ÖBB disaster: 150,000 euros costs for failed café project!

ÖBB disaster: 150,000 euros costs for failed café project!

Innsbruck, Österreich - The project course of the planned conversion of a historical ÖBB dining car to a café in front of the Federal Railway Directorate in Innsbruck is extremely complicated. According to Krone should already be started in the first week of 2022. The foundation for a planned platform was built and the pit for the wagon was excavated, but a freeze of construction due to internal quarrels within the ÖBB led to massive delays. The official reasons for this were in the lack of vote and not granted permits.

The historical wagon, provided by the railway friends Lienz, plunged into a legal discussion. The construction company, which was entrusted with the work, complained of the ÖBB and was able to win the process. The ÖBB then not only had to pay around 70,000 euros for court and attorney fees, but also beared further costs for construction work that had already been paid, which caused the total damage to around 150,000 euros.

Financial consequences and alternatives

The railway fans had originally requested a lease of 6,000 euros for the wagon, with possible monthly rental income of 1,000 euros. These income is now eliminated because a large ÖBB logo is to be installed for 30,000 euros instead. In addition, one plans to beautify the area through flower pots worth 6,000 euros. This will result in the total costs of the project in three years to over 200,000 euros.

The context of the current infrastructure projects in Austria is no less challenging. In this context, Kurier The criticism of the three-year approval period for some significant projects. According to a report by the Ministry of Climate Protection, the average duration of the procedure for UVP approval procedures is ten months between 2014 and 2023. These delays are partially due to Corona pandemic and the complexity of some processes.

public opinion and citizen participation

Citizens' initiatives have already invested hundreds of hours and money to stop projects such as building up the connecting railway. Instead, they demand the construction of a civil engineering in the form of a tunnel. It is also criticized that citizens have not been integrated into the planning and the design competition was ignored. Official arguments of the ÖBB, according to which the expansion of the connecting railway would bring economic advantages for the region, encounter resistance.

The public discourse situation shows that according to a survey by Bertelsmann Stiftung 89 Percent of the citizens would like more communication opportunities for infrastructure projects. Around two thirds of the respondents would like more active information policy for authorities, while every second respondent is willing to get involved during the planning process. These statistics illustrate the high need for participation and information on the part of the population, which should be of great importance for future projects.

The ÖBB is therefore under pressure not only to solve the approval problems, but also to regain the trust of the residents. Success depends not only on the quick implementation of the projects, but also on a transparent and communicative approach to the planning that the citizens actively incorporates.