In many regions of Lower Saxony, commuters and schoolchildren still have to be prepared for train delays and train cancellations. “The situation is very unsatisfactory overall. Only a few routes run relatively smoothly,” said Malte Diehl, state chairman of the Pro Bahn passenger association for Lower Saxony and Bremen, the German press agency. According to the association, the staff shortages due to Corona are only one of several problems. For example, the number of staff in key areas such as the signal boxes has been very thin for years, said Diehl. In addition, billions would have to be invested in infrastructure. Many main routes are permanently overloaded because of the dense occupancy with trains.
From this Tuesday after the autumn holidays in Lower Saxony, many children and young people will once again be dependent on getting to school by train and bus. Parents can’t always spontaneously jump into the car and drive when trains are canceled.
In the past few weeks, for example, the Northwest Railway and the companies Erixx and Metronom have announced that connections have to be canceled because train drivers and other employees are ill. Customers are advised to obtain information on the website of the railway companies or via app before starting their journey.
“With Start Niedersachsen-Mitte, Transdev, erixx and Metronom, the district of Hildesheim is home to four railway companies that are currently suffering from massive problems,” said Diehl. “I see a similar situation in the Heidekreis, which is only served by Start, and around Hameln, where Start and Transdev operate.” The routes of the Northwest Railway between Wilhelmshaven, Bremen, Oldenburg and Osnabrück in the so-called Weser-Ems diesel network are also very vulnerable.
The Pro Bahn passenger association hopes that the red-green state government will focus more on local public transport. “New impetus is needed,” emphasized Diehl. In the years of the grand coalition of SPD and CDU, there was largely a standstill, he criticized. For example, far too few closed routes and stations have been reactivated.
Passenger Association Pro Bahn Landesnahverkehrsgesellschaft Niedersachsen for the expansion of rail routes
