Train chaos in the Allgäu: Students suffer from constant delays!

Train chaos in the Allgäu: Students suffer from constant delays!

The railway chaos in the Allgäu is not only making waves in the press, but also ensures that students are regularly late for class. Frequent cancellations and delays at Deutsche Bahn are a recurring theme that never seems to end. The way to school from Oy-Mittelberg to Kempten is one of the most challenging, as a video from Bayerischer Rundfunk shows. A family from Pfronten suffers particularly from the constant rail problems. The mother describes the journey to school as stressful, while her daughter complains that she often misses schoolwork because of train delays.

The rail connection between Pfronten and Kempten, part of the Ausserfernbahn, is served every hour by a single-track diesel locomotive - a circumstance that unfortunately often leads to delays. Deutsche Bahn cites the challenging track surface in the Alpine region as the main reason. In fact, the reliability of rail traffic in the Allgäu has deteriorated further in 2024: According to the Bavarian Railway Company (BEG), the Allgäu diesel network has the highest rate in Bavaria with a failure rate of 14.5 percent.

Students and parents suffer

In a country where trains are often relied upon, the situation couldn't be more frustrating. The overall nationwide punctuality rate fell to 85.3 percent, and a significant portion of transport services, namely 8.0 percent, were canceled completely. BEG managing director Bärbel Fuchs describes the current situation as the worst result since regionalization 30 years ago. The children often have to use parent taxis to get to school on time.

The causes of the unreliable rail connections? A lack of skilled workers in workshops and a dilapidated infrastructure lead to unscheduled maintenance, which ultimately leads to the cancellation of train connections or the need for replacement concepts. Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter is calling for urgent investments, especially in rural railway lines, to turn things around. After all, in some sub-networks such as Ostallgäu-Lechfeld the failure rate is comparatively low at just 1.5 percent.

The responsibilities

District Administrator Indra Baier-Müller (Free Voters) is particularly concerned about the misery and has contacted Bernreiter directly to bring about a rethink and an improvement in the situation. What remains disappointing, however, is the fact that there is currently no clear responsibility and children continue to rely on their parents to get to school on time.

The problems seem to be anything but quickly solved. According to reports, a large part of the problems in Bavaria are infrastructural-related, with technical malfunctions on tracks, switches and signaling systems as well as countless construction sites being the order of the day. Where is the solution to the terrible rail chaos that not only affects students, but also commuting workers and travelers? The hope for an early improvement is limited, even if the federal government promises support with the special infrastructure fund.

Those interested can find further information on this Mercury and Allgäu hit.