Nighttime construction on the S13 stretch German Rail pays for residents to stay in hotel
BEUEL · It will get quite loud along the S13 route in Beuel this week. German Rail has scheduled some urgent nighttime work on the tracks. In this case, it is required to pay alternative accommodation for residents affected.
This week there will be a lot of noise in the immediate vicinity of the S13 railway line and right outside the front window of the Kirmis family. But resident Claudia Kirmis says they can live with the noise, "So far we haven't had any sleepless nights." In the process of extending the S13 line, Deutsche Bahn (German Rail) has announced that urgently required work will be completed over three nights. "We have moved the work to the hours between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. in order to minimize disruptions to travel," explains a railway spokesperson. Around 20 employees will carry out severing and welding work on the rails along the line, requiring the use of heavy equipment in some cases.
Kirmis actually finds something positive about the current work. "Because of the construction work, the trains now pass by our house much more slowly at night. Not only does this make less noise, but the vibrations are also much lower," says the resident. She can't complain about the construction workers either. "They are all really very nice and helpful. They always ask if everything is okay. We really have no reason to complain."
Possibility to move into a hotel
Before power generators, cutting and grinding machines could be used for the work on the tracks, the city had to approve the overnight construction measures in advance. The approval was subject to conditions which German Rail had to fulfill. One of them was to offer alternative accommodations to affected residents who requested them. "Due to the equipment used and the proximity to the surrounding residential buildings, adequate night rest is no longer guaranteed," explains Stefanie Zießnitz of the city press office. As a result, local residents must be provided with free, reasonable alternative accommodation for the duration of the work. Need would be determined on an individual basis but Zießnitz emphasized that this obligation did not apply to all nighttime work permits.
The railway has hotel rooms available for those living directly adjacent to the construction area. "We have made this offer to the residents of a total of 22 households. Two will move out on the nights concerned”, according to a spokesperson. Luxury accommodations shouldn’t be expected. "We pay a maximum of 80 euros per night without breakfast," said the railway spokesperson.
As for Claudia Kirmis and her husband, they are not annoyed by the noise so they are not considering a move to temporary accommodations. And if it becomes unbearable, she said they had received a mobile phone number from a railway employee, whom they could call if they changed their minds. 80-year-old Rosemarie Schmitz, who also lives close to the railway, suffers from the noise at night. "I can hear it very clearly. I can't sleep, but I would never leave my apartment," says the 80-year-old. "If necessary, I catch up on my sleep during the day." Her daughter Marion Korth, who lives right next door with her son and grandson, has no problems at all with the situation and will also stay put.
(Orig. text: Gabriele Immenkeppel, Translation: ck)
