Sometimes only one wagon in use Passengers criticize delays of trains in Bonn
Bonn · Again, passengers criticise the Stadtwerke Bonn for delays of trains and buses in Bonn. Individual light rail vehicles were at times travelling with only one wagon after accident damage.
There is hardly a day when bus and rail customers do not complain to their GA travelcard about delays and cancellations in public transport. One reader complains that for quite a while the trains of lines 63 and 66 were only running with one car.
As a result, they were quickly full to bursting at the seams, especially during rush hour, and some passengers were not taken on board. Another criticized that on Rose Monday and Violet Tuesday, there were cancellations and delays, especially on the routes of lines 16 and 63.
It was true that in individual cases, light rail vehicles were used in single-traction for about two weeks, Stadtwerke spokesman Michael Henseler confirmed in response to a GA inquiry. The reason for this was a short-term increase in repair work after accidents with material damage.
When light rail vehicles are involved in accidents, the repair of damage takes longer than when buses, for example, have to be repaired. "The affected trams are then taken out of service and only put back into service once they have been repaired and tested as fit for operation".
In operational terms, care was taken to run only single-traction routes where the frequency was very high and alternative lines would run the same route. "This is the reason why mainly single traction was used on line 63 (alternative line 16).
In one exception, one journey on line 66 was also affected. The alternative to a journey in single traction is the cancellation of a complete run. "This is something we were determined to avoid at all costs." All affected railway cars have now been repaired and are back in operation, Henseler assured.
16 drivers off sick during carnival
In response to criticism about the delays and cancellations, especially on the railway lines on the two carnival days, the municipal utilities said that no less than 16 drivers - a total of 750 drivers are now employed by the SWB - had called in sick on Carnival Monday and Carnival Tuesday. "This could not be completely compensated for by the reserves", Henseler's colleague Veronika John apologized on behalf of SWB for the recent problems with the bus and train.
Anja Wenmakers, managing director of SWB Bus und Bahn, also referred to the special incidents on Rose Monday. Especially on that day, she explained, there had been major delays due to the very high number of passengers and various police operations on the route between Bonn and Cologne.
As reported, a 20-year-old woman was killed in an accident on Rose Monday afternoon in Cologne at Barbarossaplatz when she fell under an outgoing light rail. The accident had far-reaching consequences for all light rail traffic, including between Cologne and Bonn. Original text: Lisa Inhoffen Translation: Mareike Graepel
