned cities also have a tram system, often with new lines built to light rail standards. Berlin and Hamburg (as well as the then independent city of [[Schöneberg]] whose lone subway line is today's [[U4 (Berlin U-Bahn)|line 4 of the Berlin U-Bahn]]) began building their networks before World War I whereas Nuremberg and Munich - despite earlier attempts in the 1930s and 1940s - only opened their networks in the 1970s (in time for the [[1972 Summer Olympics]] in the case of Munich).

[[File:Logo Stadtbahn Stuttgart.svg|thumb|Logo of the [[Stadtbahn Stuttgart]]. The prominence of the U-Bahn-like "U" compared to the "Stadtbahn" term makes the confusion understandable.]]
Cities with ''Stadtbahn'' systems can be found in the article [[Trams in Germany]]. Locals sometimes confuse ''Stadtbahn'' and "proper" ''U-Bahn'' as the logo for the former sometimes employs a white U on a blue background similar to the logo of the latter (in most cases, however, the Stadtbahn-logo includes additions to that U-logo). Furthermore, Stadtbahn systems often include partially or wholly underground sections (especially in city centers) and in the case of [[Frankfurt U-Bahn]] what is properly a ''Stadtbahn'' is even officially called an U-Bahn. To some extent this confusion was deliberate at the time of the opening of the Stadtbahn networks, as it was seen at the time to be more desirable to have a "proper" U-Bahn system than a "mere" tram system and many cities which embarked on Stadtbahn building projects did so with the official goal of eventually converting the entire network to U-Bahn standards.

===Trams (Straßenbahn)===
{{See also|Trams in Germany}}

Germany was among the first countries to have electric streetcars, and Berlin has one of the longest tram networks in the world. Many West German cities abandoned their previous tram systems in the 1960s and 1970s while others upgraded them to "[[Stadtbahn]]" (~light rail) standard, often including underground sections. In the East, most cities retained or even expanded their tram systems and since reunification a trend towards new tram construction can be observed in most of the country. Today the only major German city without a tram or light rail system is Hamburg. [[Tram-train]] systems like the [[Karlsruhe model]] first came to prominence in Germany in the early 1990s and are implemented or discussed in several cities, providing coverage far into the rural areas surrounding cities. Trams exist in all but two of the [[states of Germany]] (Hamburg and Schleswig Holstein being the exception) and in 13 of the 16 state capitals ([[Wiesbaden]] being the capital outside the aforementioned states without a tram system). While there have been attempts to (re)-establish tram systems in many cities that formerly had them (for example [[Aachen]], [[Kiel]], [[Hamburg]]) as well as in some cities that never had them, but are comparatively close to a city that does (for example [[Erlangen]], [[Wolfsburg]]), only a handful of such proposals have come to fruition since World War II - the [[Saarbahn]] (trams defunct in 1965; Saarbahn established in 1997) in Saarbrücken, [[Heilbronn Stadtbahn]] (defunct in 1955, re-established as an extension of [[Stadtbahn Karlsruhe]] in 1998) and a few extensions across the border - the [[Strasbourg tramway]] to [[Kehl]] and the [[Trams in Basel]] to [[Weil am Rhein]].

==Air transport==
Short distances and the extensive network of motorways and railways make airplanes uncompetitive for travel within Germany. Only about 1% of all distance travelled was by plane in 2002.<ref name="transtatsde"/> But due to a decline in prices with the introduction of low-fares airlines, domestic air travel is becoming more attractive. In 2013 Germany had the fifth largest passenger air market in the world with 105,016,346 passengers.<ref>World Bank Datebase, http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.AIR.PSGR</ref> However, the advent of new faster rail lines often leads to cuts in service by the airlines or even total abandonment of routes like Frankfurt-Cologne, Berlin-Hannover or Berlin-Hamburg.

=== Airlines ===
:''see: [[List of airlines of Germany]]''
[[File:Lufthansa B737-300 D-ABEK @ Düsseldorf International Airport.jpg|thumb|[[Lufthansa]] and [[Air Berlin]] aircraft]]
Germany's largest airline is [[Lufthansa]], which was privatised in the 1990s. Lufthansa also operates two regional subsidiaries under the [[Lufthansa Regional]] brand and a low-cost subsidiary, [[Eurowings]], which operates independently. Lufthansa flies a dense network of domestic, European and intercontinental routes. Germany's second-largest airline was [[Air Berlin]], which also operated a network of domestic and European destinations with a focus on leisure routes as well as some long-haul services. Air Berlin declared bankruptcy in 2017 with the last flight under its own name in October of that year.

Charter and leisure carriers include [[Condor Flugdienst|Condor]], [[TUIfly]], [[MHS Aviation (Germany)|MHS Aviation]] and [[Sundair]]. Major German cargo operators are [[Lufthansa Cargo]], [[European Air Transport Leipzig]] (which is a subsidiary of [[DHL]]) and [[AeroLogic]] (which is jointly owned by DHL and Lufthansa Cargo).

===Airports===
:''see: [[List of airports in Germany]]''
[[File:Flughäfen in Deutschland.png|thumb|Airports of Germany]]
[[Frankfurt Airport]] is Germany's largest airport, a major transportation hub in Europe and the [[List of busiest airports by passenger traffic|world's twelfth busiest airport]]. It is one of the airports with the largest number of international destinations served worldwide. Depending on whether total passengers, flights or cargo traffic are used as a measure, it ranks first, second or third in Europe alongside [[London Heathrow Airport]] and [[Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport]]. Germany's second biggest international airport is [[Munich Airport]], followed by [[Berlin Brandenburg Airport]] and [[Düsseldorf Airport]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Airports with the most passengers in Germany 2022 |url=https://www.statista.com/statistics/1187493/airports-leading-passenger-numbers-germany/ |access-date=2023-12-14 |website=Statista |language=en}}</ref>

There are several more scheduled passenger airports throughout Germany, mainly serving European metropolitan and leisure destinations. Intercontinental long-haul routes are operated to and from the airports in Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, [[Cologne Bonn Airport|Cologne/Bonn]], [[Hamburg Airport|Hamburg]] and [[Stuttgart Airport|Stuttgart]].

'''Airports — with paved runways:'''
* total: 318
** over 3,047 m: 14
** 2,438 to 3,047 m: 49
** 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60
** 914 to 1,523 m: 70
** under 914 m: 125 (2013 est.)

'''Airports — with unpaved runways:'''
* total: 221
**over 3,047 m: 0
**2,438 to 3,047 m: 0
**1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
**914 to 1,523 m: 35
**under 914 m: 185 (2013 est.)

'''Heliports:''' 23 (2013 est.)

==Water transport==
{{More citations needed|date=August 2016}}
[[File:Two Ships-Hamburg.jpg|right|thumb|[[Port of Hamburg]]]]
'''Waterways:''' 7,467&nbsp;km (2013);<ref name=ciafactbook/> major [[List of rivers of Germany|rivers]] include the [[Rhine]] and [[Elbe]]; [[Kiel Canal]] is an important connection between the [[Baltic Sea]] and [[North Sea]] and one of the busiest waterways in the world,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stewart |first=Alison |date=2020-01-23 |title=Germany's Kiel Canal: The world's busiest man-made waterway is an engineer feat |url=https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/inspiration/lock-and-load-for-germanys-kiel-canal-20200109-h1kxge.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref> the [[Rhine-Main-Danube Canal]] links Rotterdam on the North Sea with the Black Sea. It passes through the highest point reachable by ocean-going vessels from the sea.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Water locks on the rivers of Europe |url=http://www.darbysdestinations.com/1/post/2017/06/water-locks-on-the-rivers-of-europe.html |access-date=2023-07-05 |website=Darby's Destinations |language=en}}</ref> The Canal has gained importance for leisure cruises in addition to cargo traffic. There are also regular boat trips on [[List of lakes of Germany|lakes]], such as [[Lake Constance]] ({{lang|de|Bodensee}}).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.urh.ch/en/ |title= Welcome to the most beautiful river journey in Europe |publisher=[[Schweizerische Schifffahrtsgesellschaft Untersee und Rhein]] (URh) |access-date=2025-02-08}}</ref>

'''Pipelines:''' oil 2,400&nbsp;km (2013)<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ Germany]. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].</ref>

'''Ports and harbours:''' [[Berlin]], [[Bonn]], [[Brake, Lower Saxony|Brake]], [[Bremen (city)|Bremen]], [[Bremerhaven]], [[Cologne]], [[Dortmund]], [[Dresden]], [[Duisburg]], [[Emden]], [[Fürth, Germany|Fürth]], [[Hamburg]], [[Karlsruhe]], [[Kiel]], [[Lübeck]], [[Magdeburg]], [[Mannheim]], [[Nuremberg]], [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]], [[Rostock]], [[Stuttgart]], [[Wilhelmshaven]]

The [[Hamburg Harbour|port of Hamburg]] is the largest sea-harbour in Germany and ranks #3 in Europe (after [[port of Rotterdam|Rotterdam]] and [[port of Antwerp|Antwerpen]]), #17 worldwide (2016), in total container traffic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldshipping.org/about-the-industry/global-trade/top-50-world-container-ports|title=Top 50 World Container Ports |website= World Shipping Council|access-date = 29 May 2019}}</ref>

'''Merchant marine:'''
<br>total: 427 ships 
<br>'''Ships by type:''' barge carrier 2, [[bulk carrier]] 6, [[cargo ship]] 51, [[chemical tanker]] 15, [[container ship]] 298, [[LNG carrier|Liquified Gas Carrier]] 6, [[passenger ship]] 4, [[oil tanker|petroleum tanker]] 10, refrigerated cargo 3, [[roll-on/roll-off ship]] 6 (2010 est.)<ref name=ciafactbook/>

Ferries operate mostly between mainland Germany and its islands, serving both tourism and freight transport. Car ferries also operate across the Baltic Sea to the Nordic countries, Russia and the Baltic countries. Rail ferries operate across the [[Fehmahrnbelt]], from [[Rostock]] to Sweden (both carrying passenger trains) and from the Mukran port in Sassnitz on the island of Rügen to numerous Baltic Sea destinations (freight only).

==See also==
{{Wikivoyage inline|Driving in Germany}}<br>
{{Wikivoyage inline|Rail travel in Germany}}
{{Wikivoyage|Intercity buses in Germany}}
*[[List of airports in Germany]]
*[[Vehicle registration plates of Germany|License plates in Germany]]
*[[List of motorways in Germany]]
*[[List of federal highways in Germany]]
*[[Tourism in Germany]]
*[[9-Euro-Ticket]]

==External links==
*[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/germany/ CIA World Factbook] - see section on transportation

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Portalbar|Germany|European Union}}
{{Germany topics}}
{{Transportation in Europe}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transport In Germany}}
[[Category:Transport in Germany| ]]