Pro Bahn: Structural problems at Deutsche Bahn
Norbert Moy, the Upper Bavarian Pro-Bahn chairman, was surprised that the concrete sleepers on the train route are a problem. Because concrete sleepers are an indication that the route had been renovated not too long ago, said Moy. “One thing is certain, however: We have significant shortcomings in many places in the route network, especially regional ones, which we as passengers have actually felt again and again for years, due to speed restrictions and route closures. This is actually not a new message for us.” Moy accused politicians of preferring to invest in the road – the Loisachtal is a good example of this.
Greens politicians: speed restrictions are not a permanent solution
Markus Büchler, member of the state parliament and railway expert for the Greens, made a clear statement: “The slow-moving sections are springing up like mushrooms, especially in southern Bavaria.” According to the politician, there is a connection to the accident. The rail network in Germany and Bavaria has been ailing for a long time and is becoming more and more “crumbly and crumbling” due to the low level of investment by the federal government, emphasized Büchler. If broken railway sleepers turn out to be the cause of the accident, then you have a huge problem nationwide, Büchler told Bayerischer Rundfunk. “Then we have to provide a lot more money very quickly to modernize and renew railway lines.” In the short term, a possible danger can be defuse with a speed-restricted section, but they are not a permanent solution. “Because that messes up all the timetables.”
Florian von Brunn: Invest to save lives
The Bavarian railway network is in a really bad condition, said Bavaria’s SPD chairman Florian von Brunn to the Bavarian radio. It’s certainly the same in other federal states: “It’s certainly due to years of neglect of the railways,” says von Brunn. “In particular, the last transport minister took care of the toll, the car – but not the train.” It is urgently necessary to invest now to save lives.