Deutsche Bahn is again causing a stir on the “Limone” route

Created: 06/10/2022 13:14

By: Michael Seeholzer

Protest against "Limone" in Dorfen.

© Stefan Rossmann

No objective comparison: the city of Grafing demands a new assessment of the cups on the northern inlet of the Brenner.

Grafing - "Things were compared that are not comparable": Mayor Christian Bauer (CSU) insists: "Open questions must be cleared out of the way." At the most recent city council meeting in Grafing, Deutsche Bahn was asked by municipal resolution to carry out a "re-evaluation of the rough routes" to the northern access to the Brenner Pass.

"The city does not agree with the results of the route selection so far." "That has to be revised and checked again," said the head of the town hall.

"It just doesn't work."

The fact that the railways decided in favor of the “Limone” route following the previous dialogue process caused repeated criticism from the majority in the council committee.

An important argument here: "The Limone route means that many districts will be burdened with new railway noise, without the residents living on the existing route being relieved by better noise protection."

Completely insufficient noise protection

City Councilor Max von Rechberg (CSU) argued that the old route would remain in operation and would have to accommodate additional rail traffic.

The noise protection is then completely insufficient, he warned.

It is clear to him that not everyone in Aßling sees it that way: "I hope that there will be no rift in the population."

"Public compatibility" must be the top priority when selecting the route and that is not the case with the Limone route, which runs through open terrain west of Lorenzenberg, Eisendorf and Oberelkofen.

According to Rechberg, earth movements are necessary for this, "no one can imagine that".

According to the city, there is a reasonable planning alternative.

This is the existing new construction of two tracks, which is referred to in the process as a "citizen's route".

List of criteria not adjusted despite criticism

Main criticism from the city of Grafing: "Despite multiple requests within the framework of the dialogue forum, the catalog of criteria was not adapted to the changed test requirements due to the possibility of expanding the route on the existing route.

As a result, an objective comparison of train paths was not possible.” In plain language: the railways had not sufficiently dealt with the citizens' train path, but essentially only evaluated their own optional train paths.

How the city and local initiatives will continue to react to Deutsche Bahn's rigid stance is still open.

However, one sentence in the statement on the planning process so far gives an idea of ​​where the journey will go: "A new above-ground route that cuts through the landscape and uses up a lot of valuable space will not find local approval and will delay the expansion of the route." There is a risk of legal action.

In any case, the allegation of errors relevant to the decision has not yet been refuted by the railways.

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