Mayor Ulrich Stücker wishes to discuss own ideas for the line

Wiehl. The Mayor of Wiehl, Ulrich Stücker, gave an outline of his strategy for dealing with the long-disputed Wiehltalbahn line in his speech on the budget for 2017. According to that, he foresees a "great importance of this railway infrastructure for town development policies".

The line is owned by the town and connects the districts of Weiershagen, Bielstein, the centre of Wiehl and Oberwiehl. "The basis of the appropriate jurisdiction is for us to accept that a long-term preservation of this railway line must be assumed.", Stücker told the town councillors. "One or two may disagree this but it is regarded as more imperative to see the chances that may be coupled with the route of the railway line." By that the mayor confirms the town's new mindset, which represents a turning away from the policy of confrontation of former years. Stücker envisions a utilization strategy which is more than the occasional tourist train rides as currently offered by the 'Society For The Preservation Of The Wiehltalbahn' and the 'Rhine-Sieg-Railway (RSE)'. He did not become more concrete: "It's only common decency to discuss the actual municipal ideas and approaches with the railway partners first."

Mayor Stücker wants to invite the 'Rhine-Sieg-Railway (RSE)' and the 'Society for the Preservation Of The Wiehltalbahn' for talks that will be chaired by the "NRW-Bahnflächengesellschaft (BEG; the railway area organisation of North-Rhine-Westphalia). The "considerable potential for the town" and possible utilisation will be discussed in these talks.

One or two may regret this, but it is rather regarded as imperative to see the chances that may be coupled with this course of the line.

By REINER THIES

Source: 'Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger – Oberberg' of December 14th, 2016