The new electronic signal box at Ostbahnhof will be completed another year later than initially planned. On Wednesday, Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced that the system could only go into operation in the summer of 2025. The DB had first promised to replace the relay signal box, which dates back to 1971, with the new one in the summer of 2023, then it was August 2024. Construction has been underway on the new system since October 2021. There are frequent route closures during the work.
Passengers now have to continue to live with the many failures of the old signal box and construction site-related restrictions. The DB cites “a structural implementation problem” as the reason for the renewed delay. Among other things, this involves the interfaces between the new signal box and neighboring existing signal boxes in Munich.
The problem only became apparent in a late project phase, but has since been solved. However, individual processes of software planning and structural implementation would have had to be extensively adapted.
According to the DB, this will result in major rescheduling and additional testing loops that will take several months. In addition, there will be a construction break for the period of the European Football Championship this summer so that there are no closures due to the construction work and the trains can run as undisturbed as possible during the tournament.
In order to achieve improvements in the Munich rail hub before the new signal box goes into operation, the DB has taken several steps. This includes additional maintenance work on the existing relay signal box at Ostbahnhof.
The DB is also stabilizing the two fault-prone signal boxes in Allach and Dachau, which should also have a positive effect on traffic on the S-Bahn main line. According to its own information, the DB is investing more than 1.5 million euros in this.
Around 8,000 hours are required for the acceptance and commissioning process of the new east signal box during ongoing operations. In total, the DB is laying around 400 kilometers of cable and setting up more than 100 new signals.
The DB is currently examining to what extent other construction projects, such as the Sendlinger Spange or the renovation of the station in Laim, will be affected by the delay.