In the future, three major projects could come together on the southeastern outskirts of Munich that would have a decisive impact on the future of local public transport: The Munich district wants to extend the U5 subway line via the communities of Neubiberg and Ottobrunn to the Ottobrunn/Taufkirchen aerospace campus.
The Free State is also planning, together with Deutsche Bahn (DB), to expand the S-Bahn line S7 between Giesing and Kreuzstrasse in order to reduce the susceptibility to disruption and at the same time be able to provide an improved service. And the Stadtwerke München (SWM) and the Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft (MVG) have another major project underway with their subway depot in Neuperlach-Süd.
A feasibility study will now clarify how the three projects do not hinder each other and how the expansion of the subway and S-Bahn remains possible. On Thursday, Bavaria’s Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU), District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU) and MVG boss Ingo Wortmann signed a financing agreement.
The Munich district and the SWM/MVG have already concluded an agreement on a feasibility study for a possible reserve measure for the U5. The further study will now deal with a retention measure for the S7. According to the Bavarian Ministry of Transport, the support structures are necessary so that the extended U5 and the second track of the S7 can cross the structures and tracks of the depot. One requirement: Passengers should be able to transfer directly from the subway to the S-Bahn or vice versa in both directions.
The subway depot is planned between Arnold-Sommerfeld-Straße, Lise-Meitner-Weg and the allotment garden area to the southeast. The 92,000 square meter area will include, among other things, a parking facility for 30 trains, a workshop hall, a washing hall and a 900 meter long acceptance track for test drives. And even though residents have now collected around 7,000 signatures against the location out of fear of future noise pollution, the MVG sees no alternative. “Without an additional new depot with a parking facility and workshop, further expansion of the subway service is not possible,” says MVG boss Wortmann. A suitable area was found in Neuperlach-Süd. The MVG considers a location further out to be unsuitable.
SWM and MVG would like to start construction in mid-2026, and the desired commissioning would be in 2030. But when planning the new depot, the expansion projects for the subway and S-Bahn must also be taken into account. This could delay the project.
The expansion of the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in the southeast would make life much easier for commuters to and from Munich. “The extension of the U5 into the Munich district is of essential importance for the low-emission transport connection to the aerospace campus in Taufkirchen/Ottobrunn,” says District Administrator Göbel. With the agreement that has now been signed, the Neuperlach-Süd bottleneck can now finally be viewed taking all three important measures into account and important steps can be taken for future mobility in the Munich district and beyond. Many commuters currently use buses between Neuperlach-Süd and Ottobrunn, which are always packed during rush hour.
The district administrator is not concerned that there is currently no binding funding commitment from the federal government for the U5. He recently emphasized that it is still at a very early stage. How much the subway extension will actually cost when it comes is unclear. Older estimates were around 380 million euros. This sum may no longer be enough due to inflation and generally increased prices in the construction sector.