Train services in Bavaria further restricted

Railroad - Train services in Bavaria further restricted

The heavy snowfall in Bavaria on the first weekend of Advent is still having an effect. On Monday, train travelers and commuters in particular had to be prepared for delays and train cancellations. Deutsche Bahn (DB) was initially unable to say when the S-Bahn in and around Munich, on which thousands of commuters rely, would be able to run regularly again. "Severe disruptions" are predicted until the middle of the week.

Early Monday morning, only the S-Bahn lines 3 and 8 were initially running - and only on certain sections, according to DB. The S8 ran between Westkreuz and Munich Airport, the S3 between Ostbahnhof and Lochhausen. A replacement service was set up for the S2 between Dachau and Laim.

The streetcars were still at a standstill in the morning, as reported by Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft(MVG). The subway trains and buses were in operation. However, MVG expected irregular service.

There were also severe restrictions on long-distance services: following the onset of winter, Munich's main railway station continued to operate only to a very limited extent on Monday. DB expected trains to be very busy on Monday morning and advised passengers to postpone journeys to and from Munich.

Among other things, there were still no connections at all between the Bavarian capital and Innsbruck, Salzburg and Zurich. There were also fewer long-distance trains in operation.

The heavy snowfall at the weekend paralyzed rail traffic in large parts of southern Germany. Trees blocked tracks, icy overhead lines and snow-covered trains prevented journeys.

The railroad union EVG and the passenger association Pro Bahn used the chaos on the railroads as an opportunity to sound the alarm. They demanded consequences for the railroad's suitability for winter. EVG Chairman Martin Burkert told the "Augsburger Allgemeine" (Monday) that the German rail infrastructure was "largely dilapidated". There must be major investments along the lines of countries such as Austria.

The national chairman of the passenger association Pro Bahn, Detlev Neuß, told the newspaper that rail transport was "only sewn on edge after decades of austerity policies". 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."

But it wasn't just the railroads that were affected by the masses of snow: In Munich alone, the fire department had to be called out 785 times over the weekend, according to an initial assessment on Monday. The vehicles were even equipped with snow chains.

Uprooted trees, damaged overhead power lines and vehicles that went off the road kept the emergency services at bay. Fortunately, no people were injured by falling trees or branches, according to the information provided. In addition to all the work, the emergency services also received refreshments: Munich residents often thanked them "with Christmas cookies, drinks or even a simple gesture of gratitude", according to the fire department's statement.

In the districts of Starnberg and Mühldorf am Inn, many schools remained closed on Monday. In some cases, distance learning was to be offered. In Augsburg, 20 schools were also to be temporarily closed in whole or in part, according to the city administration. The reason for this was the masses of snow on the roofs of the buildings. Once the snow has melted, the buildings will have to be checked for structural stability.

At Munich Airport, flight operations partially resumed on Sunday following a closure on Saturday. However, restrictions are still to be expected there too, a spokesperson said on Monday. "It is not yet possible to predict how the situation will develop in the coming days."

According to a Bayernwerk spokesperson, the power supply in Bavaria was stable again on Monday after numerous power outages in Upper and Eastern Bavaria over the weekend. There were only "isolated outages", he said. However, there could always be more if trees fall on the lines. The numerous damages are now being repaired. It is still unclear how extensive the damage is and how much it will cost.

DWD Bavaria Munich Airport Info Ministry of Culture on school closures - updated regularly