Munich U-Bahn
 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Munich |
| Transit type | Rapid transit |
| Number of lines | 8 |
| Number of stations | 96[note 1] |
| Daily ridership | 1,068,490 (2014) |
| Annual ridership | 390 million[1](2014) |
| Website | MVG - U-Bahn... |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 19 October 1971 |
| Operator(s) | Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft |
| Number of vehicles | 572 |
| Technical | |
| System length | 103.1 km (64.1 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) |
| Average speed | 35.6 km/h (22.1 mph) |
The Munich U-Bahn (German: U-Bahn München) system is an electric rail rapid transit network in Munich, Germany. "U-Bahn" is the German contraction for Untergrundbahn or "underground railway". The Munich U-Bahn began operation in 1971.[2] It is operated by the municipally owned Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (the Munich Transport Company) or MVG. The network is integrated into the Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund (the Munich Transport and Tariff Association) or MVV and interconnected with the Munich S-Bahn system. The Munich U-Bahn system currently comprises eight lines, serving 96 stations (100 stations if four connecting/transfer stations are counted twice), and encompassing 95 kilometres (59 mi) of routes.[2]
Contents
Current routes
There are currently eight lines:[2]
The network has 95 kilometres (59 mi) of active route,[2] and 100 stations.[2][note 1] In 2012, 378 million passengers rode the U-Bahn.[2] The trains operate at speeds up to 80 km/h, which is the top speed among German U-Bahns. There is no continuous operation during the night (break from 1 to 4 am, 2 to 4 am on weekends) except on special occasions such as New Year's Eve.
Only one line, the U6, crosses the municipal border to the town of Garching.
Except for the lines U5 and U6, all lines operate completely below ground. U5 only comes above ground at the south terminus Neuperlach-Süd, U6 on the northern section from Studentenstadt (except Garching and Garching-Forschungszentrum stations and tunnels).
There are three "line families", which consist of two lines (not counting peak hour lines) that share a common track in the city centre. The schedules of these lines are coordinated in a way which yields regular train intervals on the common section.
Most stations have two tracks with an island platform between them. Of the single-line stations, only the stations Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (U1), Richard-Strauss-Straße (U4), Neuperlach Süd (U5), Garching-Hochbrück and Nordfriedhof (both U6) have side platforms.
At the junction stations Scheidplatz and Innsbrucker Ring, the four tracks lie in parallel on the same level with two island platforms allowing cross-platform interchange. The stations Hauptbahnhof (lower level), where U1 and U2 branch into two different lines and Münchner Freiheit (U3/U6) also have four tracks, while Implerstraße (U3/U6), Max-Weber-Platz (U4/U5) and Kolumbusplatz (U1/U2) have three: one with a side platform for outbound trains and two with a shared island platform for inbound trains.
Olympiazentrum, Fröttmaning and Kieferngarten also have four tracks each, due to the proximity of the Olympic Stadium, the Allianz Arena football stadium, and the technical base, respectively.
At Hauptbahnhof, there is a second U-Bahn station for lines U4/5 at a higher level, giving a total of six U-Bahn tracks. Sendlinger Tor, Odeonsplatz and Olympia-Einkaufszentrum also each have two stations at different levels being totally distinct stations on their own, connected with each other by escalators and elevators.
Frequency and scheduling
Most lines operate with trains running at intervals of every 5 minutes during peak hours, but due to lines overlapping, a suitable train for a journey can be as frequent as every 2 minutes.[3] Outside of peak times lines operate trains at frequencies of every 10 minutes; however, around the start of operations and after midnight the line frequency decreases to every 20 minutes or more on most lines. Again with line overlap this means that a suitable train will arrive (often much) more frequently.
U1
In 1980, U1 commenced operation together with U8 (now U2). At the beginning it was only operating on a section of U2's track. When the branch to Rotkreuzplatz was opened, it became a separate line.
Today the U1 has a length of 12.2 km. It starts at Olympia-Einkaufszentrum in the district of Moosach. The U3 was extended to the same station (but on a different level) in 2007. On the way south it follows Hanauer Straße to Georg-Brauchle-Ring, which has been designed by Franz Ackermann, reaching Westfriedhof. It continues via Gern to Rotkreuzplatz, which was its terminus from 1983 to 1998. Below the Nympenburger Straße it goes on to Maillingerstraße and Stiglmaierplatz and finally merges into the U2 track at München Hauptbahnhof.
On the busy city section, U1 and U2 run with a 5-minute offset, yielding 5 minute intervals even beyond peak hours. At Central Station, it also crosses the S-Bahn and U4/5. At the next station, Sendlinger Tor, it passes below U3/6. There U1/2 platforms lie in tunnels which are far from each others, the platforms are connected through a pedestrian tunnel.
Fraunhoferstraße, the next station, is also reached in separate tunnels, which had to be excavated using tunneling shields due to the proximity of the River Isar. However, the two tubes are connected by the platform, which demanded large pillars that are characteristic for this station. The next station, Kolumbusplatz, is a junction which has three tracks. Here U1 branches off U2 again.
The southbound branch line was opened in 1997 and traverses the colourful station Candidplatz, eventually reaching Wettersteinplatz. The following station, St.-Quirin-Platz has an extraordinary architecture as it is covered by a large, shell-like structure made from glass and steel, which is drawn nearly down to track level on one side. Below Naupliastraße, there is the terminus of U1, Mangfallplatz.
U2
The route of line U2 has undergone more changes than any of the other Munich underground lines. It also changed its name as it was first called U8. It is the only line that runs or ran on all three "line families" (U1/2, U3/6 and U4/5). Today it has a length of 24.4 km.
U2 starts in the north at Feldmoching, where it connects to the S1 to Freising/Airport. The station there is decorated with rural and urban motives of Feldmoching's history. Below Hasenbergl, a district which was known for its social problems, it goes to Dülferstraße, which provides access to the eastern Hasenbergl and a newly built area on Panzerwiese. Dülferstraße was the terminus from 1993 till 1996.
Via the stations Harthof and Am Hart, U2 reaches Frankfurter Ring. In the tunnel between Am Hart and Frankfurter Ring, there is a white and blue wave pattern, which is the only installation of art in a Munich U-Bahn tunnel outside of stations.
After Milbertshofen station U2 meets U3 at Scheidplatz, where cross-platform interchange is possible. Before the opening of the section to Dülferstraße in 1993, U2 went from Scheidplatz to Olympiazentrum, sharing the track with U3. Through the district of Maxvorstadt U2 continues to downtown Munich, reaching the stations Hohenzollernplatz, Josephsplatz, Theresienstraße und Königsplatz. At Königsplatz one can find artworks from the nearby Glyptothek on the platform.
At München Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Station), U2 meets U1, with which it shares tracks until Kolumbusplatz (see above).
After Kolumbusplatz, U2 reaches the stations Silberhornstraße, Untersbergstraße and Giesing (Bahnhof), where one can change to S7 and S3. The next stations are Karl-Preis-Platz and Innsbrucker Ring, where cross-platform interchange to the U5 is possible. Until 1999, when the branch to the Messestadt stations was opened, the U2 ran from here to Neuperlach.
Via the stations Josephsburg and Kreillerstraße, U2 reaches Trudering, which features two platforms in separate tunnels, connected by two transversal tunnels. In 1994, during the construction of this section, an accident happened: the ceiling of the new tunnel collapsed due to the intrusion of water and a bus fell into the crater. Three passengers died and the construction was delayed.
Via Moosfeld, U2 reaches Messestadt-West and the terminus Messestadt-Ost. These stations are located between the fairgrounds (Messestadt) in the north and a development area and the Bundesgartenschau 2005 in the south.
U3
Construction of line U3 was sped up significantly when Munich became the host city of the Olympic Summer Games 1972. In 1969, the network concept, only adopted one year earlier in 1968, was revised and the U3 was re-cast as a branch of the U6 serving the Olympic grounds. There were two reasons for this decision: (1) there was not enough time to build, as originally planned, a connecting line from Hauptbahnhof (Central station) to Olympiazentrum, and (2) the line via Hauptbahnhof would not have had a connection to the engineering base at Fröttmaning.
Since its introduction in 1972, the northern terminus of the U3 has been Olympiazentrum. This station is fitted out with four tracks which help ease the surges in traffic after major events at the Olympic Park. This station, now known as Olympiazentrum, was originally to be known as "Oberwiesenfeld", and that name is still visible on the western wall of that station, although perhaps not for much longer. In 2007 the line to Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (OEZ), via a new Oberwiesenfeld station (originally called Olympiapark-Nord). The name "Oberwiesenfeld" was given in honor of the site of Munich's first international airport.
Travelling south, the next station is Petuelring, after that the U3 reaches Scheidplatz, where cross-platform interchange to U2 is possible. Trains on both the U2 and U3 are timed to arrive simultaneously here to optimise interchange. Bonner Platz follows and at Münchner Freiheit the U3 joins with the U6 to run parallel as far as Implerstraße.
(See U6 below for the section to Implerstraße)
After leaving the three-track junction station Implerstraße, the U3 reaches Brudermühlstraße, Thalkirchen (Zoo) and Obersendling, which is built 30 metres higher than the Thalkirchen station because it is location on the "Hochufer" (eastern bank) of the River Isar. Here there is also an interchange to the S-Bahn at Siemenswerke station. The U3 continues via Aidenbachstraße and Machtlfinger Straße until reaching Forstenrieder Allee, Basler Straße and eventually the terminus Fürstenried West. This section was opened on October 28, 1989, as can be seen from huge date numbers on the western Obersendling entrance.
On 11 December 2010, the U3 extension from Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (OEZ) to Moosach opened, making those stations the 99th and 100th U-Bahn stations to be opened in Munich. The transportation organisation, MVG, has stated that it has no consideration for any further extensions amongst the U-Bahn lines for the time being. This makes the new U-Bahn Stations, Moosach and Moosacher St.-Martins-Platz, the last ones to be opened until MVG changes its mind with the further extension plans.
U4
With only 9.3 km and 13 stations, U4 is the shortest U-Bahn line. This line has originally been planned as U9 and is the only line that operates with either 2- or 3-train sets rather than the full 3-train set. The exceptions are Fridays in the late afternoon and during the Oktoberfest.
U4 commences in the southwestern area at Westendstraße, which shares with U5 line. Both U4 and U5 are only lines that don't branch out to further stations from the transfer station. U4 was planned to branch out to the district of Blumenau with the stations west of Laimer Platz.
The Heimeranplatz station is connected to the S-Bahn lines S7, S20 and S27.
The U4 line also stops at two stations that serve the Oktoberfest at Schwanthalerhöhe and Theresienwiese. Schwanthalerhöhe was originally called Messegelände (German for fairgrounds) until the fair relocated to Riem in 1998. Between both aforementioned stations, there is a spur that links to Implerstraße for continuing to the depot in Fröttmaning.
Theresienwiese is the only U-Bahn station in Munich to have the command centre booth that is opened during the Oktoberfest for supervising the masses of passengers. The south exit of the station leads to the northern entrance of Oktoberfest. The trains travelling from the east (Arabellapark) often terminate at Theresienwiese rather than continue to Westendstraße even during the peak hours due to low traffic volume between Hauptbahnhof and Westendstraße.
At München Hauptbahnhof (Munich Central Station), the passengers can transfer to U1/U2 lines as well as to all of S-Bahn lines (except S20 which is only S-Bahn line not to serve the Hauptbahnhof). The next station is Karlsplatz (Stachus) with shorter and easier connections to S-Bahn (S1 to S8). Karlsplatz is the lowest station in Munich U-Bahn network (36 metres below the surface). From this point on, the line crosses the "boundary" to the north side of S-Bahn trunk route.
The next station is Odeonsplatz that shares with the U3/U6 lines, and the line continues to Lehel. This line runs under the river Isar to the final transfer station, Max-Weber-Platz. Max-Weber-Platz has three tracks with U4 and U5 sharing the single track while continuing to the east and having separate tracks when travelling west. From there, U4 and U5 branch off to the north and to the south respectively.
The three stations before the terminus at Arabellapark are Prinzregentenplatz, Böhmerwaldplatz, and Richard-Strauss-Straße. The latter one is only station on U4 line to have the platforms on the both sides of tracks rather than in the middle.
The original plan called for continuing to Cosimapark, but it never materialised. The Christian Social Union of Bavaria has called for the U4 extension to Johanneskirchen S-Bahn Station where the passengers can easily transfer to S8 for travelling to the airport. However, the tram line extension from Effnerplatz to St. Emmeram with connection at Arabellapark is being built with planned opening in late 2011, jeopardising the viability of U4 extension to Johanniskirchen.
In the evenings from 20.40 to the closing time, U4 operates between Odeonsplatz and Arabellapark.
U5
U5 currently starts at Laimer Platz, an extension to Pasing or to Blumenau is planned but not to be constructed in the near future. The total length currently is 15.4 km.
Via Friedenheimer Straße, U5 reaches Westendstraße and shares the tracks with U4 to Max-Weber-Platz (see above).
From Max-Weber-Platz, U5 goes south to East Station (Ostbahnhof). There one can change to S-Bahn lines S1 to S8. The next station, Innsbrucker Ring, allows cross-platform interchange to U2.
Via Michaelibad and Quiddestraße U5 eventually reaches Neuperlach Zentrum, which is the centre of the satellite town of Neuperlach built during the 1960s and 1970s. After Therese-Giehse-Allee, U5 comes above ground and reaches the terminus Neuperlach Süd, where it allows cross-platform interchange with S-Bahn line S7. South of Neuperlach-Süd, there is a large parking yard (Betriebsanlage Süd) used to park trains which can't be parked in Fröttmaning or within the network.
U6
U6 is the oldest U-Bahn line in Munich and also features the oldest tunnel built: The tunnel below the Lindwurmstraße (between Sendlinger Tor and including the station Goetheplatz) was already built 1938-1941 as part of a planned S-Bahn network. For this reason, Goetheplatz has a platform longer than 120 m. Today the line has a length of 27.4 km.
U6 starts in Garching-Forschungszentrum and continues via Garching to Garching-Hochbrück. These three stations are outside the city limits of Munich.
The distance of 4.1 km to the next station, Fröttmaning, is the longest distance between stations in Munich's U-Bahn network. Fröttmaning has been expanded to four platforms to cater for the Allianz Arena, built for the 2006 Football World Cup. In Fröttmaning, there is also the engineering base of Munich's U-Bahn. After the next station, Kieferngarten (also four platforms), it passes over a bridge to Freimann and Studentenstadt. Between these two stations there is a connection to mainline railway tracks, which is used to bring new trains into the network. The right of way between the mentioned bridge and Studentenstadt was used by tramway before. This was the only tramway line to be converted to U-Bahn and the last one to be opened before U-Bahn construction began in the late 1960s. The U6 then continues underground for the rest of its journey.
Via Alte Heide, Nordfriedhof (station with side platforms) and Dietlindenstraße U6 reaches Münchner Freiheit, from where it shares tracks with U3.
Via Giselastraße and Universität (University) it reaches Odeonsplatz, passing over U4/5. At Marienplatz it passes under S-Bahn lines S1 to S8. During peak hours, this station is overloaded, which is why additional pedestrian tunnels were built between 2003 and 2006. To dig these tunnels, ground water had to be frozen, which lifted the city hall above a few millimeters.
At Sendlinger Tor the U3 and U6 pass over the U1 and U2. The line now uses the tunnel built in 1941 mentioned above as far as Goetheplatz. The next station, Poccistraße was added later, constructed between the two running tunnels which stayed in operation. At Implerstraße, U3 and U6 separate again. To the north of the station, facing north, there is a branch to U4/5 at Theresienwiese, which is not used for passenger transport.
At Harras U6 meets the S-Bahn lines S7 and S27. The section via Partnachplatz and Westpark to Holzapfelkreuth was constructed for the Internationalen Gartenbauausstellung (IGA) in 1983 as the "flower line", which is reflected in the design of these stations. Via Haderner Stern and Großhadern U6 reaches its terminus at Klinikum Großhadern, where the entrance to the station is covered by a glass pyramid.
U7
This new booster line was opened on 11 December 2011 along with the new tram extension to St. Emmeram. U7 line runs between Westfriedhof and Neuperlach Zentrum via München Hauptbahnhof and Innsbrucker Ring: it shares the lines with U1 (Westfriedhof - Kolumbusplatz), U2 (München Hauptbahnhof - Innsbrucker Ring) and U5 (Innsbrucker Ring - Neuperlach Zentrum).
The stations along U7 line are Westfriedhof, Gern, Rotkreuzplatz, Maillingerstraße, Stiglmaierplatz, München Hauptbahnhof, Sendlinger Tor, Fraunhoferstraße, Kolumbusplatz, Silberhornstraße, Untersbergstraße, Giesing Bahnhof (where one can change to S3 and S7), Karl-Preis-Platz, Innsbrucker Ring, Michaelibad, Quiddestraße, and Neuperlach Zentrum.
U8
This second booster line started its operation on 14 December 2013. The U8 line shares with U2 line on most of the route as to reduce the length of travel, crowding, and required transfer to U3 line between the Sendling Tor and Olympiazentrum with a stop in grand central train station for the concerts, venues, events, and such held there. However, the U8 line is operated only on Saturdays. For the first time since 1988, the unused platforms at Olympiazentrum station will be utilised for U8 service.
The stations along U8 line are Sendlinger Tor, München Hauptbahnhof, Königsplatz, Theresienstraße, Josephsplatz, Hohenzollernplatz, Scheidplatz, Peteulring, Olympiazentrum.
Rolling stock
Munich U-Bahn uses three different generations of electric multiple unit trains. The stock of over 550 trains is shared between all lines.
Class A trains were built between 1967 (prototypes) and 1983. The units consist of two carriages, which always remain coupled in normal operation. The double-carriage units have a length of 37.15 m, a height of 3.55 m and a width of 2.90 m. Each unit has 6 doors per side and a capacity of 98 seats and standing room for 192 passengers. A total of 193 double-carriage units were delivered, 6 units have been sold to Nuremberg U-Bahn, 3 units have been scrapped. Up to three A double-carriage units can be coupled together to form a 3/3 train (Langzug).
Class B trains were built between 1981 and 1994 to provide more stock to service the growing network in the 1980s. As with the class A trains, six prototypes were ordered. However, it took six years until the series production started and the prototypes had to be modified to match the series-production units. B units have the same size as A units but differ in the design (especially of the front window) and use three-phase current instead of direct current motors. The other difference is the door opening mechanism. On B units, the passengers only need to pull just one handle to open both doors rather than both handles as on A units. A total of 63 units were delivered, all of which are still in service. As with A trains, up to three B double-carriage units can form a 3/3 train (Langzug). However, it is not possible to form a mixed train of A and B units, which are not compatible.
Class C units were designed in the late 1990s to replace the A units, the operation of which is no longer cost-effective after 30 years. C units consist of six carriages allowing passage through the whole train. Only the first and last unit have cabs. C units can only operate as 6 unit trains which have the same length as 3/3 trains. 10 trains were ordered without prototype units being previously tested, and these were finally put into service in 2002 after long delays due to technical defects. Eight more units were delivered in the run up to the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
A further 21 six-car "Klasse C" vehicles, designated as C2, were ordered from Siemens Mobility in November 2010.[4] As of May 2015, none of C2 vehicles have entered either limited or regular service. C2 has not obtained the operating certification due to numerous technical defects, which have largely been addressed. In addition to technical defects, a few changes in the federal law had caused some confusions and problems with preparing the necessary documentations for certification process.[5] It is not known when will C2 ever enter the regular service: twelve units have been built and are still at the depots.
Operation
Most lines are serviced by trains of 3 class A or B units or one class C unit (Langzug, "long train") during the day. In the early morning and the late evening, some lines are only serviced with 2 unit trains (Vollzug, "full train") or single unit trains (Kurzzug, "short train")
During the Olympic Summer Games 1972 and the visit of the Pope in 1980, stock from Nuremberg, which was then compatible with Munich's stock, was used in Munich.
All stock has a maximum speed of 80 km/h and can be operated by LZB, which allows short train intervals at distances down to 80 m.
As the control couplings are asymmetric, only units facing in the same direction can be (electrically) coupled. As there is no way to turn units in the network, they are tied to the direction, which is why the different parts are called "north" and "south" carriages.
Accidents
Fortunately, there have been no serious accidents on the Munich U-Bahn. To date only three double-carriage units have been scrapped.
Two double-carriage units were destroyed on 5 September 1983, when a fan cooling the brake system was damaged. The train was taken out of service at Hauptbahnhof and parked on an underground siding track between there and Königsplatz, where it caught fire. Even though the fire brigade were quickly on the scene, the units were damaged beyond repair. Despite the tunnel ceiling being damaged in the incident, operation was quickly resumed.
Another double-carriage unit (one of the former class A prototypes) was damaged on 28 December 1995 during marshalling. It is intended to use the undamaged half of this unit as a display item in the transport department of the Deutsches Museum.
History
Plans for an underground for Munich are quite old. In the 1930s the Nazis forbade the acquisition of new rolling stock for the Munich tramways in order to show how "insufficient" the tram system was. At that time trams were the primary means of public transportation in Munich. The Nazis made ambitious plans to change Munich into their "Reichshauptstadt der Bewegung" (Capital of the movement; the Nazi party had come to existence in Munich). This included the construction of an underground system. In the late 1930s construction started on Lindwurmstraße and Sonnenstraße where Munich's main Lutheran-Protestant church, Matthäuskirche, was torn down because it was supposedly a "traffic obstacle" (so were the main synagogue no far away and the tower of Old Town Hall). Construction was abandoned in 1941 as World War II intensified. After the war reconstruction of the badly damaged tram system took priority. However, even during the 1950s plans were discussed at Munich City Council to run a few of the tram lines underground because the capacity for surface traffic was overstretched. In 1964 plans were, however, changed and it was decided to build a "real" underground.
Work started on 1 February 1965 at Nordfriedhof (North Cemetery) in Ungererstraße. Today a steel girder at the first building site is a monument to Munich's first Underground railway. When the Olympic Games of 1972 were awarded to Munich in 1966, construction was sped up to get the "Olympic" line finished on time. On 19 October 1971 the first line commenced operations between Kieferngarten and Goetheplatz with a total length of 12 km. On 8 May 1972 the line between Münchner Freiheit and Olympiazentrum ("Olympic line") to the Olympic Summer Games 1972 was opened, just 10 days after the Munich S-Bahn commenced operations. To satisfy demand during the Games, some DT1 trains were borrowed from Nuremberg. On 22 November 1975 the extension from Goetheplatz to Harras was opened. The network has been expanded continuously since 1980.
Line chronicle
| Opened | Line | Section | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19 October 1971 | U6 | Kieferngarten - Goetheplatz | 12.0 km |
| 8 May 1972 | U3 | Münchner Freiheit- Olympiazentrum | 4.0 km |
| 22 November 1975 | U6/3 | Goetheplatz - Harras | 2.7 km |
| 28 May 1978 | U6/3 | Poccistraße infill station | 0.0 km |
| 18 October 1980 | U2 (then U8) | Scheidplatz - Neuperlach Süd | 16.0 km |
| 16 April 1983 | U6 (West) | Harras - Holzapfelkreuth | 2.7 km |
| 28 May 1983 | U1 (West) | Central Station - Rotkreuzplatz | 3.3 km |
| 10 March 1984 | U4/5 | Westendstraße - Karlsplatz (4,6 km) + connection tunnel to U6/3 (1,4 km) |
6.0 km |
| 1 March 1986 | U4/5 | Karlsplatz - Odeonsplatz | 0.7 km |
| 24 March 1988 | U4/5 | Westendstraße - Laimer Platz | 1.4 km |
| 27 October 1988 | U5 | Odeonsplatz - Innsbrucker Ring (4.1 km) | 4.1 km |
| U4 | Max-Weber-Platz - Arabellapark (3.6 km) | 3.6 km | |
| End of 1988 | - | Enlargement of Technical Base | 0.3 km |
| 28 October 1989 | U3 (South) | Implerstraße - Forstenrieder Allee | 6.1 km |
| 1 June 1991 | U3 (South) | Forstenrieder Allee - Fürstenried West | 1.9 km |
| 22 May 1993 | U6 (West) | Holzapfelkreuth - Klinikum Großhadern (Großhadern Clinical Centre) | 2.9 km |
| 20 November 1993 | U2 (North) | Scheidplatz - Dülferstraße | 5.0 km |
| 30 June 1994 | U6 (North) | Kieferngarten - Fröttmaning | 1.0 km |
| 28 October 1995 | U6 (North) | Fröttmaning - Garching-Hochbrück | 3.8 km |
| 26 October 1996 | U2 (North) | Dülferstraße - Feldmoching | 1.9 km |
| 8 November 1997 | U1 (South) | Kolumbusplatz - Mangfallplatz | 3.6 km |
| 23 May 1998 | U1 (West) | Rotkreuzplatz - Westfriedhof | 2.0 km |
| 29 May 1999 | U2 (East) | Innsbrucker Ring - Messestadt-Ost | 7.7 km |
| 18 October 2003 | U1 (West) | Westfriedhof - Georg-Brauchle-Ring | 0.8 km |
| 31 October 2004 | U1 (West) | Georg-Brauchle-Ring - Olympia-Einkaufszentrum | 0.5 km |
| 14 October 2006 | U6 (North) | Garching-Hochbrück - Garching-Forschungszentrum | 4.4 km |
| 28 October 2007 | U3 (North) | Olympiazentrum - Olympia-Einkaufszentrum | 2.2 km |
| 11 December 2010 | U3 (North) | Olympia-Einkaufszentrum - Moosach | 2 km |
Source: Municipality of Munich, Construction Office.
Extensions
Recent extensions
- U6 (North): Upgrade of Fröttmaning station
- The new Allianz Arena (football stadium) required a larger capacity of the nearby U-Bahn station. A new, second platform was built and the old platform was moved north by about 100 m. For easy access to the platform, a second pedestrian bridge was built. Further, new holding tracks were also built. Start of construction: 10 October 2002, opened: 4 May 2005
- U3/U6: Upgrade of Marienplatz station
- The increase in traffic and the new Allianz Arena also required a larger capacity of this central transfer station. New pedestrian tunnels were built, which provide more room for passengers transferring from and to the S-Bahn. They lie in parallel to the existing platforms and are connected to them by 11 portal-like a gallery. At the south end, they meet the transverse tunnel, where the escalators to the S-Bahn platforms are located. Start: 27 May 2003, opened: 29 May 2006
- U6 (North): Extension Garching-Hochbrück - Garching - Garching-Forschungszentrum
- This extension through the town of Garching connects Campus Garching of Technische Universität München and other research institutes to Munich U-Bahn network. Start: 2 April 2001, opened: 14 October 2006
- U3 (North): Extension Olympiazentrum - Oberwiesenfeld - Olympia-Einkaufszentrum
- Start: 5 June 2001, opened: October 28, 2007
- U3 (North): Extension Olympia-Einkaufszentrum - Moosacher St.-Martins-Platz - Moosach railway station
- Start: 7 August 2004, opened: 11 December 2010
Further plans
- U1 (South): Extension Mangfallplatz - Laurinplatz - Harlaching Hospital
- Although the plans for this extension were quite advanced, low passenger forecasts have led to its abandonment in favour of a tram or light rail from Schwanseestraße.
- U1 (North): Extension OEZ - Fasanerie (S) - Feldmoching - Hasenbergl Nord
- With this extension, the U1 would end at an S-Bahn station and the Olympia-Einkaufszentrum would become the Northern Cross envisioned by the U-Bahn Office. This will also connect to the S-Bahn and the U-Bahn line U2 at Feldmoching, and It will directly terminate at Hasenbergl Nord, which will be 3 km north of the current Hasenbergl
- U3 (West): Extension Moosach Bf. (S) - Waldhornstraße - Untermenzing (S)
- This extension is planned after the U3 has been extended to Moosach.
- U4 (East): Extension Arabellapark - Cosimapark - Fideliopark - Englschalking Bf. (S)
- This extension is considered in the third medium-term planning (Mittelfristprogramm) along with the plan of moving a portion of S8 line from above ground to underground from Unterföhring Bf. (S) to Leuchtenbergring Bf. (S). Whether the extension would be approved and when will it be built is not clear.
- U5 (West): Extension Laimer Platz - Willibaldplatz - Am Knie - Pasing Bf. (S)
- The 3.7-kilometre extension has been approved on 14 July 2015 with construction to commence in 2019. The date of completion is still not set. The cost is about 547 million euros. The route will have two stations, Willibaldplatz and Am Knie, before terminating at Pasing train station. The Willibaldplatz station is to have three platforms with third track set aside for the possible future extension into the western and southwestern area. The extension will terminate west of Pasing train station to make room for the emergency evacuation and storage: this can, too, be readily extended further west to the city boundary if the demand calls for it.
- On 17 July 2015, there are citizen initiative and petition drive[6] supported by Christian Social Union (CSU) and Social Democratic Party (SPD) to extend U5 route to Freiham.[7] The reason for involvement of political parties and citizen initiative is the rejection by MVG of this further extension due to cost factor and due to existence of two S-Bahn stations in Freiham.
- U6 (South): Extension Klinikum Großhadern - Martinsried
- This extension will give access to the biotech centre at Martinsried. As the tracks will cross the municipality boundary of Munich, planning and financing is the responsibility of the municipality of Planegg or the Free State of Bavaria. The further extension of the U6 to Martinsried was approved by the district council in July 2009. The 67 million euro and approximately 1,300-metre (4,270 ft) long line was to have started operation in 2014/2015. However, complications meant that the Bavarian state cabinet did not approve the project until December 2014. Construction is now to begin at the end of 2016 and conclude by 2020.
- U6 (North): Extension Garching-Forschungszentrum - Hallbergmoos - Munich Airport
- This would have been be the only line with direct service to the Airport. Outside the Airport it should have connect with the S8 at Hallbergmoos, and in the airport it could have transferred with the station terminal at both terminals. The plans were abandoned, however.
- U9 Bypass Line: Martinsried – Implerstraße – Central Station – Giselastraße – Garching-Forschungszentrum
- On 11 February 2014, SWM/MVG announced a detailed report for the construction of new bypass line,[8] a fourth intracity underground line, to be called the U9. The new line will relieve the overburdened U1/U2/U7/U8 and U3/U6 lines, especially the transfer stations at Sendlinger Tor (U1/U2/U7/U8 and U3/U6), Central Station (U1/U2/U7/U8 and U4/U5), and Odeonsplatz (U3/U6 and U4/U5), and will shorten the travel time between the Central Station and the Allianz Arena by removing the need to transfer at Marienplatz or Odeonsplatz. MVG is predicting tremendous growth of passenger traffic in the northern section of Munich in the next twenty years and wanted to plan accordingly. The U9 line is projected to carry ten million passengers per year and to cost between 250 and 360 million euros, with an estimated completion date of 2025 if funding were approved. Three proposed booster lines — U10, U11, and U12 — would take advantage of new U9 bypass line; however, these booster lines are still under discussion.
- The detailed report would have the line begin at Martinsried (the southwest extension to the current U6 line) and continue to Implerstraße, which would be expanded from three-track to four-track platforms. A new tunnel would be built to Theresienwiese where the U9 would share platforms with the U4/U5 lines; the station would be rebuilt from two-track to four-track platforms with wider platforms to reduce overcrowding and speed up passenger movement. From Theresienwiese, a new tunnel would spur toward its own platform underneath Central Station, continue to a new station Pinakotheken, serving Munich's Kunstareal, then on to Giselastraße where it would rejoin the U3/U6 line in a station expanded from two-track to four-track platforms. The tunnel between there and Münchner Freiheit also would be built out from two tracks to four; and from Münchner Freiheit station, the U9 would continue to the current end of the U6, Garching-Forschungszentrum, while the U6 would terminate sooner at Fröttmaning.
- Although there is a station on the Munich U-Bahn network in the Pinakotheken museum district, Königsplatz on the U2 line, it is in the southwest of the neighbourhood. The U9 line would feature a Pinakotheken station, more to the centre of the neighbourhood, which would serve museum visitors and the main campus of the Technische Universität München better, as well as allow for connections to tram lines 27 and 28.
- A variant to the four-track platform expansion at Theresienwiese is to build an additional station at Bavariapark; in both cases, the new line would improve capacity in the area during Oktoberfest. In a possible second phase, a spur tunnel could connect the U9 from north of Central Station with the U2/U8 at Theresienstraße station for the future booster U10 and U12 lines.
- At Central Station, the new dedicated U9 platform would be placed underneath the current S-Bahn platforms but above U4/U5 platform and new second S-Bahn platforms, and underneath the heavy rail tracks. This could allow for a mezzanine level above the U9 platform to connect not only to other U- and S-Bahn lines, but to the western ends of the heavy rail platforms including those of the heavy rail annexes which flank the main platforms of the central station, meaning improved connections in particular of the annexes. There are serious engineering and design challenges in building a fifth line under the Central Station if quick transfers with the existing two S-Bahn lines and two U-Bahn lines are to be achieved. Possible cost increases from technical challenges at Münchner Freiheit, where the U9 was to have rejoined the U3/U6 line in an earlier proposal for the line, have been mitigated by having the line reconnect one station south at Giselastraße instead.
- U10: Harthof - Münchner Freiheit - Odeonsplatz - Sendlinger Tor - Harras
- A third booster line, U10, would share U2 line between Harthof and Scheidplatz then switch to U3 line between Scheidplatz and Implerstraße before turning to U6 line at Harras. The northern and southern terminuses have not been determined yet.
- U11: Olympia-Einkaufszentrum - Westfriedhof - Central Station - Sendlinger Tor - Innsbrucker Ring
- A fourth booster line, U11, would share U1 from Olympia-Einkaufszentrum to Kolumbusplatz before switching to U2 line for the continued journey to Innsbrucker Ring station. Which terminus station, Messestadt Ost in the east or Neuperlach in the south, has not been determined.
- U12: Harthof - Theresienstraße - Central Station - Theresienwiese - Implerstraße - Harras
- A fifth booster line, U12, would share with U2 between Harthof and Theresienstraße then switch to U9 south of Theresienstraße where it shares with U9 toward Harras.
See also
Notes
References
- ↑ http://www.merkur.de/lokales/muenchen/stadt-muenchen/fahrgastrekord-warnt-kollaps-5173863.html
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund - Timetable information
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ http://www.sueddeutsche.de/muenchen/oeffentlicher-nahverkehr-warten-auf-den-neuen-zug-1.2261680
- ↑ https://www.openpetition.de/petition/online/u-bahn-nach-freiham
- ↑ http://www.merkur.de/lokales/muenchen/stadt-muenchen/will-u-bahn-nach-freiham-kaempfen-5259929.html
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.. |
|
Urban public transport networks and systems in Germany
|
||
|---|---|---|
| S-Bahn |
   |
|
| U-Bahn | ||
| Stadtbahn | ||
| Trams |
|
|
| Trolleybuses | ||
| Suspension monorails | ||
| Other | ||
|
||
