Traffic - Snow chaos: Minister accuses railroads of poor preparation
Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) has accused Deutsche Bahn of poor planning in view of the problems following last weekend's snow chaos. "Of course there was extreme weather, but that was announced, you have to prepare for such things," the minister told the Bavarian radio station Bayern 2 of Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) on Wednesday.
The Free State pays around 700 million euros a year for the use of the rail network. "I expect a functioning network," said Bernreiter. Deutsche Bahn had been cutting costs for decades.
According to Bernreiter,Bavaria is not responsible for the rail network, which belongs to DB Netz AG, on whose goodwill one is dependent. The federal states could only order local rail passenger transport and apply for train paths.
The minister criticized the federal government's austerity measures, even in previous years before the current coalition government. "The finance ministers always got their way," said the CSU politician, who has been in office since February 2022. "No matter how much the transport minister fights for good infrastructure and more money - if there is not enough money in the budget overall and cuts are made, then even a transport minister is powerless."
After the masses of snow at the weekend, which brought rail traffic to a virtual standstill, especially in the south of Bavaria, it is still impaired in many places. Bernreiter criticized the lack of equipment, such as locomotives with snow ploughs or special wagons for repairing defective overhead lines, of which, as far as he knows, there are only seven in Bavaria. "In these extreme weather conditions, it's just not enough and we really need to talk to the railroads about this."
Interview on Bayern 2
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- Despite the extreme weather conditions during the weekend in Bavaria, Christian Bernreiter, the Transport Minister of Bavaria (CSU), believes that the German railroad, Deutsche Bahn, should have been better prepared for the 'snow chaos'.
- In his interview on Bayern 2, a radio station affiliated with Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Bernreiter expressed his disappointment with Deutsche Bahn's handling of the situation, stating that they should have anticipated and prepared for the inclement weather.
- Bavaria invests around 700 million euros annually for the use of the rail network, and Bernreiter expects a functioning network from Deutsche Bahn, given the substantial financial contribution from the state.
- The rail network, which belongs to DB Netz AG, is not under Bavaria's direct control, and Bernreiter can only order local rail passenger transport and apply for train paths.
- According to Bernreiter, the lack of adequate equipment, such as locomotives with snow ploughs or special repair wagons, exacerbated the 'snow chaos' in Bavaria, especially in the south.
- Bernreiter called for a conversation with railroads to address this issue, as the current number of seven snow plough locomotives and defective overhead line repair wagons in Bavaria is inadequate in extreme weather conditions, leading to ongoing rail traffic impairments.
Source: www.stern.de
