Because disruptions to the S-Bahn are piling up: Next fire letter reaches bosses - Munich's mayor also leathers

Created: 01/19/2022, 7:30 p.m

By: Dirk Walter

If it takes longer again - train cancellations on the S3 line are displayed here.

© Marcus sleep

Again there is a drastic complaint about the S-Bahn.

The MVV shareholders are satisfied with the ongoing disruptions.

In a branding letter, they order DB boss Richard Lutz and infrastructure board member Ronald Pofalla to report.

Munich – It is the second letter of complaint to Lutz and Pofalla in a short time.

It was only in December that the Nuremberg head of the transport association, Andreas Mäder, criticized the problems with drastic words (Munich S-Bahn* "disastrous") on behalf of the advisory board of the Bavarian railway company.

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Complaint letter to Deutsche Bahn: Mayor Reiter and Minister Schreyer join in

In the letter from Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter*, Bavaria's Transport Minister Kerstin Schreyer and the eight district administrators of the MVV region, nothing has really changed in the description of the situation.

"Due to current disruptions and impairments in the infrastructure and operation of the Munich S-Bahn, we currently have a very large acceptance problem among passengers," the letter complained.

The letter, dated December 23, that the press office of the Ministry of Transport made public on January 19, could be due to the fact that Minister Schreyer herself came under pressure from speculation about a reshuffle of the Söder cabinet.

The Munich S-Bahn has a major acceptance problem: Mayor Dieter Reiter.

© Marcus sleep

Whatever the case, there is little to explain about the misery of the S-Bahn: faults in points, interlockings, signals, vehicles and especially doors as well as staff shortages at DB Netz are listed in the letter.

As reported several times, this has led to an almost unprecedented series of delays.

In November, punctuality had fallen to a ten-year low - every tenth S-Bahn was more than three minutes late.

Normal is 95 and 96 percent punctuality.

On individual November days, however, punctuality fell to a catastrophic 69.9 percent.

Seven percent of the trains were completely canceled, which is not even taken into account in these statistics.

DB bosses should come to Munich - an appointment that cannot be refused

The first letter of complaint apparently had no consequences – however, it is unlikely that the Berlin railway managers will be able to let the second letter drip off in the same way.

Mayor Reiter and Minister of Transport Schreyer, together with the district administrators, invite the two DB bosses to Munich* - "please contact the antechamber of Minister of State Kerstin Schreyer to arrange an appointment".

There was no appointment on Wednesday – it seems certain that there will be one, anything else would be an affront to the city leaders and the Free State.

Transport Minister Kerstin Schreyer invited the DB bosses to Munich.

© Rolf Poss/imago images/Archive

"Passengers are tired of the numerous delays and cancellations," explains Mayor Reiter in a press release. "The DB board must finally act now." Schreyer reports on increased passenger complaints. The letter also refers to the large number of construction sites. This is also a topic of conflict: "Insufficiently prepared construction sites or construction sites that were tackled too quickly, as well as inadequate communication" would have led to further problems. "We want it to be built," emphasizes Schreyer. But that should not lead to a “loss of trust in the system”.

It is questionable whether the problems can be eliminated quickly.

Construction sites and the disruption-prone infrastructure are one issue, the trains another.

Above all, the old trains of the S-Bahn series 420 ("Olympic S-Bahn") are considered to be prone to failure.

In the course of the year, the S-Bahn plans to add 15 used vehicles from Hanover.