Munich: MVG wants to cut subway, bus and tram – Munich

The Munich transport company (MVG) has to save. That is why she wants to reduce her offer for the timetable change in December, provided that no new money comes from the federal government, the Free State or the city of Munich to finance the offer.

The MVG is currently presenting its plans to the district committees before the city council deals with them in July. There are hardly any additional offers: some more frequent bus intervals are planned during school transport, an extension of the N77 night bus to Freiham station and some changed routes with new stops.

But the draft for the district committees states unequivocally: “MVG’s offer is structurally underfinanced due to insufficient tariff adjustments. The coverage of this underfunding is currently unclear. MVG therefore unfortunately sees itself forced to propose precautionary service adjustments to reduce costs.”

Planned subway cuts

In concrete terms, this means: thinner bars, shorter distances. During the summer and Christmas holidays, the U7 booster line is to be dropped from the subway. On the U4, the five-minute interval in the Lehel-Arabellapark section is to be canceled during the week during rush hour. Between Westendstraße and Lehel, the U4 should only run every ten minutes. Early in the morning, late in the evening and on Sundays, the U4 will only run between Odeonsplatz and Arabellapark, and the Theresienwiese-Odeonsplatz connection will no longer be available.

With the U6, the booster runs between Münchner Freiheit and Harras would be omitted during normal traffic hours, i.e. between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. This would only mean that a U6 would run every five minutes instead of every three minutes and 20 seconds. This also applies to Saturdays when there are no football games or major events.

Fewer trams planned

According to the plans between the main station and Willibaldplatz, tram line 29, which has so far relieved lines 18 and 19 during the week, will no longer be used. On this section, a tram will only come every five minutes instead of every three minutes and 20 seconds. With the tram 25, the booster rides to the Großhesseloher Bridge would be omitted on Saturday. That means a ten instead of five minute cycle. In general, the ten-minute cycle after 8 p.m. should be canceled on all tram lines, but only if the “clock 10 to 10” on the metro bus lines is also eliminated.

The latter measure is also on the cross-off list, along with a whole series of cuts in buses. The X98 express bus, which was discontinued a year ago during the pandemic, is to be permanently eliminated. According to MVG, the demand is too low.

Express buses in front of the exit

Likewise, the express lines X30 (Harras-Arabellapark) and X35 (Moosach-Alte Heide) could be deleted. There should also be thinner intervals on eight lines, for example on line 58/68 between the main station and Silberhornstrasse. During the day it should only run every ten minutes.

The Pro Bahn passenger association reacted to the planned cuts with sharp criticism. The city must enable a good offer through sufficient financing, says Norbert Moy, Upper Bavarian chairman of Pro Bahn. “Discussions such as about 365-euro tickets ultimately act as smokescreens when even the previous offer is threatened and the urgently needed improvement of the offer is a long way off,” says Moy.

Open detailed view

The cancellation program makes it virtually impossible to achieve the city’s transport goals, i.e. to increase the proportion of local public transport to 30 percent by 2030. “Anyone who easily spends a billion euros for a single subway route – that’s about 670 euros per citizen – must also be able to invest, for example, 20 euros per citizen in a good offer,” says Moy, alluding to the Extension of the U5 to Pasing. The fact that the passenger revenue has to cover the operating costs is a distorted picture that hinders the turnaround in traffic and is by no means mandatory. Pro Bahn is in favor of more public funding for public transport.

The MVV boss criticizes the plans

Bernd Rosenbusch, head of the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV), has done this repeatedly in the past. He is critical of cuts in the offer: “In our opinion, to relieve the region of car traffic, what is needed above all is a good offer for buses and trains,” says Rosenbusch. “If you have a car, you don’t have to wait to start driving. We also have to move in this direction with public transport: Get in and drive off without having to study timetables. The better the interval, the more attractive it is to use it.” In addition, a high level of public transport use is also important for the energy sector.

“The cuts in the 2023 service program are going in the wrong direction and must be reversed entirely,” says CSU faction leader Manuel Pretzl. “If we want to get more people excited about public transport and thus about a sustainable turnaround in traffic, we have to expand the current offer and not reduce it.”

Nikolaus Gradl (SPD) sees it that way: “We want the traffic turnaround, not a step backwards,” he says. It is sending the wrong signal to make cuts in the frequency of trams and subways in the coming year. “At the same time, we are responsible for a budget that can be approved, and unfortunately this is not foreseeable until July 2022.”

Paul Bickelbacher (Greens) also wants to avoid serious cuts in benefits. On the contrary: In order to achieve a traffic turnaround, it is also necessary to examine whether services can be expanded in selected areas – such as the development of the old town ring road with bus lines. “Of course, that has to be decided with regard to the financial situation of MVG and the city,” says Bickelbacher. “If it can’t be funded in 2022, then at least next year.” In order to save funds, at most “clever adjustments” are conceivable, such as reducing a cycle of three minutes and 20 seconds to a cycle of five minutes.