The government of Upper Bavaria has once again thwarted the Stadtwerke München (SWM) in a construction project in Johanneskirchen. The SWM is planning a tram line there and wanted to start felling trees so that preparatory work could be done. But the government banned this in October last year because there was no building permit for the route yet. The district government also rejected a “provisional order” that the SWM then applied for. She does not see the urgency of the measure. SWM and its subsidiary, the Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG), saw it differently. They wanted to start laying cables underground early so that the project would not be delayed. In particular, SWM wanted to reroute the district heating pipes this summer, i.e. outside of the heating season.
The original plan was for the trams to run from the junction on Cosimastrasse to the Johanneskirchen S-Bahn station in 2025. Now the whole thing could be delayed by a year, SWM and MVG fear.
The opponents of the tram, especially the CSU, consider the project not only to be completely overpriced, but also unnecessary. 60 million euros would be due for just 700 meters of tram route. Nevertheless, the green-red city council majority is sticking to the project, much to the dismay of the Christian Socialists. But they now see their rejection confirmed. “The series of mishaps by the municipal utilities during the construction of the tram north tangent continues,” says CSU city councilor Fabian Ewald. “The fact that the approval authority is not allowing the early work is initially good news.” The costs of 60 million euros for 700 meters are disproportionate. There are already well-functioning buses on this section, but the connection to the S-Bahn would even become worse because the distance to walk with the tram would become longer, says Ewald. “We demand that the plans are now carefully examined again and the city council is informed about the next steps.”
The CSU state parliament member Robert Brannekämper is also one of the opponents of the tram. “I now expect that the state capital of Munich will immediately throw this unnecessary project into the trash. The Munich taxpayers and the citizens of Munich’s northeast have a right to this.” The Munich lawyer Benno Ziegler, who represents the residents in Johanneskirchen, is also calling for the application for planning approval to be finally withdrawn.
The tram route in Johanneskirchen is considered to be section 3 of the later north tram tangent between Neuhausen and Bogenhausen, which is also intended to cross the English Garden. The first section is scheduled to run from Elisabethplatz through Franz-Joseph-Straße to Tivolistraße from 2028, while section 2 is expected to run through Leopoldstraße between Giselastraße, Münchner Freiheit and Ungererstraße from 2029. From the MVG’s point of view, the traffic benefits that the CSU, lawyer Ziegler and some residents question are certainly present. According to the so-called standardized assessment, the route has a benefit-cost factor of 1.48. From a factor of one onwards, a project is considered eligible for funding.
But according to the government of Upper Bavaria, there were several points missing for early approval. Among other things, the planning has not yet been completely completed, and there are still questions about interference with nature and noise pollution. The government also did not accept the SWM’s justifications. Among other things, the SWM stated that the expanded Helen Keller secondary school will go back into operation in autumn 2026 and that student traffic would be affected if the tram was still being built. However, the government objected that this could be brought under control through a construction-time traffic concept. It goes on to say in the notice. “The argument that the early start of construction was necessary due to the influx of spectators at regional league games in the district sports facility on Johanneskirchner Straße is completely incomprehensible.” The men’s soccer team of FC Rot-Weiß Oberföhring, which plays there, is currently playing in the district class, i.e. in the ninth league. Even in the very unlikely event of five consecutive promotions, the club would not be able to play a regional league game until the summer of 2028 at the earliest.
“The reasons given by the applicant and the state capital of Munich for public interest in the early start of construction are also only of a general nature,” said the government. The fact that a tram construction project that has positive effects on local public transport should be completed as early as possible is not a reason to deviate from the standard procedure provided for by law.
SWM and MVG have not yet wanted to comment on the decision. This is now being checked. Afterwards, decisions on how to proceed would be made.