The assembled mayors of the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen had not kept their anger behind the mountain: Please let the railways tackle the matter cleverly, and do it immediately – this is how mayor spokesman Christian Scheuerer summed up what the mayors said in a nutshell and District Administrator Anton Speer had requested from some high-ranking representatives of the DB Group at a crisis meeting in mid-August. Weekly video conferences were arranged, plus a next meeting six weeks later. This meeting took place on Tuesday, the group sat together in the district office in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. But even after that, according to Scheuerer, “dissatisfaction and disillusionment” continue to prevail. Because from the point of view of the municipalities, nothing has improved in the Werdenfels network since the summer. Rather the opposite.
According to the promises of the railways, many more trains should have been on the road again in the Werdenfels network, which was at times completely disconnected, with the start of school after the Bavarian summer holidays. The main route towards Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which has been completely closed since the fatal train accident from Burgrain in early June, was originally supposed to be operated again for at least three weeks from September 13th, before being closed again and renovated between October 7th and November 13th. But then what the mayors demanded also applied to the railways: Better to be clever right away, and that immediately. So the route is expected to remain closed until mid-November.
“Children and commuters wait in vain at bus stops.”
But at least for the branch lines to Kochel am See, Oberammergau and Mittenwald, normal operation was planned for mid-September. Anyone who wanted to travel further south from Murnau on Wednesday afternoon, for example, did not only have to continue taking the bus in the direction of Garmisch. Direction Oberammergau: replacement service. Garmisch Mittenwald? SEV. Deutsche Bahn is still a long way from the announced normal operation, especially in the Werdenfels region.
For example, the route from Mittenwald to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is important for many commuters and schoolchildren, was closed again shortly after school started, along with the side effects that are now almost familiar, such as a lack of information from passengers and municipalities and a rather unreliable alternative service: “Children and commuters wait in vain at stops because the buses are already full or don’t come at all. Parents’ taxis are organized quickly to bring the children to school safely and on time. Parents act as service staff and instruct the buses, the drivers of which are not familiar with the area.” This is how the 22 mayors now describe the situation in a message after their second meeting with the railway people. The situation is “partly very chaotic”, there is “above all one thing: great confusion”.
In view of all this, mayor spokesman Scheuerer calls trust in the railways “severely damaged”. You help where you can, and you don’t look for someone to blame, but for solutions. But the responsibility lies “solely with Deutsche Bahn”. Scheuerer, who is mayor of Ohlstadt himself, adds that they have to fulfill their original tasks. “If you had to issue a school report for the cooperation, the mayors would say: Deutsche Bahn is making an effort – communication is poor.”