Brandenburg’s Transport Minister Guido Beermann (CDU) is also calling for improvements to the railway in view of the temporary failure of the busy regional express RE1. “The situation around the RE1 route is currently unacceptable, especially for commuters. My ministry is in talks with everyone involved,” said Beermann when asked. “Once again, there are deficits in the coordination and information about such construction measures at DB.” The Association of German Property Users (VDGN) complained about the chaotic conditions for commuters in the Berlin area and called for a crisis summit of the state governments of Berlin and Brandenburg.
The Ostdeutsche Eisenbahngesellschaft Odeg, which operates the RE1, which is important for the region, informed on Maundy Thursday about the expansion of construction work by Deutsche Bahn on the route from Berlin-Ostkreuz to Frankfurt (Oder). From April 7th to April 21st there will be no train service between Berlin Ostkreuz or Erkner and Frankfurt (Oder) or Eisenhüttenstadt/Cottbus due to construction work by DB Netz AG. Passengers have to switch to buses.
Deutsche Bahn defended its actions. “We regret that due to the complexity of the planning and coordination in connection with the bundling of the various works, information about the effects in this case could only be provided at short notice,” said a spokesman. “We apologize for the additional inconvenience caused by the short notice. In the end, however, expanding the maintenance work at short notice is the path of least restriction for the passengers.” DB also pointed out that it announced the construction work in February. However, this only affected the Berlin-Ostbahnhof and Fürstenwalde route from March 24th to April 21st.
Beermann calls for closer consultation
The transport minister called on all federal companies – i.e. not only DB but also the Autobahn GmbH des Bundes – to coordinate more closely. “In addition, the federal companies must coordinate their construction projects better on the various modes of transport, road and rail, and inform all those involved, in particular the transport companies affected and, above all, passengers, in good time,” said Beermann. “The focus of all planning must be the mobility of road users.”
The President of the Association of German Property Owners, Jochen Brückmann, said about the railway problems on Thursday: “The strategy announced by DB of bundling construction measures has proven to be a failure in practice.” agree to mitigate damage.
“Many of our members live in the Berlin area and as commuters are dependent on stable and predictable transport connections to and from Berlin.” The association complained that the chaos had increased due to the simultaneous blocking of the S-Bahn route to Erkner. (dpa)
