Like an ocean liner's foghorn

Created: 2022-01-24 06:42

By: Thomas Zimmerly

The barrier is not always down when an S-Bahn passes the level crossing in Niederroth.

And then there's a honk.

© Norbert Habschied

With several seconds of honking, the arriving S-Bahn trains rob the residents around the Niederroth train station of their sleep and nerves.

Niederroth – A train driver of the S2, who glided through the night into the Dachau hinterland, received a special kind of birthday surprise. At the entrance to Niederroth station shortly before midnight, someone waved at him with a flashlight. After the celebrant had brought his railcar to a standstill, he saw a man standing on the platform. The man with the flashlight was Wolfgang Strauss, who lives right next to the tracks. Strauss was in a bad mood. again.

The reason: For almost two and a half years, the barrier at Niederroth train station on Sigmertshauser Straße has been defective again and again.

The Dachauer Nachrichten reported back in August 2019 about the non-functional red and white poles.

To this day, the warning system fails again and again.

"It's not often," says Strauss, "but every now and then."

With the result that the trains initially stop at the entrance and then honk their horns.

Three or four times, each for several seconds, regardless of whether it is day or night.

Only then do they drive in very slowly.

According to the timetable, for example, a total of three S-Bahn trains run between midnight and 5 a.m.

"And the engine drivers prefer to honk once too often than once too little," says Strauss.

"You're standing upright in bed

"You're standing upright in bed," Strauss describes the effects of the car honking.

Because the rich sound of the train reminded him of the fog horn of an ocean liner.

The resident, who was plagued by the horn, has repeatedly contacted Deutsche Bahn, without success.

Strauss therefore decided on the nocturnal flashlight campaign.

He wanted to talk to the train driver.

After initial palpation on both sides, a reasonable dialogue developed. "I asked him if he couldn't stop honking," says Strauss; at least at night time. Strauss was surprised by the engine driver's answer. "He said to me that he doesn't necessarily have to honk his horn at this station," says Niederrother. And in his opinion that is correct. The area around the level crossing is very easy to see. Stopping and – if everything is clear – rolling very slowly into the station is enough. If the horn has to be honked, then please not after 10 p.m.

Deutsche Bahn, on the other hand, sees it differently.

"Safety is the top priority on the railways," said a spokesman, "this applies not only to railway operations, but of course also to road users at level crossings.

Accordingly, there are strict regulations and legal requirements here: if the technical safety is disrupted, the train driver must, among other things, warn with a whistle as an alternative.

Last but not least, this serves to ensure the safety of road users – “particularly at night when visibility is restricted by darkness.

The specifications and legal regulations mentioned must also be observed at night”.

Nevertheless, the train encourages Wolfgang Strauss and the rest of Lower Rother.

"The level crossing works properly," emphasizes the spokesman.

Unfortunately, faults in technical components can never be ruled out 100 percent -- not even at level crossings.

"If we are notified of faults, we fix them as quickly as possible." This also applies to the fault on Tuesday.

The railway has now replaced the broken circuit board (PCB).

"We apologize to the local residents for the effects and the nocturnal noise," said the spokesman.