In a resolution, the community sharply criticized the Ministry of Transport. Because since the timetable change, 17 stops in the direction of Freiburg have been eliminated.
The community of Gundelfingen is campaigning for the S-Bahn to stop in Gundelfingen every half hour. In a resolution, the local council calls on the country’s transport ministry to withdraw the deletions “immediately”. “It cannot be that the country invests large sums of money in the electrification of the Elz Valley Railway and an improvement in accessibility and the trains then drive past the citizens! A reverse turnaround in traffic from public transport back to the car cannot be the solution these days,” it says in the resolution. The deteriorated train connections would have shaken the trust of Gundelfingen’s commuters in the state government.
“A reverse turnaround in traffic from public transport back to the car cannot be the solution these days.” Raphael Walz, Mayor
Since the timetable change in December, fewer S-Bahn trains have stopped in town. On weekdays, 17 connections in the direction of Freiburg and 19 connections in the direction of Denzlingen will be canceled. Fewer S-Bahn trains stop in Gundelfingen on weekends. The state justified the decision to thin out the rail cycle by converting the trains. Extendable gap bridges have been installed on the new S-Bahn to facilitate entry. In order to extend and retract these, however, the trains would have to hold in place longer. Because they would slow down the following regional trains and ICEs due to the tight cycle on the “congested Rhine Valley route”, some stops would have to be canceled, said a spokesman for the BZ ministry. In addition, Gundelfingen is well connected to the rail network by regional trains and the S-Bahn.
Local council: The country’s arguments are not valid
In the resolution, the council and administration describe the arguments presented as not valid. The state’s decision was “a slap in the face. The connections of the Elztalbahn must be expanded and not reduced”. After all, the community is making an effort to convince people to switch to public transport. They invest more than 200,000 euros annually in bus transport and participate in rail transport investments through the district levy. Because more and more Gundelfinger would switch to the bike, the car traffic in the village could be easily reduced.
In addition, the reduction in train connections against the background of the corona pandemic is a “health scandal”. The absolutely necessary distance rules could not be adhered to in the already too full moves. After the Elztalbahn had created a little remedy by using longer trains, the efforts are now completely thwarted.
Mayor feels “wiped out”
In order to find a solution, Minister of Transport Winfried Herrmann is to be invited to the next public association meeting of the regional regional transport association in Freiburg, announced Mayor Raphael Walz, who had “felt wiped out” after the previous talks with Ministerial Director Uwe Lahl.
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