Despite all the protests from local residents, Stadtwerke München (SWM) is sticking to around-the-clock operation at the planned subway depot in Neuperlach. This emerges from the answer to a request from the CSU city council group.
In it, SWM points out that maintenance work and brake tests are planned all day, with the highest volume “naturally” occurring at times outside of regular subway operations. “A nocturnal shutdown and a waiver of acceptance trips on Sundays and public holidays at the depot can therefore not be implemented for operational reasons.”
The CSU had given their request the meaningful title: “Compliance with SWM’s commitments to the planned Neuperlach Süd subway depot to protect local residents.” The parliamentary group thus took up the criticism of many neighbors of the construction project, according to which SWM had radically changed its original planning for the large-scale project without any citizen participation – to the detriment of the residents. Above all, they fear the constant noise, not least from the braking tests on the 900-meter-long receiving track.
As reported, Stadtwerke and its subsidiary, the Munich Transport Company (MVG), are planning to build a subway depot in Neuperlach to relieve the existing system in Fröttmaning. On the 92,000 square meter site on Arnold-Sommerfeld-Strasse, a depot for 30 trains, a workshop and washing hall and the brake test track are to be built, among other things. The MVG expects the completion “at the end of the 2020s”.
Since the plans for the subway depot were presented to the public almost a year ago, there has been increasing protest in the neighborhood; among other things, two citizens’ initiatives were founded. Your accusation: The MVG “sneaked” the decision for the Neuperlach location by initially naming completely different framework conditions, says Bruno Grzeski from the citizens’ initiative U-Bahn depot south. She calls for the search for a new location to be rolled out again – and also to examine properties in the Munich district, where the U5 could be extended.
However, the SWM rejected this idea in their reply to the CSU request. The financing of a U5 extension is still being clarified and a building permit cannot be accepted before 2030. However, the depot “will be needed by 2027 at the latest,” according to SWM.
The question remains as to what the noise protection at the new depot should look like. The previous plans had been heavily criticized – by the citizens’ initiative, but also in the Ramersdorf-Perlach district committee. Among other things, this requires an enclosure for the receiving track, which is currently not planned. The noise protection report for the project is currently being revised, probably also as a reaction to the protests.
According to the MVG, the new version should be available in the second quarter of 2022. In their response to the CSU query, the SWM said on the subject of noise protection: “In order for the noise emissions to be reduced for residents by means of noise protection measures, noise protection calculations are carried out. These must be based on the legal regulations.”