Munich (dpa / lby) - At the top-level talks planned for Wednesday on the cost explosion for the second Munich S-Bahn trunk line, Richard Lutz, CEO of the Munich Railway, is also expected. Lutz has promised to come and may also attend the press conference afterwards, said Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) on Tuesday after a cabinet meeting in Munich. He does not expect the "Gordian knot" to be cut at the meeting, said Söder, but emphasized: "I hope for reliable facts."
The Bavarian Ministry of Transport is now assuming that the costs for the construction of the second S-Bahn tube in Munich will rise from 3.85 to up to 7.2 billion euros. In addition, the opening of the central route through the city center could be delayed from 2028 to 2037. However, the railway itself has not yet published any new figures or details. Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) recently said that this could last until the Deutsche Bahn supervisory board meeting in mid-September.
According to Söder, Munich's Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) and 13 district administrators from surrounding districts are also expected to attend the meeting on Wednesday. The Munich City Council also advises beforehand.
The "final decisions" on the further financing of the project should be made by autumn, said Söder. He welcomed the fact that the federal government had now pledged to bear 60 percent of the additional costs. "We want the second main route because it is a project for the next generations," emphasized Söder. But now they no longer want "speculations", but facts. Söder and Bernreiter again categorically rejected a construction freeze.
For some time now, Söder and the state government have also had to defend themselves against allegations that they knew of massive cost increases by 2020 at the latest, but did nothing or informed the public. When asked exactly when he first found out about the cost explosion, Söder did not respond directly on Tuesday. There have always been estimates, but no reliable figures. And "conjectures" are no basis for decisions, the "overall action" can only be based on concrete, reliable figures, he emphasized.
