"It's a work of the century"

Created: 03/06/2022, 1:00 p.m

By: Nico Bauer

Great reception: The first blue airport S-Bahn runs through the completed tunnel in Ismaning.

© Municipality of Ismaning

Ismaning – Michael Sedlmair was mayor of the municipality of Ismaning for 24 years.

The completion of the S-Bahn tunnel, which opened 30 years ago, was his first major achievement.

Today the former mayor speaks of a project of the century and remembers the impressive fighting spirit of the people of Ismaning.

Mr. Sedlmair, was the opening of the tunnel your first really big event as mayor?

You can say that because it was a major event and a work of the century for Ismaning.

You will often have been pleased that the railway tunnel was built.

How did you experience the tunnel during your tenure?

After tunneling under the railway, the finishing work on the surface followed with the installation of the green belt.

Only gradually did the quality for the place become apparent.

After the central green areas of Schlosspark and Hain, we then had the north-south connection.

Today, the pedestrian and cycle path on the tunnel is the most used route.

It is used on the way to the S-Bahn and for leisure.

This sometimes happens to the chagrin of the walkers, because there are a lot of dogs walking around.

So it's a win-win situation?

Yes.

The loads of the railway are underground and above there is a green area for the citizens.

That's a stroke of luck for Ismaning, but we also invested a lot of money in it.

The municipality financed the above-ground facilities on its own.

We have invested a total of around 30 million marks.

Former mayor Michael Sedlmair © MM archive

And you have to remember that Ismaning wasn't as financially strong then as it is today.

We could afford it, but the butter on the bread was gone.

The bread still tasted good and thanks to the airport we also had good development in the commercial sector.

We had an industrial area, then Agrob came along, and the warm rain was Leo Kirch's headquarters in Ismaning.

Community of citizens played a large part in the realization of the project

In 1973 the first S-Bahn went to Ismaning.

Since the place was still the terminus of the former line S3.

Today Ismaning is part of the S8, the royal line of the Munich network.

The trains run from Munich to the airport via the important commercial locations of Unterföhring, Ismaning and Hallbergmoos.

Ismaning and Unterföhring managed to lay the railway in the tunnel and thus prevent the places on the surface from being cut up.

With the railway barrier in Oberschleißheim, which is more closed than open, the municipalities can see what they have saved.

In 1989, the tunnel construction work began, which lasted two years.

The next milestones were the tunnel inauguration on March 7, 1992 and the opening of Munich Airport on May 16, 1992. The financial participation in the tunnel with 27.85 million marks was the largest investment of all time by the municipality.

407 kilos of meat loaf, 292 kilos of Wiener, 40 kilos of Regensburger, 20 kilos of bread, 6570 rolls, 2490 liters of beer and 796 liters of soda were the balance of the inauguration party.

The community of citizens collected 6100 signatures for the tunnel, which at the time was about two thirds of the voters in Ismaning.

For this commitment, a tile from the Ismaninger Motive im Bahnhof series was dedicated to the community.

In addition, the footpath and cycle path on the tunnel, known as Alfons-Ostermaier-Weg, bears the name of the founder of the community.

On December 4, 1994, the citizens' community set a final exclamation mark by putting a drinking water fountain into operation at the train station with the victorious Moor as a water dispenser.

This also officially dissolved the group.

With a look at the tunnel and the development, however, one must also say that the municipality and the citizens' initiative had a tough fight.

Oh yeah, that was tough.

In the 1970s there was already a legally binding plan for the above-ground expansion of the S-Bahn in Ismaning.

But then came Alfons Ostermaier, who has unfortunately already passed away, and who shook people up.

He had an iron belief in democracy, that many people can achieve a lot.

He collected 6500 signatures and built up extreme pressure.

I remember a town hall meeting that lasted four and a half hours.

They didn't just fight in Ismaning.

We also had our two 'S-Bahn rides' to Bonn.

From the first we drove home with hanging heads.

We felt the headwind: the annoying Ismaningers are coming, not much is going on there.

On the second trip, the airport had already given the go-ahead for construction, and the atmosphere was completely different.

There were constructive discussions and we drove back knowing we would get the tunnel.

On the train we got a piccolo in the dining car and that was the first toast to the tunnel.

I definitely have to mention Dr.

Theo Baumann, who, as an engineer, calculated for the authorities that the tunnel would not have to cost 250 million marks.

He showed that the realization is cheaper and that the municipality can also contribute its part.

Was the community of citizens a support for the municipal council or did it rather get on your nerves?

The general mood in the municipal council initially was that we had no chance of the tunnel.

However, the authorities have seen that Ismaning is unruly and recalcitrant.

Legal proceedings were to be expected, and then the airport would go into operation without an S-Bahn.

That would have been an embarrassment for Bayern all over the world.

This brought about a rethinking of state politics.

That was a bit of blackmail.

But we had good arguments.

More current news from the district of Munich can be found here.