SECTOR | RAIL & METRO TUNNELS
MUNICH BUILDS NEW RAIL ROUTE
A second mainline rail tunnel, with three large deep new stations, is being built in Munich to relieve a transport bottleneck. The ambitious project poses many technical and logistical challenges. Description by Marc Steinfeld, Senior Project Engineer Tunnel, DB InfraGO AG, and Roland Herr, International Freelance Journalist.
INTRODUCTION
The Munich metropolitan region is home to around 6 million people and the west-east rail connection is via the S-Bahn (main line, or core) route. With almost 1 million passengers per day at peak times, the S-Bahn is one of the largest public transport systems in Germany. Opened in 1972 for the Olympic Games, the 11.3km-long main line has reached its capacity, as all S-Bahn trains have to pass through a tunnel under Munich city centre. The solution is to build an approximately 10km-long
2nd core route, which will relieve the existing route as well as serve as an alternative in the event of disruptions and, above all, significantly reduce travel time from west to east with the introduction of a new express S-Bahn system. As with the existing core route, the centrepiece of the
new connection is a 7km-long tunnel that begins in the west of Munich, before the Donnersberger bridge, and passes through new or converted stations - at the main station, and Marienhof and Ostbahnhof stations - and rejoins the core route at Leuchtenbergring. The 2nd core route is a project of the Free State of
Bavaria, which is being implemented by the German railway company Deutsche Bahn in cooperation with the state capital Munich.
1 PROJECT OVERVIEW The 7 km-long tunnel of the 2nd core route connects the main station, Marienhof and Ostbahnhof stations. Because several underground lines are crossed, the main station and Marienhof stations are located at a depth of
around 40m and the Ostbahnhof station at a depth of 16m. The smaller number of stations compared to the existing core route and a new express S-Bahn system will enable significantly shorter journey times. The 2nd core route begins in the west of Munich with
the complete renovation of Laim station. East of Laim station, a new bridge will enable the two new tracks to branch off from the existing line into the new core route. The line runs underground from the west portal,
located approximately 300m before the Donnersberger bridge. Up to the first underground station at the main station, the new core route crosses under the existing route and switches to its southern side. The first new underground S-Bahn station is located
about 40m below the main station and will have a central entrance to the new main hall. Following on from the central exit to the west, the so-called western extension is being built in preparation for a possible future U9 metro line, among other things. As part of the construction work, the main station is also being rebuilt and will have a new reception building with a new Starnberg wing station. East of the main station, the new core route crosses
under the U1 and U2 underground lines and the existing core route, to run parallel to the existing core route to the north. At Karlsplatz (Stachus), it crosses the U4 and U5 underground lines at a low level, passes the Frauenkirche at a depth of more than 30m, and then reaches the second underground station at Marienhof. This is located beneath the U3 and U6 underground tunnels. The entrances to the new station are located behind the town hall at Marienhof.
Above: Longitudinal section of the 2nd core route in Munich SOURCE: DB INFRAGO AG 12 | May 2026
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