Course set for double-track expansion of Uffing-Murnau: Free State wants to commission Deutsche Bahn with preliminary planning

Created: 06/23/2022, 07:03

By: Roland Lory

This train is on its way to Munich.

© Bartl

For many years, money in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen flowed primarily into road and tunnel projects.

Now things are progressing on the rails.

The Free State of Bavaria intends to commission the railways with preliminary planning for the double-track expansion of the Uffing - Murnau section.

Murnau/Uffing

– The news came as a surprise yesterday, even for Norbert Moy, head of the Oberland regional group of the Pro Bahn passenger association.

The Free State of Bavaria wants to push ahead with the double-track expansion of the Uffing - Murnau railway line.

The Bavarian Ministry of Transport announced on Wednesday via press release that it would commission “DB Netz AG with the preliminary planning within a year”.

Logically, Moy welcomes this.

"We begged for that for a long time." From his point of view, the expansion is "urgently necessary".

If you want to achieve a clock improvement, this is an important step.

So far, trains run every 30 minutes only between Munich and Weilheim.

Pro Bahn has been fighting for a second track in sections for years.

Just a few weeks ago, Moy spoke out in favor of expanding the Weilheim – Huglfing section.

Six kilometers

So now Uffing – Murnau.

That's six kilometers.

Preliminary planning involves clearly defined planning services, as Thomas Harant from the press office of the Bavarian Ministry of Transport explains.

"These are much more specific than a feasibility study."

The project was also new to Uffing's mayor Andreas Weiß (independent).

His hope is that once the two-track expansion has been completed, the half-hourly service will be available in his town.

Of course, this would mean that the barrier is closed much more often.

The municipality of Uffing wants to raise this point in the planning.

Weiß also hopes that - should the double track actually come about - the Uffinger station will also be made barrier-free in this train.

Entry and exit are currently "difficult" for people with disabilities.

The head of the town hall cannot "estimate" the further consequences of an expansion of the railway line for the region today.

Key word: availability of land and living space.

"That will be a task that will arise," believes Weiß.

Because it is obvious: If the Murnau/Uffing area is better connected to the state capital, the area will become even more attractive for newcomers and day-trippers.

But for white it is clear.

"Without the railways, we will not be able to achieve the turnaround in transport."

"Huge Progress"

Murnau Mayor Rolf Beuting (ÖDP/Citizens' Forum) shares this opinion.

His statement is brief: "If the double-track expansion of the Uffing - Murnau section leads to the introduction of a half-hourly service on the Werdenfels network, that would be huge progress, which we have been calling for for a long time."

The Bund Naturschutz did the same.

Therefore, Ingrid Geiersberger, chairwoman of the Murnau local group with surroundings, emphasizes: "What takes a long time will finally be good." She is confident that the expansion will be implemented "sooner or later".

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Reinhard Pospischil, former federal railway official and spokesman for the E 69 04 board of trustees for the preservation of the historic locomotive monument in Murnau, is also pleased with the news.

"More trains is the order of the day." For this it is necessary to upgrade the infrastructure.

According to Pospischil, with a half-hourly service to Murnau it would also be possible to create a connection to Oberammergau without having to change trains.

"That would give this route a huge boost." The news from the Ministry of Transport also caused euphoria for Murnau's transport officer Welf Probst (Freie Wahler).

"It's too good to be true." Nevertheless, the long-standing local councilor emphasizes that improvements are needed on the entire Werdenfels route to Mittenwald - "and, above all, a safeguarding of the stock".

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"Increase punctuality"

Something should happen on the rails, and not only between Uffing and Murnau.

The Bavarian "MACH2 Initiative" currently contains a total of 16 expansion projects from various sources of finance.

A total of around 150 kilometers of routes in Bavaria that previously had one track are to be given a second and four additional meeting stations are to be built.

The goal: create more capacity and flexibility.

For Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU), "MACH2" is a central key to making rail transport more attractive: "With additional tracks and new meeting stations, we can improve the range of trains in Bavaria, increase punctuality and make connections even more stable." Bavaria is investing EUR 15 million into the rails as part of "MACH2".

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where the expansion falls by the wayside