Anyone who currently arrives at Munich Central Station by train will see a lot of construction sites. During the European Football Championship, Deutsche Bahn (DB) will temporarily stop work in the track hall so that there is enough space for the numerous fans who are expected to attend the games. There should also be no construction work on the S-Bahn that would slow down train traffic.
Munich will host six games: the opening game between Germany and Scotland will take place on June 14th at 9 p.m. Further games will take place on June 17th, 20th and 25th as well as on July 2nd (round of 16) and July 9th (semi-finals) in the Fröttmaninger Arena.
Unlike normal football matches in the arena, DB is expecting far more people to come to Munich for the European Championships. There is no exact forecast yet. Katja Marie Leschowski from Munich station management expects around 100,000 travelers each year who want to watch the matches not only in the stadium, but also in the so-called fan zone in the Olympic Park. There is room for up to 30,000 people there, and all 51 matches will be broadcast on three screens.
There is also an extensive program in the Olympic Park with music, football and other activities. In total, Olympiapark GmbH expects up to a million visitors during the 31-day tournament. However, the influx depends on the weather and the general EM mood. The appearance of the German national team is likely to have played a significant role in the latter.
The DB will run special long-distance and regional trains every day during the tournament. There is an additional ICE connection between Frankfurt and Munich in both directions, one from Munich to Stuttgart, one from Hamburg via Berlin to Munich.
The DB Regio offers additional connections from Munich to Passau and Regensburg. Some trains that regularly end in Ingolstadt continue to Nuremberg. For the opening game and the semi-finals, a train on the Werdenfelsbahn will be extended to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which would otherwise end in Weilheim. The Südostbayernbahn also runs special trains at night on some match days: from Munich to Mühldorf and from Ebersberg to Wasserburg.
The Munich S-Bahn is setting up a total of 42 special trips on match days with a late end to the game. Additional shuttle trains run between Pasing and Ostbahnhof between 12:30 a.m. and 2 a.m. For the semi-finals on July 9th there will be late trains on all outer branches. The connections can be found in the usual information channels such as the DB Navigator.
So that those arriving can orientate themselves quickly, the DB has hired 20 so-called traveler drivers. They are supposed to support customers at the main train station, at the Ostbahnhof, at the Pasing train station and at Marienplatz, give tips on onward travel or offers related to the European Championship and hand out chips and sunscreen. There is a “Welcome Desk” at the main train station where DB employees and UEFA volunteers are available to answer questions.
In addition, floor markings show the way to the S-Bahn in the direction of Marienplatz, where you can take the U6 to the stadium in Fröttmaning or the U3 to the Olympic Park. Those arriving with luggage can leave it at the main station for a fee of six euros per day. The DB is also creating additional capacity for up to 600 pieces of luggage.