Munich (dpa / lby) – Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) also stands by the previous financing plans in view of a possible cost explosion on the main route in Munich. “We pay 60 percent of the eligible costs,” he told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” in an interview (Saturday). There is “no financial problem, the means are there”.
According to new estimates, the costs for the construction of the second S-Bahn tube will increase from 3.85 to up to 7.2 billion euros. In addition, the commissioning of the central route through Munich city center could be delayed from 2028 to 2037. That is why a dispute broke out between the federal government and the Free State of Bavaria and the city of Munich about the future of the project.
With regard to possible additional costs, the minister said that if these were caused by price increases in the construction industry, then this would be covered by the GVFG. “And we are only allowed to pay if the cost-benefit ratio is right. We are only allowed to support projects that make economic sense.”
Wissing also said that Bavaria had made a binding commitment to “finance the project through”, so there was no risk that the project would be stopped halfway for financial reasons. “The federal government only gives money if it is ensured that there will be no ruins in the end.”
Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) recently strictly rejected a construction freeze and stated that the federal government and Bavaria would have to share the additional costs in the agreed ratio of 60 to 40.
