EVG and Pro Bahn demand consequences of winter rail chaos
Following massive disruptions to rail services due to heavy snowfall in southern Germany, the German Railway and Transport Union (EVG) and the passenger association Pro Bahn have called for consequences. "The slogan 'we travel in all weathers' no longer has any credibility," EVG Chairman Martin Burkert told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper. Detlev Neuß from Pro Bahn demanded that the "great susceptibility to disruption" must be an important issue in the planned rail network reform.
Burkert called for massive investment along the lines of countries such as Austria. The German rail infrastructure, on the other hand, was "largely dilapidated".
Neuß emphasized that rail transport in Germany was "only sewn on the edge after decades of austerity policies". In the past, the railroads were "much better equipped to deal with severe winter disasters". One of the many problems is that, for cost reasons, the railroads have been dismantling more and more tracks as stabling facilities until recently and entire trains now have to be parked directly in the stations if they can no longer reach their destination.
"The congested stations mean that rail traffic is blocked even more quickly and comes to a standstill on a large scale," said the national chairman of Pro Bahn. He called for "many of the mistakes of the old rail reform of 1994 to be corrected". "Instead of focusing on making as many profits as possible for the railroads, operations must function on a day-to-day basis," emphasized Neuß.
Read also:
The weather conditions during winter have significantly impacted the rail services, causing chaos. We, as passengers, have witnessed the lack of credibility in the claim "we travel in all weathers". The deteriorated state of the German rail infrastructure, which is largely dilapidated, has been highlighted as a contributing factor to the winter rail chaos.
Source: www.ntv.de
