Disruptive factor: Again and again there are neuralgic weak points in the S-Bahn network. Here workers repair a switch near the Hackerbrücke.
© Achim Schmidt
The ticket prices are proud. But in terms of reliability, the Munich S-Bahn has a black series. There is pressure from the Ministry of Transport: the weak point is the infrastructure.
Munich – delays and cancellations – that’s what the commuters with the Munich S-Bahn * last experienced in series. Now there is an official complaint: The Bavarian Railway Company (BEG), which manages rail traffic on behalf of the Ministry of Transport, complains about the railway: “The current operational quality of the Munich S-Bahn is unsatisfactory for the BEG and is below the target values.”
The rail subsidiary DB Netz in particular is at the center of criticism. “A large proportion of delays and train cancellations were caused by impairments in the infrastructure.” In particular, the control and safety technology leaves something to be desired, writes BEG Quality Manager Wolfgang Oeser. Disturbances of signals and switches are also increasing. In addition, the usual incidents such as “people on the track” and vehicle breakdowns are listed.
Munich: reliability of the S-Bahn worse than in previous years
At the request of our newspaper, the BEG determined the punctuality values. In October this fell to 90.7 percent. That means that every tenth train was late. In the first week of November (November 1 to 7), punctuality fell to 87.8 percent. The values are far worse than in previous years. In 2016, for example, the S-Bahn achieved an annual punctuality of 96.4 percent, in 2017 it was 95.6 percent. Failing trains were and are not counted in these statistics.
Delay means: a train was at least three minutes late at certain counting points. The BEG has tightened the value: In the past, a train only counted in the delay statistics if it was delayed by six minutes or more.
It was particularly blatant on October 25th, a Monday: During repair work in the S-Bahn tunnel between Ostbahnhof and Rosenheimer Platz, workers damaged a cable. From the start of operations, the S-Bahn was only rough. Many trains only ran on the outer branches, you had to change trains in Pasing or Ostbahnhof.
A mobility researcher recently explained how to motivate more people to switch to public transport:
Munich: soon fewer train cancellations and delays? The prognosis is bleak
The S-Bahn now receives the receipt for the series of breakdowns: There are contractual penalties, so-called penalties. The BEG does not provide any information about the amount. But she reports that self-inflicted train cancellations as well as deviations from the regular train formation – if an S-Bahn consists of only two instead of three units – are additionally sanctioned.
The BEG report does not bode well for the future: There is a backlog of construction work in Bavaria. This “will remain at a high level in the next few years”. In plain language: Commuters will have to live with infrastructure disruptions.
Meanwhile, the MVV tariffs are to be revised and a ticket developed that includes the new working models with home office. This is what the ÖDP and Munich List demand in an application. Our Munich newsletter informs you regularly about all the important stories from the Isar metropolis. Sign up here. * tz.de / muenchen is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
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