As of: January 29, 2024, 11:30 a.m
By: Christof Schnürer
Comments
Press
Split
Humor is when you laugh anyway: Deutsche Bahn AG is apparently trying self-irony at the Mittenwald train station.
© Fabian Rössler
In a few days the suffering in the Upper Isar Valley will be over.
Then, after almost a year, the trains will run again between Mittenwald and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Mittenwald
- In sad times, humor is often the best guide.
If regional trains actually head to the holiday resort of Mittenwald again starting next Thursday, then Michael Schwind knows what he's doing: "Then I'll be standing on the platform with a bouquet of flowers, bubbly and a brass band." Schwind, whose family is from Mittenwald, has the latent anger with Deutsche Bahn AG Bought the station in 2011, then renovated it in an exemplary manner for a chunk of money and runs it successfully to this day, apparently not completely spoiling the good mood.
Times have been rosier for an investor and project developer who has to work with DB.
Since March 2023, regional trains have no longer been running between the holiday destination stations of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Mittenwald.
“The background was extensive measurement and repair work on a retaining wall on the Kankerbach, which has now been successfully completed,” explains Bahn spokeswoman Kathrin Rache once again, explaining the reason for this compulsory break, which is unprecedented in the region.
Although that may only be part of the truth.
Since the devastating train accident near Burgrain, in which five people were killed in June 2022, work has been feverishly working on weak points on all sections of the route throughout the entire district and beyond.
And there are apparently plenty of them.
An absolute period of suffering for commuters in the Upper Isar Valley.
Because the so-called rail replacement service repeatedly caused breakdowns (we reported).
But all of this will be a thing of the past from February 1st.
At least that's what DB's script says.
“The trains will then run again according to the regular timetable, the replacement service with buses will end,” announces railway spokeswomankrater.
Mittenwald's mayor Enrico Corongiu (SPD), who not long ago was promised a resumption of train services at the beginning of December, is taking note of this with cautious optimism.
“It would be very beneficial for Mittenwald.” And with a wink he adds: “It would also be nice for my heart if the train ran again.”
According to DB AG, the investment program worth millions for the track network south of Munich will run until 2025.
In other words: Buses instead of trains could be running in the district again in the near future.
But railway spokeswomankrater calls for confidence: “Because once the work is completed, train traffic in Werdenfels and Oberland will be more reliable and better.”