Complete closures in Chiemgau: Construction work on the German rail network will cut Salzburg off from the German rail network for several days. As Deutsche Bahn confirmed, the route between Munich, Rosenheim and Salzburg will be closed from November 23rd to 26th. From November 25th to December 3rd, the alternative route via Mühldorf am Inn will also be closed. The closures affect regional and long-distance traffic, and a number of connections are canceled or rerouted on a large scale.
The planning of the construction work has met with criticism from the Pro Bahn passenger association. “Nobody would accept a motorway if it was completely closed and the diversion route was also closed due to construction work,” the deputy state chairman Marco Kragulji was quoted as saying in a statement. The association accuses Deutsche Bahn of having announced the route closures at too short notice.
In addition, one has the impression that the subsidiary DB Netz, which is responsible for the infrastructure, is “already overwhelmed by the planning of normal construction work”: five different replacement concepts are planned for the construction work planned in the region this fall alone, instead of combining the work sensibly. Pro Bahn also sees the Free State as having a duty, as it ultimately orders local transport. “Bavarian politics has a control and supervisory function towards DB Netz, which it must exercise,” said Kragulji.
Many Christmas markets start in Salzburg and Chiemgau at the end of November. Pro Bahn still advises against traveling to the region. The Südostbayernbahn also recommends on its website to postpone a trip to Salzburg on the weekends November 24th to 26th and December 1st to 3rd. ÖBB states that many of its trains will only run to Salzburg or from there. The Nightjets will be rerouted if possible, and the stop in Salzburg will be omitted. When asked, Deutsche Bahn said it regretted the overlap in the construction work. The work on the alternative route via Mühldorf “could not be unbundled due to resource constraints and the narrow time frame for construction work”.