Future of Munich's local transport: Where the city has to save money now!

Future of Munich's local transport: Where the city has to save money now!

The Munich Transport Company (MVG) is facing a new challenge: Although the demand for public transport in the city is increasing, the MVG does not have the financial resources to meet the growing needs. District committees and the city council have already expressed numerous wishes to expand public transport, especially in new development areas and near schools that are difficult to access. The case of the high school in Karlsfeld, which starts classes at 8:30 a.m. to make it easier for students to travel, is extremely notable, but the MVG cannot react as desired.[evening newspaper]

The costs for personnel and materials have increased, which, together with the introduction of the Deutschlandticket, significantly limits the MVG's financial flexibility. “The scope for action has been significantly reduced,” reports the mobility department. Nevertheless, the city is showing a positive trend: around 615 million passengers used public transport in 2023, which corresponds to an increase of around 8 percent compared to the previous year.[evening newspaper]

Changes in local transport

The upcoming changes to Munich's local transport have already been finalized. There are rumblings in transport policy: the “MIJA” on-call bus service, which was initially widely announced, is not being implemented. Instead, 4.25 million euros of the project budget will flow into the tram west tangent. This new provisional tram line 14 will connect Pasing train station via Laimer Platz with Gondrellplatz and will run every ten minutes during the day. There should be a 20-minute cycle in the morning and evening. A critical proposal from the CSU city council to finance these tram plans shows that the debate about financing continues to simmer.[evening newspaper]

Adjustments to the subway are also planned: The clock shift on the U6 amplifier between Münchner Freiheit and Harras should help to increase capacity. Meanwhile, bus lines 56, 58, 68, 162, 163, 193 and 197 will be thinned out, while Line 57 will be densified. Longer buses are to be used on routes 130, 161 and 190, which according to plans will lead to further improvements before school starts in September 2026.[evening newspaper]

The future of public transport in Munich

But that's not the only news in Munich's local transport: The city of Munich and the Munich municipal utility are pushing ahead with tram and subway projects, despite strained budget situations. An important development is the tram west tangent, the section from Agnes-Bernauer-Straße to Ammerseestraße is scheduled to go into operation this year. An expansion of the tram network by around 15 kilometers to a total of 83 kilometers and the rapidly progressing U5 expansion project from Laimer Platz to the new Willibaldstrasse train station are important steps for the transport infrastructure< span class="source_3">[City of Munich].

Mayor Dieter Reiter described the U5 extension as a flagship project. The subway is also continually maintained and modernized. Another ambitious project is the planned U9, which is intended to relieve the existing network as a new route across the city center. For this purpose, studies have already been carried out on the condition of the ground between the main train station and Implerstrasse.[City of Munich]

For Munich residents who want to use public transport, there is also electronic timetable information (EFA). This allows travelers to plan their trip by entering the start and destination locations as well as departure or arrival times. This function supports S-Bahn, U-Bahn, tram and bus and is highly recommended for finding the best possible connection.[Munich.de]

On July 23, the committee will decide on the implementation of the new plans. Passengers will be waiting eagerly for the next developments in Munich's local transport, as the mobility offering remains an issue that moves the city.