Light rail planning is causing unrest: retailers and restaurants in the outcry!

Light rail planning is causing unrest: retailers and restaurants in the outcry!

In the Ludwigsburg district there is resistance to the planned light rail, especially from the inner city association “Luis”. In a recently published statement, the association expressed concerns about the newly planned stop at the west exit of the station. The fears are reflected in the general mood, which generates more criticism than anticipation. Another indication of this is the criticism from retailers and restaurateurs, which not only comes from the city leadership and the local council, but also comes from the local business community. The inner city association has sent a four-page statement to Mayor Dr. Matthias Knecht and the local council wrote a letter that clarified the concerns.

The Stadtbahn association, under the leadership of Michael Ilk, had originally hoped for progress in the planning. An event in January 2022 at which Mayor Dr. Knecht and Mayor Sebastian Mannl were present to provide the local council with important information and answers to questions. However, business and public concerns appear to be overshadowing the positive progress.

Public discussion and timing

In order to take the public discussion into account, a decision on the light rail project should be made in the first half of 2022. The importance of this matter was emphasized during the event as it was intended to serve as preparation for the upcoming discussion in the local council. In the original planning, the preliminary and main engineering planning was planned for mid-2022 in order to create the basis for a transport benefit-cost analysis. To define the light rail network, various alternatives were examined.

The association has carried out a potential analysis for alternative southern route variants, which outline the following three routes:

• Pattonville über Grünbühl-Sonnenberg
• Ludwigsburger Südstadt mit Karlshöhe und Evangelischer Hochschule
• W&W Campus

The results of the study show that the traffic load of the southern variants is comparable to the previous variant through Hindenburgstrasse.

In view of these developments, it is essential that the concerns of citizens and business people are taken seriously in order to find a constructive solution for the light rail project in the Ludwigsburg district. The next steps must be carefully considered to take into account both the interests of the public and those of urban development.