Demo for stable train traffic: "Tendency has been going towards the state of emergency for years"

Created: 07/25/2022, 08:00

"The whole DB Netz construct creates false incentives": Norbert Moy from Pro Bahn at the demonstration.

© Ralf Ruder

More money for the rail instead of the road and a stable train service, especially on the Werdenfelsbahn Munich-Mittenwald were demands that were heard together with heavy criticism of the Deutsche Bahn at a demonstration on Saturday in Weilheim with around 200 participants.

Weilheim

– As early as April, Irmi Gallmeier, in the local Green Party branch of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, came up with the idea of ​​founding a national initiative for the expansion of the Werdenfelsbahn.

In the meantime, other local associations along the route have joined, as well as other organizations with the same concerns.

Due to the pathetic rail replacement traffic on many railway lines, additional urgency arose for the "Action Alliance Werdenfelsbahn", so that almost 200 people came together in Weilheim on Saturday.

From the train station we went downtown

The hard core of the demonstrators met at the train station, where a “star tour” led in style – by train or, in the case of Wielenbach’s mayor Harald Mansi, by bike. With the cry “More money for the train, but save on the road 'n!' the 90-strong starting group pulled into the city, but the tapeworm was torn apart by a red traffic light.

"We wouldn't have stopped for that in the past," Werner Bommersbach smiled, recalling the wild 70s.

As a railroad worker's child and with memories of a continuously maintained track, he was involved, although as a CSU member he was definitely the odd one out in the group of participants.

Around 80 other public transport advocates joined at Marienplatz, soon joined by 30 listeners who showed solidarity with the speeches.

The first contribution came from Weilheimer Norbert Moy, who, as Upper Bavarian chairman of "Pro Bahn", attested to rail traffic: "The trend has been towards the state of emergency for years: ever longer construction sites, more route closures, more train cancellations." Now, with the " Huge state of emergency" in the Werdenfels network would change the mood of even the most patient passenger.

"Reconstruction fund" required for the Werdenfels network

The whole "DB Netz AG" construct creates false incentives to neglect maintenance.

Instead, "Pro Bahn" is calling for a reconstruction fund for the Werdenfels network - with the 170 million euros from the B 2 Auerberg tunnel project. In addition, Moy called for the reactivation of the Fuchstalbahn and the stations of Polling and Wilzhofen, as well as a reconsideration of the Weilheim-Süd stop.

"The city councilors should be told: It's us passengers who save Weilheim from gridlock every day," which gave thunderous applause.

The expansion of the B 2 was also clearly rejected by Wielenbach's mayor Harald Mansi, who calculated that a three-lane expansion plus acceleration lanes on both sides plus an agricultural road would result in a road with six lanes in places.

The district association member of the SPD said about the rails: "I'm a civil engineer and I still knew the pride in German engineering, but now I'm ashamed of how the tracks look here."

Suggestion: city bus to every village

Mansi's idea: reopen all train stations and city buses to the villages - that could be financed for 80 or 100 years by not expanding the B 2 and Weilheim bypass.

The networking of farmers in Mansi's rejection front was in turn praised as a "successful grassroots movement" by representatives of the Greens.

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The raindrops did not frighten those gathered, who meanwhile witnessed Jutta Steinbrecher's bewilderment.

The Greens district board spokeswoman from Garmisch-Partenkirchen reported on school children who travel an hour longer with replacement buses in the morning and at noon, and on disoriented American tourists who despaired in the replacement traffic chaos: "We didn't expect Germany like this." She called for attractive ones Train stations and a train that runs reliably and fearlessly every half hour along the entire route, with space for bicycles for locals and tourists.

Greens are calling for a special fund for rail infrastructure of 100 billion euros

Ludwig Hartmann drafted the vision of "a decade of investments in the railways".

State building authorities should be converted into “mobility offices” in order not to plan primarily for cars.

"We can no longer follow this avalanche of traffic," said the parliamentary group leader of the Greens.

Weak points in the rail network would have to be eliminated throughout Bavaria, not just in Munich.

More routes should be electric, including the Ammerseebahn.

With offers such as “bus on demand”, networks should be ensured right down to the villages in order to make the second car superfluous for families.

"But basically we need a special fund for rail infrastructure in the amount of 100 billion euros in the federal budget."

The intensely applauded event ended after 70 minutes, and was also attended by Garmisch district representatives of the ADFC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrradclub), members of the “Initiative Fuchstalbahn”, the Weilheim anti-bypass initiative “Heimat 2030” and the Bund Naturschutz.

Andrew Bretting

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