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“The ÖBB has repeatedly assured that it has surveyed the area and found no beetles there. Now, however, experts have shown a substantial population of the cesspool beetle,” said Wilfried Rogler, who advises the citizens’ initiative “Aktion Lebenswerter Flachgau, “at one Thursday press conference.
It is clear to him that the federal railroad test drilling planned for October will not be allowed to take place. “If the ÖBB ignores the appearance of the beetle, it is violating not only the Salzburg Nature Conservation Law, but also EU law.” Rogler now sees an opportunity to pause to reflect and discuss other variants of the tunnel.
Concern about water sources
Opponents of the project, who are fundamentally in favor of shifting traffic to rail and improving local public transport, also criticized the planned reduction of groundwater by about 15 meters for construction. Construction geologist Georg Spaun called for more geological investigations in the area of construction equipment. He fears that the selected route and the drying up of the springs will endanger the supply of drinking water. “According to ÖBB, the tunnel is supposed to pass under the water-bearing layers. But we know very little in detail about the origin of the water.”
ÖBB wants to store the tunnel excavated in Köstendorf
On September 9, the ÖBB announced that it wanted to dispose of most of the excavated material for the planned tunnel near the construction site in the Köstendorf district of Karlsreith. In about 40 hectares there will be more than two million cubic meters of material excavated in tunnels. Back then, the Federal Railways spoke of an ecological solution, technically feasible and at the same time cheaper.
Western route transportation is significantly more expensive
After the originally planned landfill at Steinbachgraben in Upper Austria could not be approved due to the presence of protected stone crabs, six variants were examined. Transporting the material by train would not only have required a different location for the landfill, but would have further overloaded the already heavily used western route. Furthermore, rail transport would have cost around € 100 million more than the now chosen location in Karlsreith. The ÖBB wants to send the landfill for an environmental impact assessment (EIA) before the end of the year.
Life cycle assessment, construction noise and traffic
Today, Rogler is referring to the EIA application, which mentions up to 900 truck trips per day during the construction period. “So far there is no conclusive transport concept from the ÖBB.” Also missing is a human medical report on noise and dust exposure during the 17-year construction period, and an ecological balance sheet for the construction project.
“We would be in favor of a sensible general concept, not a singular project that should save four minutes of time.” Because a bottleneck in front of the planned tunnel is not taken into account in planning. “First the freight train brakes, then accelerates again in the tunnel, to brake again just before the main station in Salzburg, because there a curve only allows 80 or 90 kilometers per hour.”
Rare cesspool beetle in Salzburg
As beetle expert Jonas Eberle from the University of Salzburg explained on Tuesday, the black ground beetle is one of the largest and most magnificent beetles in the country. It lives in spring swampy forests with permanently clean water and wood, an environment that is vital for it to survive. However, this habitat for the beetle has become very scarce recently. More recently, there were only six records in all of Salzburg where this beetle is found. “That is why the species is also included in the EU Habitats Directive.”
ÖBB reacts to neighbors
The ÖBB reacted to the discovery of a protected pit beetle population across the EU at the site of a planned tunnel portal in the Flachgau region of Salzburg. “From our point of view, we have presented an environmentally friendly project. In preparation for the environmental impact assessment, extensive maps of flora and fauna were created on behalf of the ÖBB,” said ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG at a release.
At the time of the surveys, there was no evidence of the pit beetle either in the area of the east portal, in the area of the construction site facilities, or in the planned landfill. “In the hydrology department, too, extensive exploratory results are available for drinking water sources in the project area,” the company said, responding to residents’ fears that construction could affect drinking water supplies. for the population.
EIA procedure for megaprojects
“The project is currently being examined as part of an EIA procedure by experts on behalf of the competent authority. Possible new findings can be presented to the authority during the EIA. The experts must then evaluate them,” the statement read.
The demand for a “more sensible general concept” by the opponents of the project was rejected today by ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG. The strategic orientation was based on the “Zielnetz 2025+”, the expansion strategy for the development of the railway infrastructure. The priority requirement is the four-way expansion of the western line around metropolitan areas.
(Those: APA)
