SCANDAL in the Esslingen district: Express bus lines X4 and X7 about to close!

SCANDAL in the Esslingen district: Express bus lines X4 and X7 about to close!

It's a SHOCK for the region: In the heart of Baden-Württemberg, where over 530,000 people live in 44 cities and municipalities, the co-financing of the express bus routes X4 and X7 by the Esslingen district was ABSOLUTELY REJECTED! This decision could have devastating consequences for the mobility of the population, which depends on a modern and environmentally friendly connection between Degerloch, Nürtingen and Harthausen. Stuttgarter Nachrichten reports that the district council unanimously voted against the financial resources of 530,000 euros annually decided! This SUM is not just a drop in the ocean, but the COLLAPSE of an entire transport infrastructure that has only been developed since the end of 2018 with the aim of keeping air clean.

INCREDIBLE that despite the increasing number of passengers, the politicians in Esslingen are not prepared to invest. District Administrator Marcel Musolf explained in frustration that the rule “Whoever orders, pays” applies here. Therefore, the population is left behind while other nationwide projects are pushed forward against the backdrop of an impending mobility emergency!

The END is approaching!

Without the urgently needed financial support, there is a risk of a dramatic end to the express bus routes X4 and X7. They are expected to no longer be connected to the network by September 30, 2025! Vehicles could sit idle while citizens struggle to achieve environmentally friendly and reliable mobility. Esslingen district is part of one of the strongest economic regions in Europe - and yet the mobility plans seem to exist on paper at best!

It is becoming increasingly clear that the current state of public transport in Germany is not only critical for financial reasons. As the report by the Association of German Transport Companies shows, the situation is tense. The need for comprehensive modernization is long overdue. The plans for transformation by 2040 are ambitious, but as brutal as the reality is: the Esslingen district is making a fatal mistake if it doesn't invest! VDV predicts a financing requirement of 80 billion euros by 2040 - and that could just be the beginning!

The dramatic alternatives

The district council's decision also has serious implications for the long-term mobility concept. ALTERNATIVES through the existing lines 74 and 77 may not be sufficient to compensate for the deficits. The requested 25% participation by the regional districts was rejected, so that the elimination of the X4 and X7 further weakens the already outdated transport structures.

The citizens of Esslingen are facing a confrontation that could influence events in the region for years. Will they get into their cars in the future as planetary climate change knocks deafeningly on the door? Or will they find the courage to fight for improvements while waiting for politicians to say “there are alternatives”? The decision made today could go down in the annals as a turning point in the mobility history of the Esslingen district.

It's time to open your eyes and act - for effective, sustainable and citizen-friendly mobility in the Esslingen district!