Augsburg (dpa / lby) - In view of the continuing massive problems with the railway company Go-Ahead in Swabia, Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) is now pushing for a quick improvement in the situation in the interests of passengers. "It is simply unacceptable that brand-new rail vehicles are not suitable for winter and are left on the open track when the temperature is below zero," he said on Tuesday. The Bavarian Railway Company (BEG) is already holding crisis talks with those involved. The BEG plans, finances and controls the Bavarian regional and S-Bahn traffic on behalf of the Free State.
Due to defects that have not yet been finally clarified, only around half of the 56 vehicles from Go-Ahead are currently operational. The BEG supports Go-Ahead at short notice together with other railway companies in order to procure replacement vehicles for the defective Siemens trains. "Unfortunately, there have been technical problems with new vehicles all over Germany in recent years," said Bernreiter and criticized: "This is increasingly becoming a structural problem for the entire industry, which in the end the passengers have to pay for."
Bernreiter also described the passenger information provided by Go-Ahead as "completely unacceptable". "Passengers received no reliable information either on the trains or on the digital information channels." This is a particular annoyance in the cold temperatures. As part of the quality measurement system, Go-Ahead was threatened with fines for failing to do so.
The white and blue trains of the railway operator Go-Ahead started at the timetable change on December 11 in the Augsburg area, including on the route to Munich. According to the information, Go-Ahead has been responsible for the regional train lines in Bavaria in the E-Netz Allgäu between Munich and Lindau since December 2021. According to the ministry, operations there stabilized relatively quickly after minor initial difficulties.
