Danes living in rural areas and small towns should benefit from the billions being invested into a faster railway system – just like those living in major cities, argues Martin Damm, the chairman of the local government association, KL.
The Danish government has allocated some 28.5 billion kroner into a railway fund aimed at shortening travel times between the country's largest cities: Copenhagen, Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg and Esbjerg.
Investing into local and regional railways
While Damm believes it is all very well that people can travel between Copenhagen and Odense in one hour, but contends that people from rural areas should not be forgotten.
According to KL, one third of Danes would need an additional hour to even reach one of the main train stations due to limited traffic connections.
The association therefore proposes using 15 percent of the total railway budget on improving local and regional public transport.
Exodus of people from the countryside
KL's proposal follows a recent, heated debate about the increasing exodus of Danes from rural to urban areas.
"If people cannot travel back and forth, if they cannot use the telephone or the Internet, or if young people don't have a chance to study somewhere nearby, then it is virtually impossible to live in some places in Denmark," Damm told BT.
KL considers building better traffic connections between small and larger cities a priority and a good investment because it would allow more people to live in the country and work in a big city.
