Funicular Meran-Schenna Optimization Process Starts
Last August, a project for a funicular from Meran to Schenna was worked out by the state administration in coordination with the municipalities of Meran, Schenna and Tyrol. In the run-up, cross-financing was promised due to the financing commitment from the Ministry of Infrastructure. In addition to the direct connection from Meran to Schenna, the project also includes a comprehensive concept for all mobility in the greater Meran area.
Department director Martin Vallazza and the mayors of the municipalities of Meran, Schenna and Tyrol agreed on January 16th on the further course of action for the planning of the railway. "Before we put the further planning out to tender, we want to optimize the current project together with the communities. We have received numerous suggestions from citizens and interest groups, which we will take up," explains the department director. The course for this will be set in the coming weeks. "Not only citizens have contacted us, but also planners and technicians. Both from a spatial point of view and from a technical point of view, there are already a whole series of comments that we want to check carefully," says the department director, who emphasizes
Reducing individual traffic is the primary goal
"We have always called for a reduction in road traffic for Meran. We expect this result from the mobility concept for the funicular, which should be an integral part of the new urban sustainable mobility plan," emphasizes Meran Mayor Dario Dal Medico. The good connection to the future mobility center is just as important as the modernization of the bus fleet to emission-free drives and the optimization of the route network.
Schenna's Mayor Annelies Pichler emphasized the opportunity for this project as a future-oriented transport alternative. "We would like to clarify a few more details in the course of further planning and also involve our citizens and the landowners," said the mayor. Therefore, a mobility concept for the entire community will be developed in parallel.
The reduction of individual passenger traffic is also the most important concern for the mayor of the municipality of Tyrol, Erich Ratschiller. "We need technical solutions for integrating Dorf Tirol into the mobility concept in the greater Meran area. At the moment, this has not yet been satisfactorily regulated," said the mayor. In addition, the community wants to have a say in the routing, because a large part of the route runs on Tyrolean territory.
The optimization process now planned will start parallel to the sustainable mobility plan of the municipality of Meran, as the project will be an integral part of the plan. "We have agreed between the state and the municipalities to design all further planning steps in a participatory manner. We are aware that the short period of time last August did not make this fully possible. Now, on the other hand, we are taking the time to examine the various suggestions in more detail have already reached us," concludes Vallazza. The next technical meeting will be held as early as next week, and the participatory iter for the funicular will also start with the start of the mobility plan in Meran at the end of January.
