Ingolstadt (dpa / lby) – Regardless of possible significant cost increases, Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder has unreservedly committed to the planned second S-Bahn trunk line in Munich – and also sees the federal government as responsible. “We stand by it, we are committed, and we want to make it a success in the end,” said the CSU leader on Saturday at a party conference of the Upper Bavaria-CSU in Ingolstadt. He sees the federal government as having a duty to share in the impending additional costs. There is a contract in which a division of the costs – 60 percent the federal government, 40 percent the Free State – is agreed. And there is no mention that this would only apply to a certain fixed amount, stressed Söder.
The trunk route is important for the entire Upper Bavarian region. “And Upper Bavaria is the economic heart of Bavaria.” That’s why you’ll see where you can save and how you can speed things up if necessary – because longer construction times mean higher costs. But such projects, which are important for decades, cannot be canceled for fear of public opinion and “throw away” the problems of the next generation.
Söder therefore strictly rejected a construction freeze. Then you would have to spend two billion euros just “for the filling”, in the end three billion – and that “for nothing”. Or the Free State may end up having to spend four or five billion – and that’s for future generations to have optimal transport connections.
Most recently, the news caused a stir that the Bavarian Ministry of Transport assumes that the costs for the construction of the second S-Bahn tube in Munich will increase 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. The construction is a joint project by Deutsche Bahn, the Free State of Bavaria, the City of Munich and the Federal Republic of Germany, among others. For its part, the railway has not yet published any new figures or details.
