S-Bahn Munich: Every tenth train too late – what the train is now planning – district of Munich

Currently the points are the weak point in the system. Last Saturday, the S-Bahn got out of step due to technology in need of repair in the Laim area, which particularly affected the S 1 line. According to the DB route agent, on Tuesday it was a switch at the Leuchtenbergring.

In this respect, there are many indications that the S-Bahn will again fall short of expectations in terms of punctuality, even in 2023, which is still young. According to Deutsche Bahn, this was 92.7 percent in 2021 and dropped to 90.1 percent in 2022. Every tenth S-Bahn came too late. An S-Bahn is considered late if it is six minutes behind the timetable. Canceled trains are not included in the statistics.

As a Bahn spokesman now explains on request, the causes of the delays over the years are distributed in comparable parts to the infrastructure, the S-Bahn and external influences, such as the use of an emergency doctor. But there are fluctuations, the spokesman said. Last year, a large proportion of the noticeable delays were due to signal box malfunctions at the Ostbahnhof or slow-moving sections, which were necessary due to inspections at the thresholds or construction work. In 2022, more and more trains had to be stopped because of people in the track area; 17 times during the Oktoberfest alone.

According to DB, since the timetable change in December 2022, the S-Bahn has put 760,000 kilometers more on the rails every year. This is a challenge on the heavily used routes, which is why a quality, expansion and modernization program is being launched with the Free State. The “Strong S-Bahn Munich – Program 14 plus” initiative included measures for more punctual train services and better passenger information. The focus is on prevention.

As an example, the speaker cites the early replacement of components in signal boxes and at level crossings. The train service will be improved, the vehicle fleet will be supplemented and modernized. To this end, DB is examining the digitization of the Munich railway junction. “A feasibility study on this topic is currently underway.”

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