Transport Infrastructure
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is building a bridge to the Baltic countries and to Scandinavia. With the European Union’s eastward enlargement, the state has moved into the centre of Europe. Against this background the transport infrastructure is of decisive significance for economic growth and for co-operation in the Baltic Sea region.
The motorways are location factors of crucial significance: the A 24 connects the highly populated centres of Berlin and Hamburg and touches the state capital Schwerin. The "Baltic Sea motorway" A 20 from A 1 near Lübeck to A 11 near Stettin was finished in 2005 and constitutes the greatest German highway project after 1945. It creates a transport connexion eastward and ensures outstanding accessibility to the Baltic Sea harbours in our state. At the same time, visitors can now reach their resorts fast and easily via the "Baltic Sea motorway" and the feeder road to Rügen. Furthermore, A 19 connects the harbour city of Rostock with A 24 and Berlin. A future road construction project is the closing of the gap of A 241 between Schwerin and Wismar, which will create another north-south connexion between A 20 and A 24. The extension of A 241 southwards is also planned in order to connect this motorway to A 2 and A 14 near Magdeburg.
The most important sea harbours in our state are Rostock, Sassnitz and Wismar. Other harbours are in Greifswald and Stralsund, in Vierow, Wolgast and Ueckermünde. With its annual transhipping of 23 million tons the Rostock trading port is extremely competitive. Ferry traffic has developed here during recent years at a considerable rate. In 2010, 2.2 million passengers used the ferry harbour; approximately 11.5 million tons of freight were transferred by ferry traffic.
Mecklenburg-Vorpommern disposes of a modern railway system. Speeds of up to 160 kilometres per hour are possible on the main lines. In addition to the Deutsche Bahn AG, main operator, there are private providers operating, above all, regional lines. Two historical narrow gauge lines on the island of Rügen and along the Baltic Sea coast are particularly attractive for tourists.
The transport infrastructure is completed by five regional airports in Barth, Heringsdorf, Neubrandenburg, Rostock-Laage and Schwerin-Parchim; these airports have established themselves with increasing passenger and freight traffic. There are flight connexions from Rostock-Laage to Munich and Cologne/Bonn as well as to Dortmund and Zurich in Switzerland. Furthermore, 17 smaller airports and airstrips complete the airline infrastructure.
Are you travelling in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern? Here you will find: the latest traffic information