Markus Söder refuses to disclose his government’s mistakes in the second main route of the S-Bahn in Munich. He dismisses criticism as “screeching” – and thus provokes a committee of inquiry in the state parliament.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder sees “light in the tunnel” on the second main line for the Munich S-Bahn because the construction time and costs are finally known. But according to Söder, it shouldn’t be too bright. His government continues to refuse to disclose all the essential facts as to how this disaster came about. The first trains are not due to roll through the new tunnels until next decade instead of this decade, at around twice the cost predicted in previous years.
If Söder and Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter stick to their line, then a committee of inquiry in the state parliament should be inevitable. It doesn’t look like Bernreiter will use the last chance for transparency at a special session in the state parliament next week. To do this, Bernreiter would have to present who knew what and when about the debacle that had been brewing for years. And why the government has done too little about it.
Instead: ever more absurd excuses as to why the state parliament, the city of Munich and the population had been withheld from their own knowledge for years. Excuses that are now even being used to badmouth the valuable work done by the experts who were hired for a lot of money to critically monitor the major project. The Department of Transportation says these experts only made “rough estimates.” These were not a substitute for the missing figures from Deutsche Bahn, on whose behalf the second main line is being built. However, the expert estimates were not rough; on the contrary, they were detailed calculations. The railways themselves warned early on that enormous delays were imminent.
Söder proves to be a master of excuses and distraction on the second regular route. He blames the railways. But his government knew years ago what was going on. Instead of acknowledging the enormous mistakes of the past, the head of government only wants to talk about the future. Söder dismisses criticism as “screeching” in order to play the statesman who wants to “merge instead of divide”. These are transparent maneuvers. The prime minister wants the topic, which is so unpleasant for him and his government, to be off the table. His behavior does exactly the opposite.