The railway plans for the future route to the new Brenner tunnel are heavily disputed around Rosenheim. But the criticism does not lead to a new plan. The company believes that the project will remain unchallenged even in court.
Rosenheim (dpa / lby) - Deutsche Bahn (DB) is sticking to its controversial variant for the so-called northern feeder near Rosenheim. The presentation of the company's plans had caused considerable trouble in the Upper Bavarian area in the summer. However, the criticism does not lead to a rescheduling.
A "stress test" has confirmed the advantages of the previous selection route, the DB has now announced. "From the point of view of the experts and appraisers, all points of criticism were refuted." The railway emphasized that the planned new line would relieve people from noisy freight traffic. Only 28 of the previous 146 freight trains would remain on the existing railway line. The preferred route has the "best cost-effectiveness ratio".
The railway had excluded four other variants examined. It is about new tracks between Ostermünchen in the district of Rosenheim and Grafing in the district of Ebersberg. Local residents and politicians in the region had protested against the determination of the DB. "We are appalled at the arrogance and ignorance with which the railways ignore the joint proposals from the district council, municipalities, committed citizens and agriculture for an expansion close to the existing stock," said Ebersberg District Administrator Robert Niedergesäß (CSU).
After this criticism, the railways had promised another "open-ended review". The railway emphasized that the route selection process for the Grafing-Ostermünchen section was now complete. "From DB's point of view, the result will withstand both the subsequent planning approval process and a legal review."
This week, the government factions in the state parliament in Munich made it clear again that they prefer a route other than the train. The CSU demanded that the DB should reprioritise the planned route for the northern access to the Brenner. The Free Voters faction emphasized that it is important that such a project is accepted by the local people. Both parties spoke out in favor of the variant, which is strongly based on the previous railway line.
The route, which is more than 15 kilometers long, will later serve as a feeder to the Brenner Base Tunnel. The tunnel will be built in Austria and Italy and should be ready in about ten years. However, the German route to the tunnel is not scheduled to go into operation until much later, around two decades from now.
