About seven hours were scheduled for the elevator work. The workers, who build around 60 such elevators every year, worked at a quick pace thanks to their efficient routine: After a good three hours, they were already finished and left without incident. This also kept traffic disruptions to a minimum. Quantiusstrasse was closed to Bonn public buses because a crane was blocking the route. The crane was used to lift the scaffolding into the shaft. It had been delivered by a truck.

Since April, the elevator that connects the passenger underpass with Quantiusstrasse has been out of service. This has affected access for wheelchair users. But even before that, the elevator had been a source of regular complaints. It repeatedly caused problems and sometimes broke down for several days. For DB, this was reason enough to "replace it in rotation," as a spokesman for the company explained. Around 400,000 euros was invested for that purpose.

According to Deutsche Bahn, the remaining components for the new elevator will be installed next month. The reason why the replacement is taking so long is that the entire machine technology is a special design. The elevator should be up and running again by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, there is a petition in the Bonn district council for the former DB parking garage on Quantiusstrasse. As reported, the structure, which was acquired by the Frankfurt-based project developer GBI Holding AG, is to be demolished. Originally, a hotel with underground parking was planned, but instead there is now to be a high-rise garage, with the height to be in line with neighboring buildings.

According to the resolution from the CDU party, the new parking garage will not be used exclusively for cars. It should also have space for more than 1,000 bicycles. "After the car and bicycle parking garage has been built, all bicycle parking facilities on Quantiusstrasse will be removed and these areas will be used in the future for outdoor gastronomy and as short-term stopping bays for the pick-up and drop-off of DB users or for deliveries to local businesses," the proposed resolution reads. This would also mean that there would be fewer thefts and punctured tires there in the future. The new short-term stopping bays are to be designed in such a way that they can also be used for this purpose in case a temporary alternative to train service is needed.

Regardless of the closure, there are always traffic jams and wrangling these days. Because of track renewal at the LVR-Klinik, trams from line 61 will only run as far as Poppelsdorfer Allee until Saturday. In order to be able to turn back then, the trams drive a short distance into the south underpass, the driver turns on the hazard lights and changes the car he is in. Buses have to wait for this to happen, but some impatient drivers try to squeeze through next to the train in the direction of the main station. According to Stefanie Zießnitz of the Bonn public utility company, a minor accident occurred shortly before 11 a.m. on Thursday in which a car was scratched - the first incident since October 9. Investigating the accident took a long time, "why, we do not know," said the spokeswoman.

(Orig. text: Nicolas Ottersbach, Richard Bongartz / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)