Munich U-Bahn - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Munich U-Bahn system is an electric rail

Railway electrification system

A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...

rapid transit network

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

in Munich

Munich

Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...

, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. "U-Bahn" is the German contraction for Untergrundbahn or "subway

Rapid transit

." 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 S-Bahn

Munich S-Bahn

The Munich S-Bahn is an electric rail transit system in Munich, Germany. "S-Bahn" is the German abbreviation for stadtschnellbahn , and the Munich S-Bahn exhibits characteristics of both rapid transit and commuter rail systems.The Munich S-Bahn network is operated by S-Bahn München, a subsidiary...

system.

Current routes

There are currently 6 lines:

	Olympia-Einkaufszentrum - Rotkreuzplatz - Central Station München Hauptbahnhof Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in... - Sendlinger Tor - Kolumbusplatz - Mangfallplatz
	Feldmoching - Harthof Harthof (Munich U-Bahn) Harthof is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:... - Scheidplatz Scheidplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Scheidplatz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the borough of Schwabing-West. The station is also the northern terminus of route of the Munich tramway.-References:... - Central Station München Hauptbahnhof Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in... - Sendlinger Tor - Kolumbusplatz - Giesing - Innsbrucker Ring Innsbrucker Ring (Munich U-Bahn) Innsbrucker Ring is a U2 - U5 interchange station of the Munich U-Bahn. It is located under the Innsbrucker Ring and connects lines U2 and U5, allowing cross-platform interchange. The distance of the U 2 line to Karl-Preis-Platz measures 868 m. The distance of the U 2 line to Josephsburg measures... - Trudering - Messestadt Ost Messestadt-Ost (Munich U-Bahn) Messestadt-Ost is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2 line located in Riem. It was opened in 1999-05-29.-References:...
	Moosach - Olympia-Einkaufszentrum - Olympiazentrum Olympiazentrum (Munich U-Bahn) Olympiazentrum is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 of the Munich U-Bahn system. It was opened on 8 May 1972 for the 1972 Summer Olympics and services Munich's Olympiapark and its Olympic Village, and also those who want to visit the BMW museum.... - Scheidplatz Scheidplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Scheidplatz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the borough of Schwabing-West. The station is also the northern terminus of route of the Munich tramway.-References:... - Münchner Freiheit Münchner Freiheit (Munich U-Bahn) Münchner Freiheit is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the Munich borough of Schwabing-Freimann. Here, the U3 and U6 subway lines part, with U3 continuing west towards Scheidplatz and U6 continuing north towards Freimann... - Odeonsplatz Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Odeonsplatz is an important U-Bahn interchange station on the northern edge of Munich's Old Town. It is serviced by the U4, U5 and U3, U6 lines of the Munich U-Bahn system, with U 4 and U 5 running in an east-west direction and U3, U6 running perpendicular in a north-south direction... - Marienplatz - Sendlinger Tor - Implerstraße Implerstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Implerstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and the U6.-References:... - Obersendling Obersendling (Munich U-Bahn) Obersendling is an U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany on the U3.-References:... - Fürstenried West Fürstenried West (Munich U-Bahn) Fürstenried West is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3.-References:...
	Westendstraße Westendstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Westendstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4 and U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. This is now the terminus of the U4, since its route was shortened from terminating at Laimer Platz.-References:... - Heimeranplatz - Central Station München Hauptbahnhof Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in... - Karlsplatz (Stachus) - Odeonsplatz Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Odeonsplatz is an important U-Bahn interchange station on the northern edge of Munich's Old Town. It is serviced by the U4, U5 and U3, U6 lines of the Munich U-Bahn system, with U 4 and U 5 running in an east-west direction and U3, U6 running perpendicular in a north-south direction... - Lehel Lehel (Munich U-Bahn) Lehel is a Munich U-Bahn station in the Altstadt-Lehel borough of Munich, on the U4 and U5 lines. It is located centrally in the exclusive Lehel quarter of Munich and is serviced by the tram line 17.... -Max-Weber-Platz Max-Weber-Platz (Munich U-Bahn) Max-Weber-Platz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station on the U4 and U5 lines in the borough of Haidhausen. It is named for the square, Max-Weber-Platz, above the station... - Arabellapark Arabellapark (Munich U-Bahn) Arabellapark is a Munich U-Bahn station in Bogenhausen borough. It is the eastern terminus of the U4. Arabellapark station is located in the Arabellapark district of Bogenhausen, a large housing and commercial district developed during the 1970s....
	Laimer Platz Laimer Platz (Munich U-Bahn) Laimer Platz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:... - Westendstraße Westendstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Westendstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4 and U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. This is now the terminus of the U4, since its route was shortened from terminating at Laimer Platz.-References:... - Heimeranplatz - Central Station München Hauptbahnhof Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in... - Karlsplatz (Stachus) - Odeonsplatz Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Odeonsplatz is an important U-Bahn interchange station on the northern edge of Munich's Old Town. It is serviced by the U4, U5 and U3, U6 lines of the Munich U-Bahn system, with U 4 and U 5 running in an east-west direction and U3, U6 running perpendicular in a north-south direction... - Lehel Lehel (Munich U-Bahn) Lehel is a Munich U-Bahn station in the Altstadt-Lehel borough of Munich, on the U4 and U5 lines. It is located centrally in the exclusive Lehel quarter of Munich and is serviced by the tram line 17.... - Max-Weber-Platz Max-Weber-Platz (Munich U-Bahn) Max-Weber-Platz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station on the U4 and U5 lines in the borough of Haidhausen. It is named for the square, Max-Weber-Platz, above the station... - Ostbahnhof (East Station) - Innsbrucker Ring Innsbrucker Ring (Munich U-Bahn) Innsbrucker Ring is a U2 - U5 interchange station of the Munich U-Bahn. It is located under the Innsbrucker Ring and connects lines U2 and U5, allowing cross-platform interchange. The distance of the U 2 line to Karl-Preis-Platz measures 868 m. The distance of the U 2 line to Josephsburg measures... - Neuperlach Süd
	Garching-Forschungszentrum Garching-Forschungszentrum (Munich U-Bahn) Garching-Forschungszentrum is a Munich U-Bahn station in Garching. It serves as the northern terminus of the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. The station was opened on 2006-10-14.-External links:-References:... - Fröttmaning Fröttmaning (Munich U-Bahn) Fröttmaning is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. It serves the new Allianz Arena and was opened on 30 June 1994.-References:... - Freimann Freimann (Munich U-Bahn) Freimann is an underground railway station in the German city of Munich. It is part of the Munich U-Bahn network and lies on the U6 line in the borough of Schwabing-Freimann.-References:... - Studentenstadt Studentenstadt (Munich U-Bahn) Studentenstadt is a Munich U-Bahn station in the borough of Schwabing-Freimann. It services the Studentenstadt that provides accommodation for university students.-References:... - Münchner Freiheit Münchner Freiheit (Munich U-Bahn) Münchner Freiheit is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the Munich borough of Schwabing-Freimann. Here, the U3 and U6 subway lines part, with U3 continuing west towards Scheidplatz and U6 continuing north towards Freimann... - Odeonsplatz Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Odeonsplatz is an important U-Bahn interchange station on the northern edge of Munich's Old Town. It is serviced by the U4, U5 and U3, U6 lines of the Munich U-Bahn system, with U 4 and U 5 running in an east-west direction and U3, U6 running perpendicular in a north-south direction... - Marienplatz - Sendlinger Tor - Implerstraße Implerstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Implerstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and the U6.-References:... - Harras - Klinikum Großhadern* Klinikum Großhadern (Munich U-Bahn) Klinikum Großhadern is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich Underground system serving the Klinikum Großhadern hospital and nearby student accommodation.-References:...

The network has 100.3 km (62.3 mi) of active lines and 100 stations (In 2009, 351 million passengers rode the U-Bahn. 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

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...

.

Only one line, the U6, crosses the municipal

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

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-Forschungszentrums 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. Only the stations Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (U1), Richard-Strauss-Straße (U4), Neuperlach Süd (U5), Garching-Hochbrück and Nordfriedhof (both U6) have side platforms.

At the stations Scheidplatz and Innsbrucker Ring the four tracks lie in parallel on the same level and allow cross-platform interchange

Cross-platform interchange

A cross-platform interchange is a type of interchange between different lines in a metro system. The term originates with the London Underground; such layouts exist in other networks but are not commonly so named...

. Central Station (lower level) (Hauptbahnhof unten), where U1 and U2 branch into two different lines and Münchner Freiheit (U3/U6) also have four tracks. At Central Station, there is actually another U-Bahn station for lines U4/5 at a higher level (Hauptbahnhof oben) giving a total of six U-Bahn tracks. The junction stations Implerstraße (U3 and U6), Max-Weber-Platz (U4/5) and Kolumbusplatz (U1/2) only have three tracks: One with a side platform for outbound trains, and two with a shared island platform for inbound trains.
Olympiazentrum and Fröttmaning also have four tracks each due to the proximity of the Olympic Stadium and the Allianz Arena
Allianz Arena
The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season...

football stadium, respectively.

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. Outside of peak times lines operate trains at frequencies of every 10 minutes, however around the commencement of operation 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

Franz Ackermann

Franz Ackermann is a German painter and installation artist based in Berlin. He makes cartoonish abstraction....

, 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
München Hauptbahnhof
Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in...

.

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

Munich 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 Neupliastraße, 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

Freising

Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...

/Airport. The station there is decorated with rural and urban motives of Feldmoching's history. Below Hasenbergl

Hasenbergl (Munich U-Bahn)

Hasenbergl is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

, a district which was known for its social problems, it goes to Dülferstraße

Dülferstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Dülferstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

, 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

Harthof (Munich U-Bahn)

Harthof is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

and Am Hart

Am Hart (Munich U-Bahn)

Am Hart is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

, U2 reaches Frankfurter Ring

Frankfurter Ring (Munich U-Bahn)

Frankfurter Ring is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

. 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

Milbertshofen (Munich U-Bahn)

Milbertshofen is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

station U2 meets U3 at Scheidplatz

Scheidplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Scheidplatz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the borough of Schwabing-West. The station is also the northern terminus of route of the Munich tramway.-References:...

, where cross-platform interchange is possible. Before the opening of the section to Dülferstraße in 1993, U2 went from Scheidplatz to Olympiazentrum

Olympiazentrum (Munich U-Bahn)

Olympiazentrum is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 of the Munich U-Bahn system. It was opened on 8 May 1972 for the 1972 Summer Olympics and services Munich's Olympiapark and its Olympic Village, and also those who want to visit the BMW museum....

, sharing the track with U3. Through the district of Maxvorstadt U2 continues to downtown Munich, reaching the stations Hohenzollernplatz

Hohenzollernplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Hohenzollernplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2. The station is also served by routes and of the Munich tramway.-References:...

, Josephsplatz

Josephsplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Josephsplatz is an U-Bahn station in on the U2 located in Maxvorstadt, Munich, Bavaria, Germany..-References:...

, Theresienstraße

Theresienstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Theresienstraße is an U-Bahn station in Maxvorstadt, Munich on the U2.-References:...

und Königsplatz

Königsplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Königsplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2 line of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

. At Königsplatz one can find artworks from the nearby Glyptothek

Glyptothek

The Glyptothek is a museum in Munich, Germany, which was commissioned by the Bavarian King Ludwig I to house his collection of Greek and Roman sculptures . It was designed by Leo von Klenze in the Neoclassical style, and built from 1816 to 1830...

on the platform.

At München Hauptbahnhof
München Hauptbahnhof
Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in...

(Munich Central Station), U2 meets U1, with which it shares tracks until Kolumbusplatz
Kolumbusplatz
Kolumbusplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U1 and U2 of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

(see above).

After Kolumbusplatz, U2 reaches the stations Silberhornstraße

Silberhornstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Silberhornstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2. It is located in upper Giesing. The station is also served by routes and of the Munich tramway.-References:...

, Untersbergstraße

Untersbergstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Untersbergstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2. It is located in Giesing. -References:...

and Giesing
Giesing
Obergiesing is a borough of Munich, about 3 miles south-east of the city center. The larger part is residential or a mix of business and residential, but there are also a number of recreational facilities.-Overview:...

(Bahnhof), where one can change to S5 and S6. The next stations are Karl-Preis-Platz

Karl-Preis-Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Karl-Preis-Platz is a U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany, on the U2 line. Situated in Giesing, it was opened 1980-10-18....

and Innsbrucker Ring

Innsbrucker Ring (Munich U-Bahn)

Innsbrucker Ring is a U2 - U5 interchange station of the Munich U-Bahn. It is located under the Innsbrucker Ring and connects lines U2 and U5, allowing cross-platform interchange. The distance of the U 2 line to Karl-Preis-Platz measures 868 m. The distance of the U 2 line to Josephsburg measures...

, 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

Josephsburg (Munich U-Bahn)

Josephsburg is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

and Kreillerstraße

Kreillerstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Kreillerstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

, 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

Moosfeld (Munich U-Bahn)

Moosfeld is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...

, U2 reaches Messestadt-West

Messestadt-West (Munich U-Bahn)

Messestadt-West is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2 line of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

and the terminus Messestadt-Ost

Messestadt-Ost (Munich U-Bahn)

Messestadt-Ost is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2 line located in Riem. It was opened in 1999-05-29.-References:...

. Theses stations are located between the fairgrounds (Messestadt) in the north and a development area and the Bundesgartenschau

Bundesgartenschau

The Bundesgartenschau is the biennial Federal horticulture show in Germany. It also covers topics like landscaping. Taking place in different cities, the location changes in a two-year cycle....

2005 in the south.

U3

Construction of line U3 was speeded 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

Olympiapark, Munich

The Olympiapark in Munich, Germany, is an Olympic Park which was constructed for the 1972 Summer Olympics. Found in the area of Munich known as the "Oberwiesenfeld" , the Park continues to serve as a venue for cultural, social, and religious events such as events of worship...

. There were two reasons for this decision. 1/. There wasn't enough time to build, as originally planned, a connecting line from Hauptbahnhof (Central station) to Olympiazentrum. 2/. The line via Hauptbahnhof wouldn't have had a connection to the engineering base at Fröttmaning.

Since its introduction in 1972, the northern terminus of the U3 has been Olympiazentrum

Olympiazentrum (Munich U-Bahn)

. 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

Oberwiesenfeld (Munich U-Bahn)

Oberwiesenfeld is a station on the Munich U-Bahn which opened on October 28, 2007. It is located at the northern end of the Olympiapark, near the Olympic Village....

station (originally called Olympiapark-Nord). The name "Oberwiesenfeld" was given in honor of the site of Munich's first international airport

Munich International Airport

Munich Airport , is located northeast of Munich, Germany, and is a hub for Lufthansa and Star Alliance partner airlines. It lies nearby the old city of Freising and is named in memory of politician Franz Josef Strauss...

.

Travelling south, the next station is Petuelring

Petuelring (Munich U-Bahn)

Petuelring is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3. It is also the northern terminus of route of the Munich tramway.-References:...

, after that the U3 reaches Scheidplatz

Scheidplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Scheidplatz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the borough of Schwabing-West. The station is also the northern terminus of route of the Munich tramway.-References:...

, 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

Bonner Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Bonner Platz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3.-References:...

follows and at Münchner Freiheit

Münchner Freiheit (Munich U-Bahn)

Münchner Freiheit is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the Munich borough of Schwabing-Freimann. Here, the U3 and U6 subway lines part, with U3 continuing west towards Scheidplatz and U6 continuing north towards Freimann...

the U3 joins with the U6 to run parallel as far as Implerstraße

Implerstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Implerstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and the U6.-References:...

.

(See U6 below for the section to Implerstraße)

After leaving the three-track junction station Implerstraße, the U3 reaches Brudermühlstraße

Brudermühlstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Brudermühlstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany on the U3. It is located below Brüdermühlstraße, a part of Munich's Mittlerer Ring ring road system.-References:...

, Thalkirchen (Zoo)

Thalkirchen (Munich U-Bahn)

Thalkirchen is a Munich U-Bahn station in the Munich borough of Thalkirchen, near the Tierpark Hellabrunn ....

and Obersendling

Obersendling (Munich U-Bahn)

Obersendling is an U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany on the U3.-References:...

, 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

München Siemenswerke railway station

Siemenswerke is a Munich S-Bahn railway station on the Bayerische Oberlandbahnmain line in the borough of Obersendling. It services the large Siemens complex located west of the station....

station. The U3 continues via Aidenbachstraße

Aidenbachstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Aidenbachstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3.In 2014, construction is expected to start on a tangential extension of route 16 of the Munich tramway from its existing terminus at Romansplatz to an interchange at Aidenbachstraße station....

and Machtlfinger Straße

Machtlfinger Straße (Munich U-Bahn)

Machtlfinger Straße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3.-References:...

until reaching Forstenrieder Allee

Forstenrieder Allee (Munich U-Bahn)

Forstenrieder Allee is an U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany on the U3.-References:...

, Basler Straße

Basler Straße (Munich U-Bahn)

Basler Straße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3.-References:...

and eventually the terminus Fürstenried West

Fürstenried West (Munich U-Bahn)

Fürstenried West is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3.-References:...

. 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

München Moosach railway station

München Moosach is a railway station on the Munich–Regensburg line in the borough of Moosach, served by line S1 of the Munich S-Bahn, line U3 of the Munich U-Bahn and line 20 of the Munich tramway. An extension of the U3 was opened to Moosach in 2010....

has opened, making them 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

Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...

.

U4 commences in the southwestern area at Westendstraße

Westendstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Westendstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4 and U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. This is now the terminus of the U4, since its route was shortened from terminating at Laimer Platz.-References:...

, 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

Laimer Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Laimer Platz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

.

The Heimeranplatz station is connected to the S-Bahn

Munich S-Bahn

lines S7, S20 and S27.

The U4 line also stops at two stations that serve the Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest

at Schwanthalerhöhe

Schwanthalerhöhe (Munich U-Bahn)

Schwanthalerhöhe is an Munich U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4 and U5 of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

and Theresienwiese

Theresienwiese (Munich U-Bahn)

Theresienwiese is a station of Munich U-Bahn on the U4 and U5 line. It is the closest station to the Oktoberfest grounds on the Theresienwiese.During Oktoberfest, the station handles 21,000 passengers per hour each direction.-References:...

. Schwanthalerhöhe

Schwanthalerhöhe (Munich U-Bahn)

Schwanthalerhöhe is an Munich U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4 and U5 of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

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

Implerstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Implerstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and the U6.-References:...

for continuing to the depot in Fröttmaning

Fröttmaning (Munich U-Bahn)

Fröttmaning is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. It serves the new Allianz Arena and was opened on 30 June 1994.-References:...

Theresienwiese

Theresienwiese (Munich U-Bahn)

is the only U-Bahn station in Munich to have the command centre booth that is opened during the Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest

for supervising the masses of passengers. The south exit of the station leads to the northern entrance of Oktoberfest

Oktoberfest

. The trains travelling from the east (Arabellapark

Arabellapark (Munich U-Bahn)

Arabellapark is a Munich U-Bahn station in Bogenhausen borough. It is the eastern terminus of the U4. Arabellapark station is located in the Arabellapark district of Bogenhausen, a large housing and commercial district developed during the 1970s....

) often terminate at Theresienwiese rather than continue to Westendstraße even during the peak hours due to low traffic volume between Hauptbahnhof and Westendstraße.

At Central Station

München Hauptbahnhof

Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in...

, 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)

München Karlsplatz railway station

München Karlsplatz is an underground S-Bahn and U-Bahn station below the Karlsplatz in central Munich. It is one of the busiest stations in Munich, as it is located at the western end of Munich's Altstadt ....

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

Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Odeonsplatz is an important U-Bahn interchange station on the northern edge of Munich's Old Town. It is serviced by the U4, U5 and U3, U6 lines of the Munich U-Bahn system, with U 4 and U 5 running in an east-west direction and U3, U6 running perpendicular in a north-south direction...

that shares with the U3/U6 lines, and the line continues to Lehel

Lehel (Munich U-Bahn)

Lehel is a Munich U-Bahn station in the Altstadt-Lehel borough of Munich, on the U4 and U5 lines. It is located centrally in the exclusive Lehel quarter of Munich and is serviced by the tram line 17....

. This line runs under the river Isar to the final transfer station, Max-Weber-Platz

Max-Weber-Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Max-Weber-Platz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station on the U4 and U5 lines in the borough of Haidhausen. It is named for the square, Max-Weber-Platz, above the station...

. 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

Arabellapark (Munich U-Bahn)

are Prinzregentenplanz

Prinzregentenplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Prinzregentenplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4.-References:...

, Böhmerwaldplatz

Böhmerwaldplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Böhmerwaldplatz is a Munich U-Bahn station on the U4 line in the borough of Bogenhausen.-References:...

, and Richard-Strauss-Straße

Richard-Strauss-Straße (Munich U-Bahn)

Richard-Strauss-Straße is a Munich U-Bahn station on the U4 line in the borough of Bogenhausen. It is located on the eastern fringe of Alt-Bogenhausen, the borough's traditional core district. The station takes its name from Richard-Strauss-Straße, part of the Mittlerer Ring road system, that runs...

. 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

Christian Social Union of Bavaria

The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...

has called for the U4 extension to Johanneskirchen S-Bahn Station where the passengers can easily transfer to S8 for travelling to the aeroport. However, the tram line extension from Effnerplatz to St. Emmeram with connection at Arabellapark

Arabellapark (Munich U-Bahn)

is being built with planned opening in late 2011, jeopardising the viability of U4 extension to Johanniskirchen.

In the evenings from 21.00 to the closing time, U4 operates between Max-Weber-Platz

Max-Weber-Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Max-Weber-Platz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station on the U4 and U5 lines in the borough of Haidhausen. It is named for the square, Max-Weber-Platz, above the station...

and Arabellapark

Arabellapark (Munich U-Bahn)

with transfer to U5 for continuing to the west.

U5

U5 currently starts at Laimer Platz

Laimer Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Laimer Platz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

, 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

Friedenheimer Straße (Munich U-Bahn)

Friedenheimer Straße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5.-References:...

, U5 reaches Westendstraße

Westendstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

and shares the tracks with U4 to Max-Weber-Platz (see above)

Max-Weber-Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Max-Weber-Platz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station on the U4 and U5 lines in the borough of Haidhausen. It is named for the square, Max-Weber-Platz, above the station...

.

From Max-Weber-Platz

Max-Weber-Platz (Munich U-Bahn)

Max-Weber-Platz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station on the U4 and U5 lines in the borough of Haidhausen. It is named for the square, Max-Weber-Platz, above the station...

, U5 goes south to East Station (Ostbahnhof). There one can change to S-Bahn lines S1 to S8. The next station, Innsbrucker Ring

Innsbrucker Ring (Munich U-Bahn)

, allows cross-platform interchange to U2.

Via Michaelibad

Michaelibad (Munich U-Bahn)

Michaelibad is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5.-References:...

and Quiddestraße

Quiddestraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Quiddestraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5.-References:...

U5 eventually reaches Neuperlach Zentrum

Neuperlach Zentrum (Munich U-Bahn)

Neuperlach Zentrum is an U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany, on the U5.-References:...

, which is the centre of the satellite town of Neuperlach built during the 1960s and 1970s. After Therese-Giehse-Allee

Therese-Giehse-Allee (Munich U-Bahn)

Therese-Giehse-Allee is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5, named after the German actress Therese Giehse....

, U5 comes above ground and reaches the terminus Neuperlach Süd, where it allows cross-platform interchange with S-Bahn line S7

S7 (Munich)

The S7 is a line on the Munich S-Bahn....

. 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 1938-41 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

Garching-Forschungszentrum (Munich U-Bahn)

Garching-Forschungszentrum is a Munich U-Bahn station in Garching. It serves as the northern terminus of the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. The station was opened on 2006-10-14.-External links:*-References:...

and continues via Garching

Garching (Munich U-Bahn)

Garching is an U-Bahn station in Garching on the U6.-See also:*List of Munich U-Bahn stations...

to Garching-Hochbrück

Garching-Hochbrück (Munich U-Bahn)

Garching-Hochbrück is a Munich U-Bahn station in Hochbrück on the U6. It opened on October 28, 1995.- External links :...

. These three stations are outside the city limits of Munich.

The distance of 4.1 km to the next station, Fröttmaning

Fröttmaning (Munich U-Bahn)

Fröttmaning is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. It serves the new Allianz Arena and was opened on 30 June 1994.-References:...

, 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

Allianz Arena

The Allianz Arena is a football stadium in the north of Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The two professional Munich football clubs FC Bayern Munich and TSV 1860 München have played their home games at Allianz Arena since the start of the 2005–06 season...

, built for the 2006 Football World Cup

2006 FIFA World Cup

The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...

. In Fröttmaning, there is also the engineering base of Munich's U-Bahn.
After the next station, Kieferngarten

Kieferngarten (Munich U-Bahn)

Kieferngarten is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6. It was the terminus of the first section of the U-Bahn to be built, opening on 19 October 1971.-References:...

(also four platforms), it passes over a bridge to Freimann

Freimann (Munich U-Bahn)

Freimann is an underground railway station in the German city of Munich. It is part of the Munich U-Bahn network and lies on the U6 line in the borough of Schwabing-Freimann.-References:...

and Studentenstadt

Studentenstadt (Munich U-Bahn)

Studentenstadt is a Munich U-Bahn station in the borough of Schwabing-Freimann. It services the Studentenstadt that provides accommodation for university students.-References:...

. 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 tram

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

way 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

Alte Heide (Munich U-Bahn)

Alte Heide is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6.-References:...

, Nordfriedhof

Nordfriedhof (Munich U-Bahn)

Nordfriedhof is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6.-References:...

(only U6 station with side platforms) and Dietlindenstraße

Dietlindenstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Dietlindenstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...

U6 reaches Münchner Freiheit

Münchner Freiheit (Munich U-Bahn)

, from where it shares tracks with U3.

Via Giselastraße

Giselastraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Giselastraße is a Munich U-Bahn station located in the Munich borough of Schwabing-West. It services both the U3 and U6 subway lines. The station is located underneath Leopoldstraße, one of Munich's main traffic arteries.- Name :...

and Universität

Universität (Munich U-Bahn)

Universität is an Munich U-Bahn station located in the Munich borough of Maxvorstadt. The lines U3 and U6 both call at the station. It is located directly underneath the north-south-running Ludwigstraße, one of central Munich's main traffic arteries and one of the city's Prachtstraßen...

(University) it reaches Odeonsplatz

Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

, 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

Goetheplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Goetheplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and U6. The stations decor is similar to that of the U3/U6 platform at Sendlinger Tor, but its history is much older than that....

. The next station, Poccistraße

Poccistraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Poccistraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and U6.-References:...

was added later, constructed between the two running tunnels which stayed in operation. At Implerstraße

Implerstraße (Munich U-Bahn)

Implerstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and the U6.-References:...

, U3 and U6 separate again. To the north of the station, facing north, there is a branch to U4/5 at Theresienwiese

Theresienwiese (Munich U-Bahn)

, which is not used for passenger transport.

At Harras U6 meets the S-Bahn lines S7 and S27. The section via Partnachplatz

Partnachplatz (Munich U-Bahn)

Partnachplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6....

and Westpark

Westpark (Munich U-Bahn)

Westpark is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6.-References:...

to Holzapfelkreuth

Holzapfelkreuth (Munich U-Bahn)

Holzapfelkreuth is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6.-References:...

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

Haderner Stern (Munich U-Bahn)

Haderner Stern is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6. It serves the nearby shopping centre and student accommodation.-References:...

and Großhadern

Großhadern (Munich U-Bahn)

Großhadern is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6.-References:...

U6 reaches its terminus at Klinikum Großhadern

Klinikum Großhadern (Munich U-Bahn)

Klinikum Großhadern is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich Underground system serving the Klinikum Großhadern hospital and nearby student accommodation.-References:...

, where the entrance to the station is covered by a glass pyramid.

Rolling stock

Munich U-Bahn uses three different generations of electric multiple unit

Electric multiple unit

An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...

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

Nuremberg U-Bahn

The Nuremberg U-Bahn is a metro run by VAG Nürnberg , which itself is a member of the VGN . The Nuremberg U-Bahn is Germany's newest metro...

, 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. 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

2006 FIFA World Cup

.

A further 21 six-car "class C" vehicles were ordered from Siemens Mobility in November 2010.

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

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

in 1980, stock from Nuremberg

Nuremberg U-Bahn

The Nuremberg U-Bahn is a metro run by VAG Nürnberg , which itself is a member of the VGN . The Nuremberg U-Bahn is Germany's newest metro...

, 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

Linienzugbeeinflussung

Linienzugbeeinflussung is a cab signalling andtrain protection system used on selected German and Austrian railway linesas well as the AVE in Spain.In Germany, the system is mandatory on all lines where trains exceed speeds of...

, 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

Railroad directions

Railroad directions are used to describe train directions on railroad systems. The terms used may be derived from such sources as compass directions, altitude directions, or other directions...

, 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

Deutsches Museum

The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...

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 tramway

Munich Tramway

The Munich tramway is the tramway network for the city of Munich in Germany. Today it is operated by the municipally owned Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft and is known officially and colloquially as the Tram...

s 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 a synagogue

Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...

was torn down because it was supposedly a "traffic obstacle". Construction was abandoned in 1941 as World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

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

Munich S-Bahn

commenced operations. To satisfy demand during the Games, some DT1 trains were borrowed from Nuremberg

Nuremberg U-Bahn

The Nuremberg U-Bahn is a metro run by VAG Nürnberg , which itself is a member of the VGN . The Nuremberg U-Bahn is Germany's newest metro...

. 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 Kieferngarten (Munich U-Bahn) Kieferngarten is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6. It was the terminus of the first section of the U-Bahn to be built, opening on 19 October 1971.-References:... - Goetheplatz Goetheplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Goetheplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and U6. The stations decor is similar to that of the U3/U6 platform at Sendlinger Tor, but its history is much older than that....	12.0 km
8 May 1972	U3	Münchner Freiheit Münchner Freiheit (Munich U-Bahn) Münchner Freiheit is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the Munich borough of Schwabing-Freimann. Here, the U3 and U6 subway lines part, with U3 continuing west towards Scheidplatz and U6 continuing north towards Freimann... - Olympiazentrum Olympiazentrum (Munich U-Bahn) Olympiazentrum is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 of the Munich U-Bahn system. It was opened on 8 May 1972 for the 1972 Summer Olympics and services Munich's Olympiapark and its Olympic Village, and also those who want to visit the BMW museum....	4.0 km
22 November 1975	U6/3	Goetheplatz Goetheplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Goetheplatz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and U6. The stations decor is similar to that of the U3/U6 platform at Sendlinger Tor, but its history is much older than that.... - Harras	2.7 km
1978	U6/3	Poccistraße Poccistraße (Munich U-Bahn) Poccistraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and U6.-References:... infill station	0.0 km
18 October 1980	U2 (then U8)	Scheidplatz Scheidplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Scheidplatz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the borough of Schwabing-West. The station is also the northern terminus of route of the Munich tramway.-References:... - Neuperlach Süd	16.0 km
16 April 1983	U6 (West)	Harras - Holzapfelkreuth Holzapfelkreuth (Munich U-Bahn) Holzapfelkreuth is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6.-References:...	2.7 km
28 May 1983	U1 (West)	Central Station München Hauptbahnhof Munich Central Station is the main railway station of the city of Munich in Germany. It is one of the three long distance train stations in Munich, the others being München-Pasing and München Ost. The station sees about 350,000 passengers a day, which puts it on par with other large stations in... - Rotkreuzplatz	3.3 km
10 March 1984	U4/5	Westendstraße Westendstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Westendstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4 and U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. This is now the terminus of the U4, since its route was shortened from terminating at Laimer Platz.-References:... - Karlsplatz (4,6 km) + connection tunnel to U6/3 (1,4 km)	6.0 km
1 March 1986	U4/5	Karlsplatz - Odeonsplatz Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Odeonsplatz is an important U-Bahn interchange station on the northern edge of Munich's Old Town. It is serviced by the U4, U5 and U3, U6 lines of the Munich U-Bahn system, with U 4 and U 5 running in an east-west direction and U3, U6 running perpendicular in a north-south direction...	0.7 km
24 March 1988	U4/5	Westendstraße Westendstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Westendstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U4 and U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. This is now the terminus of the U4, since its route was shortened from terminating at Laimer Platz.-References:... - Laimer Platz Laimer Platz (Munich U-Bahn) Laimer Platz is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U5 line of the Munich U-Bahn system.-References:...	1.4 km
27 October 1988	U5	Odeonsplatz Odeonsplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Odeonsplatz is an important U-Bahn interchange station on the northern edge of Munich's Old Town. It is serviced by the U4, U5 and U3, U6 lines of the Munich U-Bahn system, with U 4 and U 5 running in an east-west direction and U3, U6 running perpendicular in a north-south direction... - Innsbrucker Ring Innsbrucker Ring (Munich U-Bahn) Innsbrucker Ring is a U2 - U5 interchange station of the Munich U-Bahn. It is located under the Innsbrucker Ring and connects lines U2 and U5, allowing cross-platform interchange. The distance of the U 2 line to Karl-Preis-Platz measures 868 m. The distance of the U 2 line to Josephsburg measures... (4.1 km)	4.1 km
27 October 1988	U4	Max-Weber-Platz Max-Weber-Platz (Munich U-Bahn) Max-Weber-Platz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station on the U4 and U5 lines in the borough of Haidhausen. It is named for the square, Max-Weber-Platz, above the station... - Arabellapark Arabellapark (Munich U-Bahn) Arabellapark is a Munich U-Bahn station in Bogenhausen borough. It is the eastern terminus of the U4. Arabellapark station is located in the Arabellapark district of Bogenhausen, a large housing and commercial district developed during the 1970s.... (3.6 km)	3.6 km
End of 1988	-	Enlargement of Technical Base	0.3 km
28 October 1989	U3 (South)	Implerstraße Implerstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Implerstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 and the U6.-References:... - Forstenrieder Allee Forstenrieder Allee (Munich U-Bahn) Forstenrieder Allee is an U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany on the U3.-References:...	6.1 km
1 June 1991	U3 (South)	Forstenrieder Allee Forstenrieder Allee (Munich U-Bahn) Forstenrieder Allee is an U-Bahn station in Munich, Germany on the U3.-References:... - Fürstenried West Fürstenried West (Munich U-Bahn) Fürstenried West is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3.-References:...	1.9 km
22 May 1993	U6 (West)	Holzapfelkreuth Holzapfelkreuth (Munich U-Bahn) Holzapfelkreuth is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6.-References:... - Klinikum Großhadern Klinikum Großhadern (Munich U-Bahn) Klinikum Großhadern is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich Underground system serving the Klinikum Großhadern hospital and nearby student accommodation.-References:... (Großhadern Clinical Centre)	2.9 km
20 November 1993	U2 (North)	Scheidplatz Scheidplatz (Munich U-Bahn) Scheidplatz is a Munich U-Bahn interchange station in the borough of Schwabing-West. The station is also the northern terminus of route of the Munich tramway.-References:... - Dülferstraße Dülferstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Dülferstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:...	5.0 km
30 June 1994	U6 (North)	Kieferngarten Kieferngarten (Munich U-Bahn) Kieferngarten is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6. It was the terminus of the first section of the U-Bahn to be built, opening on 19 October 1971.-References:... - Fröttmaning Fröttmaning (Munich U-Bahn) Fröttmaning is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. It serves the new Allianz Arena and was opened on 30 June 1994.-References:...	1.0 km
28 October 1995	U6 (North)	Fröttmaning Fröttmaning (Munich U-Bahn) Fröttmaning is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. It serves the new Allianz Arena and was opened on 30 June 1994.-References:... - Garching-Hochbrück Garching-Hochbrück (Munich U-Bahn) Garching-Hochbrück is a Munich U-Bahn station in Hochbrück on the U6. It opened on October 28, 1995.- External links :...	3.8 km
26 October 1996	U2 (North)	Dülferstraße Dülferstraße (Munich U-Bahn) Dülferstraße is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2.-References:... - 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 Innsbrucker Ring (Munich U-Bahn) Innsbrucker Ring is a U2 - U5 interchange station of the Munich U-Bahn. It is located under the Innsbrucker Ring and connects lines U2 and U5, allowing cross-platform interchange. The distance of the U 2 line to Karl-Preis-Platz measures 868 m. The distance of the U 2 line to Josephsburg measures... - Messestadt-Ost Messestadt-Ost (Munich U-Bahn) Messestadt-Ost is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U2 line located in Riem. It was opened in 1999-05-29.-References:...	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-Hochbrück (Munich U-Bahn) Garching-Hochbrück is a Munich U-Bahn station in Hochbrück on the U6. It opened on October 28, 1995.- External links :... - Garching-Forschungszentrum Garching-Forschungszentrum (Munich U-Bahn) Garching-Forschungszentrum is a Munich U-Bahn station in Garching. It serves as the northern terminus of the U6 line of the Munich U-Bahn system. The station was opened on 2006-10-14.-External links:*-References:...	4.4 km
28 October 2007	U3 (North)	Olympiazentrum Olympiazentrum (Munich U-Bahn) Olympiazentrum is an U-Bahn station in Munich on the U3 of the Munich U-Bahn system. It was opened on 8 May 1972 for the 1972 Summer Olympics and services Munich's Olympiapark and its Olympic Village, and also those who want to visit the BMW museum.... - Olympia-Einkaufszentrum	2.2 km
11 December 2010	U3 (North)	Olympia-Einkaufszentrum - Moosach	2 km

Source: Municipality of Munich, Construction Office.

Recent Extensions

U6 (North): Upgrade of Fröttmaning station

The new Allianz Arena

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

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

Munich 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 are quite advanced, low passenger forecasts led to the abandonment in favour of a tram or light rail from Schwanseestraße.

U1 (North): Extension OEZ - Fasanerie (S)

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.

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 - Fideliopark - Englschalking (S)

This extension would bridge the gap between the current terminus Arabellapark and the S8 at Englschalking. However, the funding is unclear. The portion between Arabellapark an Cosimapark will be served by a tramway system connecting St-Emmeram with Effnerplatz.

U5 (West): Extension Laimer Platz - Willibaldstraße - Am Knie - Pasing Bf. (S)

Although the proceedings for official approval (Planfeststellungsverfahren) of this extension were already under way, this section has been put on hold. The line would be parallel to the S-Bahn and the tram line 19, so there is a debate over the utility of this extension. Some passenger associations suggested an alternative route via Blumenau with five to six stations, to allow access to an area more remote from the S-Bahn. As the funding is also uncertain, it is unlikely that this extension will be built soon.

U6 (South): Extension Klinikum Großhadern - Martinsried

This extension will give access to the biotech centre at Martinsried

Martinsried

Martinsried is a section of Planegg, a municipality neighboring Munich, Germany. Martinsried lies about 15 km southwest of Munich's city center.Martinsried is mostly known as the location of the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry and the...

. As the tracks would cross the municipality boundary of Munich, planning and financing falls under the responsibility of the municipality of Planegg

Planegg

Planegg is a municipality in the district of Munich, in Bavaria, Germany. It is located on the river Würm, 13 km west of Munich ....

or the Free State of Bavaria

Bavaria

Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...

. The further extension of the U6 to Martinsried was approved by the district council in July 2009. The 67 million euro costing and approximately 900 metres long line will start operation in 2014/2015.

U6 (North): Extension Garching-Forschungszentrum - Neufahrn

An extension of the northern U6 from Garching to the S-Bahn station of Neufahrn would create a significant short cut for the northern boroughs of Munich on their way to Franz-Josef-Strauss Airport. This extension is currently under discussion.

U7 (West-East): New Booster Line

The old U7 booster line was from Rotkreuzplatz to Messestadt Ost via U1 and U2 lines was abandoned in the early 2000s. There is a push for a new U7 booster line from Westfriedhof to Neuperlach-Zentrum.

U9: Central Station (S-Bahn)/Karlsplatz (Stachus) - Pinakotheken - Münchner Freiheit

To shorten the travel times between Central Station and Münchner Freiheit and onward to Allianz Arena

Allianz Arena

a direct connection has been suggested. There are two variants to connect to Central Station, the tunnels either connect to the new, second S-Bahn tunnel at Central Station (which would require two-system trains) or to the existing U4/5 tunnel at Karlsplatz. This plan has still been strongly promoted by the political group, CSU.

Connection between U2 and U6: Harthof/Am Hart - Kieferngarten

This connection would also allow a direct service from Central Station to the Allianz Arena

Allianz Arena

at Fröttmaning. However, it would be serviced by U2 and the travel time would be longer than with the U9.

External links

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