Customers unhappy Defective elevators at Bonn central train station
Bonn · Customers are angry about a series of mishaps at the Bonn central train station. Once again, some elevators are not working. A spokesperson from German Rail apologizes and says improvements are coming.
Elevators in Bonn’s main train station are out of order again. This time, it’s the lifts at Quantiusstraße and at Platform 4. The lift at Quantiusstraße has been defective for several weeks now, says GA reader Wolfgang L. Dohm. According to a spokesman for Deutsche Bahn (German Rail), a lightning bolt hit there on June 20 and since then it has not been working. To the great annoyance of Monika Ibrahim and Helga Kaapke, who on Tuesday morning stood helplessly before the elevator on Quantiusstraße with heavy luggage.
Both women have difficulty walking and use a cane. They need to go to Track 2 to get the train to the airport. “We must hurry,” says Monika Ibrahim, visibly angry. There is nothing they can do but take the stairs. Then they pass a second defective elevator and luckily see something positive; the lift on Track 2 is working. In addition, there is an escalator - but it doesn’t help those in wheelchairs.
As soon as the two women have disappeared, Verena (38) shows up with a baby in a carriage and a toddler on her hand. She stands despondently at the steps to Quantiusstraße, “This is like in Cologne, the elevators are always broken.” Fortunately, another woman offers to carry up the baby buggy. “They should build ramps everywhere,” she recommends.
Wolfgang Dohm knows this scenario all too well. He is handicapped and has written to GA that some of the elevators don’t work for weeks on end, and when one asks the railway staff about it, no one has an answer.
Elevator damaged by lightning strike
In response to a GA inquiry, a spokesperson from German Rail said that the elevator had been so badly damaged by a lightning strike, that short-term repair was not possible. Spare parts had to be ordered and they had not yet arrived. He could not say when the lift would be functioning again. He suggested that anyone needing help should contact the station personnel. They are currently working on the second defective elevator, but he could not say when repairs would be completed.
The spokesperson also said, "In the fourth quarter, we intend to replace the entire elevator system so that we can have an elevator in mint condition." Further, “We apologize to our travelers at this time for the inconvenience.” He referred to the German Rail hotline (0180/651 2512 : 20 cents from a hard line, 60 cents maximum from a cell phone), and mentioned the online service on the internet where travelers can also receive support. The catch: One has to contact them the day before traveling. A test phone call from GA to the hotline revealed: They didn’t know anything on Tuesday about defective elevators. Orig. Text: Lisa InhoffenTranslation: ckloep
