Munich S-Bahn
| Munich S-Bahn | |
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| Info | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Munich |
| Transit type | Regional rail |
| Number of lines | 10 |
| Number of stations | 147 |
| Daily ridership | 750,000 |
| Operation | |
| Began operation | 28 May 1972 |
| Operator(s) | S-Bahn München |
| Technical | |
| System length | 442 km (275 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) (standard gauge) |
S-Bahn trains in Munich are operated by S-Bahn München, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn Regio Bavaria. The Munich S-Bahn network is integrated in the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (Münchner Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund, MVV). It covers a populated area of about 2.7 million habitants. Together with the U-Bahn, it is the backbone of Munich's public transport system.
The Munich S-Bahn commenced operation on 28 May 1972. Its construction was accelerated as part of the scheme to provide an adequate transportation system during the Olympic Summer Games held in Munich in September 1972 and as a means of upgrading transportation in the Munich conurbation. The system was created by connecting the suburban rail services from the west of the city with those to the east, by means of a tunnel section from Hauptbahnhof in the west to Ostbahnhof in the east (so-called "core" route).
Contents |
Data
- 10 S-Bahn lines
- 442 km tracks
- 147 S-Bahn stations
- 238 S-Bahn electric multiple unit trains
- app. 750,000 passengers per working day
- Computer Integrated Railroading on the "core" route
Lines
System
The network has seven arms in the West, which are simply numbered from S1 (to Freising) to S8 (Geltendorf) (although there's no longer an S3). These are coupled with the five arms in the East according to technical necessities, which results in the numbering of the Eastern arms.
In addition, the two lines not going through the core route tunnel have two-digit numbers like S2x. Further, the non-electrified line to Altomünster is called line A.
S-Bahn lines
| S1 | Freising / Munich International Airport — München Hauptbahnhof — München Ostbahnhof |
| S2 | Petershausen — München Hauptbahnhof — Erding |
| S4 | Mammendorf — München Hauptbahnhof — Ebersberg |
| S5 | Herrsching — München Hauptbahnhof — Holzkirchen |
| S6 | Tutzing — München Hauptbahnhof — Kreuzstraße |
| S7 | Wolfratshausen — München Hauptbahnhof — München Ostbahnhof |
| S8 | Geltendorf — München Hauptbahnhof — Munich International Airport |
| S20 | München-Pasing — Deisenhofen |
| S27 | München Hauptbahnhof — Deisenhofen |
| A | Altomünster — Dachau — München Hauptbahnhof |
Intra-Urban Long-Distance Lines
The little known connection between the Ostbahnhof and the Hauptbahnhof, called the "Suedring" runs south from Ostbahnhof, bends westward, passing over Kolumbusplatz, the Isar river, Poccistraße and Heimeranplatz to arrive at the Hauptbahnhof without any stops in between. Trains travelling on this route (DB50) are included in the MVV tarif scheme and offer a view of the city in only slightly more time than in the Stammstrecke tunnel.
Additional regional lines make calls at stations also served by the S-Bahn, but provide an effective skip-stop/express functionality for MVV patrons. Examples include:
- Garmisch-Partenkirchen to Munich, calling at Tutzing (S6) and Pasing (Stammstrecke)
- Augsburg to Munich, calling at and Pasing (Stammstrecke)
- Regensburg to Munich, calling at Moosburg, and Freising (S1)
- Rosenheim to Munich, calling at Grafing Bf (S4) and Ostbahnhof (Stammstrecke)
- Various southern lines of the BOB, calling at Holzkirchen (S5), and regional variants from Rosenheim calling at Kreuzstraße (S6) and Holzkirchen (S5) through Großhesselohe
- Lindau to Munich, calling at Geltendorf (S8)
- Nürnberg to Munich, calling at Petershausen (S2) and Dachau Bf (S2)
Expansion plans announced by the MVV include a series of "Express S-Bahns" dedicated skip-stop lines that would operate through the second planned "Stammstrecke."
History
An underground railway line for Munich was first proposed in 1928 in a report on the "relocation of traffic centres". An underground route would allow "direct long distance traffic to and through the city centre".
On 22 May 1938, the first tunnel, which was part of the north-south route, was started in the Lindwurmstraße, between the present-day underground stations Sendlinger Tor and Goetheplatz. In the speech of Julius Dorpmüller, the general director of Deutsche Reichsbahn, the project was called "S-Bahn" for the first time. Due to World War II the construction and plans for the Munich S-Bahn were set aside.
In 1965, the Federal Republic of Germany, the Free State of Bavaria, the state capital of Munich and the Deutsche Bundesbahn signed a contract on the construction of the Munich S-Bahn. The further development was most influenced by a decision made in Rome on 26 April 1966: The International Olympic Committee chose Munich over Detroit, Madrid and Montreal as the scene for the 1972 Summer Olympics. This resulted in a tight schedule: There were only six years to complete the Munich S-Bahn network.
Not only did the tunnel through the city centre have to be built, the full railway infrastructure had to be expanded. The network of suburban lines had to be changed over and modernized. A large number of stations had to be upgraded; the platforms were brought to a length of 210 m to allow for three-unit trains; the platform height was raised to 76 cm. However, the floor height of the trains used then and now is at ca. 1 m, which makes boarding difficult for people with wheelchairs or prams. Tunnel stations and platforms updated recently where no freight trains run feature a height of 96 cm, however.
On 25 February 1971 the topping-out ceremony could be celebrated in the core route tunnel. In May the first S-Bahn train of the ET 420 series was put into service on the route between Pasing and Gauting. On 1 September 1971 a regular advance service was started on that route.
On 28 May 1972, the Munich S-Bahn network was finally put into service with 360 km of tracks and 101 trains of the ET 420 series. It was the first time a S-Bahn network that size was put into service on a single date. The route S10 to Wolfratshausen (today S7) was operated with conventional push-pull trains from the southern wing of Munich Central Station. It was electrified later and connected to the core route after the construction of a 260 m tunnel crossing the large number of mainline rail tracks leading to Munich Central Station.
Three months later the German President Gustav Heinemann opened the 1972 Summer Olympics. During the Games there were two additional S-Bahn lines servicing the now-defunct station Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium). The new S-Bahn system stood the test and transported 3.18 million passengers in 7,138 runs to and from the sports sites in only 17 days.
Since then the Munich S-Bahn network has been expanded multiple times. In 1992, the route between Ismaning and the new Airport Munich II has been put into service. Until 2005, there was a 266 million Euro programme to substantially extend the infrastructure. For example, the route Giesing-Deisenhofen has been upgraded with a second track. Since 2000, trains of the type series ET 420 have been gradually replaced by ET 423 trains.
Further dates:
- 15 June 1966 - Construction of the core route tunnel begins in Arnulfstraße.
- 28 April 1972 - first test runs on the tunnel route (Hauptbahnhof-Marienplatz-Ostbahnhof).
- 28 May 1972 - regular service with 360 route km begins.
Type Series
- ET 423 (since 2000)
- VT 628 (on line A, which is not electrified)
No longer in service:
- ET 420 ("Olympia train", 1972 to 2004)
Probed:
- In 1989, the double decker trains used in the Netherlands were briefly used on the then S4 between Geltendorf and Ebersberg. Patrons were invited to fill out a questionnaire while onboard describing their experiences while boarding and riding the train. The concept was to increase passenger capacity at the same time as accommodating bicycles, prams, and wheelchairs with efficiency. The trains were pulled by a DB Class 120 locomotive at each end of the train.
Plans and further expansions
- Second core route: Nearly all lines use the core route, creating a bottle-neck responsible for long delays from even the smallest disruptions. A second tunnel through the city centre is planned, which will be about 10 km (6 mi) in length and which is supposed to be finished in 2025. It will start between the stations Laim and Donnersbergerbrücke and lie north of the current tunnel. Just before Munich East it will fork, with one fork going to Munich East and the other to Leuchtenbergring. In between, only two stations, Central Station and Marienhof (slightly north of Marienplatz), are planned. The tunnel was chosen over another variant to build an S-Bahn along the railway "south ring".
- Extension of S7 to Geretsried (Geretsried Süd railway station) via Gelting and Geretsried Mitte. (by 2009)
- Erding ring: connection of the ends of S1/S8 (airport) and S2 East (Erding) (planned, by 2015/2020)
- relocation of the S2 East to the Munich International Trade Fair site with station (Messestadt-Nord?)
- upgrade of the Sendling Connection Route between Pasing and Heimeranplatz.
- new station Berduxstraße between Obermenzing and Laim (S1/S2 West).
- new station Hirschgarten between Laim and Donnersbergerbrücke (all lines except A, S7, S20, and S27).
- new station Menterschwaige between Solln and Deisenhofen (S20, S27).
- Electrification of Line A between Dachau and Altomünster (by 2008)
Literature
- Popischil, Reinhard; Rudolph, Ernst (1997). S-Bahn München. Düsseldorf: Alba. ISBN 9783870943585. OCLC 42476820.
- Armin Franzke: Im Tunnel unter City und Isar. 1972: Die S-Bahn München nimmt den Betrieb auf. In: LOK MAGAZIN. Nr. 251/Jahrgang 41/2002. GeraNova Zeitschriftenverlag GmbH München, ISSN 0458-1822, OCLC 3136408, pages 90-97.
See also
- Munich U-Bahn
- List of rapid transit systems
External links
- S-Bahn München GmbH - Official Site (German)
- Interessengemeinschaft S-Bahn München e.V. (German)
- Fahrgastverband PRO BAHN zur Münchner S-Bahn (German)
- tunnelaktion.de - Alternative concepts for the Munich S-Bahn / Description of alternatives to the second city tunnel from the years 2001-2007
- Flash animation of the concept Teilausbau Südring (upgrade of southern rail connector for S-Bahn lines) - Details for one of the concepts presented on www.tunnelaktion.de
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