Future of Munich local transport: where the city has to save now!

Future of Munich local transport: where the city has to save now!

The Munich Transport Society (MVG) faces a new challenge: Although the demand for public transport in the city is increasing, the MVG does not have the financial means to meet the growing needs. District committees and the city council have already expressed numerous wishes to expand public transport, especially in new buildings and nearby, which are difficult to reach. The case of the high school in Karlsfeld, which begins his lessons at 8:30 a.m., is extremely remarkable to make it easier for the students to arrive, but the MVG cannot react as desired.

The costs for personnel and material have increased, which, together with the introduction of the Germany ticket, significantly limits the financial scope of the MVG. "The scope for action has been significantly reduced," the mobility presentation reports. Nevertheless, the city shows a positive tendency: around 615 million passengers used public transport in 2023, which corresponds to an increase of about 8 percent compared to the previous year.

changes in local transport

The upcoming changes in Munich local transport have already been fixed. The rumbling in transport policy: The call bus offer "Mija", which was initially announced, is not implemented. Instead, 4.25 million euros of the project budget flow into the tram-West tangent. This new provisional tram line 14 will connect Pasing station to Gondrellplatz via Laimer Platz and run every ten minutes during the day. In the morning and evening there should be a 20-minute cycle. A critical application by the City Council CSU to finance these tram plans shows that the debate about the financing continues to mean.

In addition, adjustments to the subway are planned: the clock shift in the U6 amplifier between Munich freedom and Harras is intended to increase the capacity. In the meantime, bus lines 56, 58, 68, 162, 163, 193 and 197 are thinned out, while Line 57 experiences a compression. Longer buses are to be used on lines 130, 161 and 190, according to the plans before the start of school in September 2026.

The future of public transport in Munich

But these are not the only news in Munich's local transport: the city of Munich and the Munich Stadtwerke are driving the tram and subway projects forward, despite tense budget situations. An important development is the Tram-Westtangente, the section of which is to go into operation this year from Agnes-Bernauer-Straße to Ammersestrasse. An expansion of the TRAM network by around 15 kilometers to a total of 83 kilometers and the rapidly progressing U5 expansion measure from Laimer Platz to the new train station Willibaldstraße are important steps for the traffic infrastructure [City of Munich] .

The mayor Dieter Reiter described the U5 extension as a lighthouse project. The subway is also continuously maintained and modernized. Another ambitious project is the planned U9, which is to relieve the existing network as a new line across the city center. For this purpose, studies on the nature of the soil have already been carried out between the main train station and Implerstrasse. [City of Munich]

for Munichers who want to use public transport, there is also the electronic timetable information (EFA). This allows travelers to plan their journey by entering the start and destination as well as departure or arrival times. This function supports S-Bahn, subway, tram and bus and is highly recommended to find the best possible connection.

On July 23, the committee will decide on the implementation of the new plans. The passengers will therefore look forward to the next developments in Munich local transport, because the mobility offer remains a topic that moves the city.