Anyone who travels by train can report many annoyances, be it canceled, delayed or insufficiently clean trains. In the larger community, however, trouble can sometimes begin before the platform is even reached – because you may not be able to reach it. Those who are not so good on foot, with a lot of luggage or with a stroller often face the problem that the elevators do not work. But that should now be over, the lifts at the stations in Baldham and in Vaterstetten will be renewed. However, as is not unusual in railway matters, it will take some time before the time comes.
The story of the annoyance about the train elevators has been going on for a while, since 1986 to be precise. At that time, the S-Bahn stations were rebuilt and equipped with elevators as part of the route expansion and the introduction of the 20-minute cycle. At that time, the municipality had committed itself to its maintenance by contract with the railways – strictly speaking, there is only one for Baldham station, but the one in Vaterstetten has since been maintained at the municipality’s expense.
The old systems are becoming more and more of a financial burden for the community
Which, as the head of the building authority Brigitte Littke explained in the most recent meeting of the municipal council, was adopted at the time because there was still no general obligation on the part of the railways for barrier-free access to the stations. However, this voluntary service has become a very expensive affair in recent years. Between 2016 and 2022 alone, the municipality had to spend a total of 143,295 euros on repairing and maintaining the two lifts.
According to the opinion of an expert last year, these high costs resulted from the wear and tear of the systems over the years. At that time, the expert registered, among other things, major damage to the control system, which is why there are regular failures – and complaints from passengers. The car and shaft end doors are also clearly worn. According to the expert, both this and the control system would have to be completely renewed.
The new systems should also be resistant to vandalism
Appropriate operating elements and complete electrical wiring would have to be installed when the elevator control system was renewed. The expert also recommends that the new shaft doors be installed in a vandalism-resistant design, which would require a complete overhaul. This is against the background that in the past the two elevators had been vandalized from time to time.
However, according to the commissioned expert, these measures are not enough. As the town hall administration writes in its statement, the expert assumes “that the elevator systems can no longer be used and that the two elevators must be replaced as a matter of urgency”.
Which prompted the municipality to withdraw from the contract concluded with Deutsche Bahn in 1986, “since the renewal or replacement of the elevator systems goes beyond pure maintenance measures and, at the end of the so-called life cycle, it can no longer be a task for the municipality.” , the administration continues. Which is why Mayor Leonhard Spitzauer (CSU) conducted contract negotiations with the railways a good two years ago.
In the future, the railways will be responsible for the lifts and for their renewal
The result now presented is that the railway, specifically its subcontractor “Station & Service AG”, should be completely responsible for the elevators in the future. The “duty to renew” is expressly included, meaning that the railways must ensure that the decrepit lifts are replaced. The municipality is only responsible for part of the maintenance of the pedestrian underpasses, specifically the care of the paths through the tunnels, including the walls and stairs.
The Baldham lift won’t come until 2024.
(Photo: Peter Hinz-Rosin)
The replacement of the elevators is then expected to begin in the autumn of next year. According to Bahn, the Vaterstetten lift is to be renewed in the third quarter of 2023, and the facility should then be usable by the end of the year. The passengers in Baldham have to wait a little longer, the corresponding contract is still being finalized, but according to the administration, the station & service has planned a renewal and commissioning by mid-2024. From the 2025 budget, the costs for the elevators at the train stations would have been settled for the municipality.
There was no need for discussion or dissenting votes on the subject in the municipal council.