DThe Deutsche Bahn (DB) assesses the schedule and cost development in the construction of the second S-Bahn trunk line in Munich apparently differently than the Bavarian Ministry of Transport – how exactly remained on Wednesday even after a crisis summit with the Bavarian Prime Minister and CSU boss Markus Söder in the dark.
The figures that have been made public so far, according to which the costs could rise from 3.85 to up to 7.2 billion euros and the commissioning could be delayed from 2028 to 2037, are based on the estimates of a project support team from the ministry, said the DB Group representative in Bavaria , Klaus-Dieter Josel, on Wednesday in the Munich City Council. One is in conversation, but the railway has “certain other assessments”. He did not give specific numbers.
Söder tries to relax
Bahn boss Richard Lutz, who had come to Munich for the summit, was also unable to provide any further information. All he could say for sure was that the project would be more expensive and take longer.
Söder was visibly trying to ease the situation after there had recently been disagreements between Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) and the Bavarian state government. It’s only possible together, he said. A “black Peter game” only creates temporary relief, but does not solve the problem. He admitted to the project – filling in the previous excavations was “not the better alternative”. But Söder also said that there was “no blank check” for further financing. “Whatever it takes” does not apply here.
Crisis talks in Munich: Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU; from left to right) on Wednesday with Bahn boss Richard Lutz, the district administrator of the Ebersberg district, Robert Niedergesäß, and the Bavarian Minister of Transport Christian Bernreiter (CSU)
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Image: dpa
Those responsible for Deutsche Bahn again referred to the beginning of October, when they want to present their new cost-benefit plan. According to Lutz, accuracy comes before speed. In the Munich city council, the statements made by the train caused massive displeasure.
Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) spoke of a “disappointment” because he could not give the people of Munich any new information and had not heard any reasons for it. He does not share ideas such as halting construction, but they are gradually gaining ground in city politics and society. This will increase from week to week if there is no transparency.
Greens criticize the award of construction contracts
There is also great displeasure with the railways in the CSU. The company is said to be inefficient. It was wrong for the Free State to take on the financial risk for the project instead of leaving it to the railways. So they don’t have enough incentives to discipline themselves during construction.
Martin Runge, transport expert for the Greens in the state parliament, sees the problem in the awarding of construction contracts. They said goodbye to standard price contracts with detailed service descriptions and switched to a negotiation process that put the railways and the Free State in a passive position. The Bavarian Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) had recently called the Free State a “supplicant”.
