- Greens warn of collapse in public transport
The Greens in the Berlin state parliament accuse the black-red Senate of cutting public transport to the bone. "We see that the U-Bahn cars are falling out more and more because they are old. We need more and new orders and have to speed up. We have to set the tender for the S-Bahn in motion," said Green faction leader Werner Graf to the German Press Agency. "None of this is happening at the moment."
Graf: Black-Red is choking planned investments
"Fact is, one U-Bahn after another is failing because the cars can no longer keep up. This will ultimately lead to a collapse," Graf warned. Buses and trains are but the backbone of transport in Berlin. "If we have problems here, we'll get a huge chaos in the whole city – and that's what this government is risking." The previous red-green-red Senate had planned corresponding investments. Black-Red is now choking that off.
The discussion about whether standards can be saved when investing in public transport and whether converting the bus fleet to electric drive offers savings potential, the Green politician sees skeptical: "Now giving up the goal of having all buses in Berlin electrified by 2030 is both ecologically and economically nonsense," he said.
Standard discussions bring delays
"Berlin must buy E-buses to do justice to the climate and city air. Whether every bus needs a USB port, we can discuss that. But that doesn't make the difference. This standard discussion mainly brings delays, but we can't avoid the investments."
Of course, buying E-buses costs more. "But in the long run, they are cheaper," said Graf. With electric drive, it will be the opposite. "We will make sure that electricity prices remain stable. But in the future, fossil fuels will become increasingly expensive, we also have to prepare for that."
The Berlin Transport Authority (BVG) wants to convert its entire bus fleet to electric drive by 2030 and is sticking to this goal, according to its own statements. However, the conversion is delayed.
50 more electric articulated buses planned this year
Currently, 228 of the approximately 1,600 BVG buses have an electric drive. This year and next, 50 new electric articulated buses are to be delivered, as a BVG spokesman said on request. "The first ones will come this year." The BVG is in constant exchange with authorities, state and federal government about the timetable.
The transport administration has already pointed out delays in the delivery of E-buses in June, as the construction of a new bus depot was not progressing as planned.
We need affordable prices in public transport
The Green faction leader warns against braking public transport expansion given the current austerity measures: "We need affordable prices in public transport, but above all, we also need a very good offer," he said. And that means we have to continue investing heavily in public transport. If I hear that this coalition wants to cut the red pen in public transport, I wonder if that's the right priority setting."
"We have to get the existing fleet back in shape first. But above all, we see that we are currently being distracted with smoke bombs," said Graf. "A magnetic levitation train is brought into play that will never come. Every day, new U-Bahn lines are promised that will never come, but no more money is invested in the existing lines, trains and stations."
Graf suggests a need for new U-Bahn and S-Bahn orders to improve public transport, as existing vehicles are failing due to age. The reliability of Berlin's transportation system, which depends on buses and trains, is crucial to avoid citywide chaos.
Despite the higher initial cost, Graf advocates for investing in electric buses, acknowledging their long-term cost-effectiveness and necessity for addressing climate concerns.
