Safety is very important to the Wallbergbahn at Tegernsee.
Managing director Peter Lorenz is all the more affected by the recent cable car accident in Italy.
Rottach-Egern
- The "Funivia del Mottarone" on Lake Maggiore was only in operation for a few days after the relaxation of the Corona rules in Italy when 14 passengers on the cable car lost their lives in a terrible accident on Whitsunday. Next Monday, the cabins of the Wallbergbahn in Rottach-Egern could start moving again after the long lockdown break. In an interview with our newspaper, Peter Lorenz, managing director of the Wallbergbahn and deputy chairman of the Association of German Cable Cars, explains whether he is sticking to the security measures in place in Italy, despite the still unexplained cause of the accident in Italy and why nobody needs to have a queasy feeling in the gondola.
Mr. Lorenz, how did you feel when you received the news of the cable car accident in Italy?
Peter Lorenz:
Great shock and of course pity for the victims and their relatives.
Although there is almost no official information on how the accident happened, I am convinced that something absolutely extraordinary led to it.
How can you be so sure that it wasn't just a technical problem with the rope?
Peter Lorenz:
I just can't imagine that.
For example, according to eyewitness reports, the pull rope, which has apparently broken, must be able to withstand four times the load of a fully occupied gondola.
A magnetic induction test with external experts is mandatory twice a year.
In addition, the ropes are carefully inspected every month.
And even in the event that something does not fit, the emergency stop mechanism should take effect immediately.
With so many security measures, in my opinion, an external trigger must be responsible for the accident.
What are your safety standards at Wallberg?
Peter Lorenz:
The regulations are the same across Europe and are very strict.
Of course, we all strictly adhere to them.
At Brauneck, we even bought a device ourselves for a magnetic-inductive rope check and trained one of our employees to do this.
On top of that, we work through an extensive safety checklist every morning before the start of operations on all of our lifts.
We also look at the emergency stops and supports.
So an accident like the one in Italy couldn't happen on Wallberg?
Peter Lorenz:
Actually, it shouldn't happen anywhere in Europe.
But you can't really compare the Wallbergbahn with the one on the Mottarone.
There it is an aerial tramway with one gondola going up and the other going down.
The cabins on the Wallberg work in a circulation system.
Nevertheless, they also have a separate pulling and carrying rope to distribute the load.
Do you expect that, after the accident on Lake Maggiore, the safety standards will also be tightened here?
Peter Lorenz:
We as an association are waiting until the cause of the accident has been clarified there.
Only then can you consider whether adjustments are necessary.
Until further notice, we will start operations on Wallberg as planned on Monday, May 31st.
The incidence in the Miesbach district is now rapidly falling.
That's why we're trying to get started on Saturday.
Aren't you worried that some people don't even dare to go into the gondolas in view of the recent disaster?
Peter Lorenz:
No, I am not assuming that.
If you thought like that, you shouldn't sit in a car anymore.
There is a much greater risk that something will happen.
so called
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