When Mayor Rudolf Mailer (SPD) addressed the citizens in the municipal newspaper in September 2000, his message was unmistakable – and was confirmed by the municipal council: lowering the S-Bahn would be the best solution and the tracks would no longer be the location cut. A little more than two decades later, nothing has changed in this initial situation in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn, and yet the community has not come one step closer to this solution. Since the meeting of the building committee of the district council on Wednesday afternoon, only one thing has been clear: There will be no underpass at the level crossing in the center of the village; the committee has finally rejected the plans for such an undertaking.
The district council is thus following an attitude that the local council in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn already had 21 years ago and still represents today. Because a road underpass, as the results of a feasibility study commissioned by the district also show, is not suitable for solving the traffic problems in the municipality – and depending on the variant, it has an estimated cost of twelve to 28 million euros expensive. In addition, said District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU) in the building committee, the structural conditions are not suitable to put the district road M 10 under the railroad track; the buildings near the rails would be cut off from the county road due to the long driveways. According to CSU district councilor Anton Stürzer, the inclines would be far too steep and it was to be feared that emissions would increase, especially due to heavy goods vehicle traffic. “We can’t do that at this point,” said Stürzer.
Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn’s former mayor Ursula Mayer no longer really believes in the double-track expansion of the S 7.
(Photo: Claus Schunk)
For decades there has been a discussion in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn as to how the situation at the railroad gates can be improved. Because every 20 minutes traffic jams on both sides of the level crossing, and this situation could soon worsen again. Because the Free State is planning to introduce 15-minute intervals on the S 7 route. “Then the cars get stuck in traffic more often,” said CSU district councilor and former mayor Ursula Mayer in the committee. According to her, the best solution to the traffic problems in the community is still a bypass in the north in order to relieve the east-west axis in the town. “Unfortunately, the neighboring community of Hohenbrunn is not involved,” said Mayer. And neither is the district, replied District Administrator Göbel, because here too the costs for the district are too high. And the majority of the district council see it that way.
Further talks are now to be started with the municipality and the Free State of how things should proceed with the level crossing. All hopes in the southeastern district and the municipalities on the S 7 are still on the double-track expansion of the S-Bahn line and a possible lowering not only in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn. “But I will probably not experience that again,” said Mayer, referring to the long planning times for such projects.
There are only two underground S-Bahn stations outside the state capital: the Ismaning station, which opened in 1992, and the Unterföhring tunnel station, which opened in 2005. Both stops were controversial, especially the Deutsche Bahn had long refused to take over the costs for the underground stops. Both could only be realized because the municipalities agreed to contribute to the construction costs to a not inconsiderable extent. That this could also happen in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn is not to be expected in view of the tight budget situation of the community.
In the committee, FDP district councilor Manfred Riederle also made the district responsible. Not only should each level crossing be considered individually, said the Liberal, but rather the district office should show where in the entire district and in which municipalities there is a need for action. This also applies to the north and the municipalities of Unter- and Oberschleißheim, said Riederle. There, regional and freight traffic in particular has increased enormously. District Administrator Göbel replied that this is already being done. However, the district in Höhenkirchen-Siegertsbrunn is of course directly responsible. “It’s just a county road, and as a district we are simply responsible as road construction authorities and have to take care of it.” That something will happen quickly at this point – but not even former Mayor Mailer will believe.