Nuremberg (dpa/lby) - The three locations near Nuremberg planned for the new ICE maintenance workshop are not spatially compatible according to a legal examination by a law firm commissioned by opponents. "The project is opposed to mandatory provisions of water, nature and habitat protection law," said the law firm Baumann Rechtsanwälte from Würzburg on Thursday. "The environmental compatibility study submitted by DB Fernverkehr AG is incomplete and technically and methodologically incomprehensible in many areas," the law firm commissioned by the "Reichswald-stay" citizens' initiative said in a statement. The railway initially did not comment on the study by the lawyers.
The areas affected are largely in the Bannwald area. Specifically, the lawyers describe the "permanent loss of forest, including its recreational and climate functions for the Nuremberg region, as well as sensitive habitats for animal and plant species" on an area the size of 50 to 60 football pitches.
A regional planning procedure by the government of Middle Franconia has been running since the beginning of May. Affected municipalities, authorities, associations and citizens had the opportunity to comment until Thursday. This is followed by a "state planning assessment" by the government. The result is included, for example, in the planning approval process or the building permits.
The new workshop capacities are necessary because the number of passengers in long-distance traffic is expected to increase and, according to Bahn, there is currently only an efficient location in Munich in south-eastern Germany. At the same time, the plant must be as close as possible to Nuremberg Central Station so that the trains lose as little time as possible between deployment and maintenance.
