You forgot to mention that Munich also has a tram network. It was cut back a lot when new U-Bahn lines were built, but it is still being extended in other areas.
@@RMTransit Didn't really notice. I think it should have had it's equal screen time, as it may be competitive with many metro/light rail systems around the world. The network got almost the same length as the U-Bahn and carries up to half a million rides per weekday.
Also Munich has other train networks like the RBR which hell with faster travel to the outskirts, especially closer to the alps without having to take the Sbahn with many stops.
@@RMTransit It's as important as the other trains cause in most other cities they doesn't exist or even worse are called S-Bahn like in Zurich or Cologne. Also major cuts are added by fast bus transits (X-Buslines) with just a few stops mostly at trainstations. To further improve the service and also reduce the ammount of people in the central tubes. Like X35 in the city connecting S1, U3, U7, U1, U2 to U6 at the university. Also the fact that your ticket also includes all Regional trains within the MVV Region so its also possible to move faster or sometimes even further or different rutes by them, for example the S4 and S6 ending in Ebersberg are extended by the RB 48 to Wasserburg am Inn or the RB58 connecting both ends of the S7 and the S3 with less then 5 stops.
The fact that the Marienplatz station is right beneath the central plaza of the church and city centre is so cool. Climbing the stairs as you emerge outside and seeing the grand structure for the first time as a tourist is a sight to behold.
Probably, the building you consider to be a church is actually the Town Hall. The closest church is a least 300m walking distance away from the station/Marienplatz and not reall visible from the Station/Plaza.
Fun fact about the Munich U-Bahn: despite the fact that all tracks are connected to each other (also via some "hidden" service connections through depots and service stations), it's impossible to rotate a vehicle on the network without removing it from the rails.
Not quite, there is one way to rotate a car without taking it of it's rails. The (north) depot has a turntable that could be used to achieve such a thing.
The U-Bahn network is connected to the whole German railway network in Milbertshofen, so theoretically trains could be turned out there at DB tracks. This is also used to transport new subway trains via rail to Munich.
Awesome video about my home town railway systems. Here are a few (turns out a lot more) points I want to share: - The S-Bahn class 420 trains were decommissioned already for decades and just recently came back into service primarily from other cities because we didn't have enough 423 trains which are also no longer In production. - The city center corridor got a new station in 2009 with Hirschgarten between Laim and Donnersberger Brücke. As a result the travel time increased by about 2 minutes. In order to not break the endless connections with busses on the outskirts they just shuffled the line designations and reconnected different branches to keep the same departure times. - There used to be an S5 but the line designations change from time to time and get reconnected. There was also a time when there was no S3. Basically they try to accommodate the S8 to always go to the airport to not confuse visitors. - The S2 branch to Altomünster got only recently electrified. Before that it was served by the A train which was basically a weird diesel regional train but still part of the S-Bahn system. - The S7 is probably the most under-developed S-Bahn line on the outskirts and leaves the core the earliest together with the BOB private regional trains which stop at a common platform at Donnersberger Brücke. This line is also very known for more delays than another. - While the S8 technically runs 24/7 there are just a few trains at night (from central station: 0:15, 0:55, 1:35, 2:35, 3:15) - About the number of trains per hour both S-Bahn and U-Bahn cores are at the upper limit with 30 an hour considering that those trains have to merge and delays have huge knock on effects resulting often to very irregular service at the end of peak hours. That's a main reason why the new tunnels through the center are so important to give more capacity through the chokepoints and reduce interlining. - The S-Bahn corridor has a major chokepoint problem. Pretty often there are problems and then the whole network collapses (we call it Stammstreckenstörung). Oftentimes then S-Bahns terminate early at Pasing or end at the central station proper (above ground) like normal regional trains. - The second S-Bahn corridor can be a huge relief as an alternative route but it just got delayed until 2037 (instead of 2028). - A Ring S-Bahn is discussed a lot but has major problems. The Nordring are narrow industrial tracks that are far away from other U-Bahn stations and therefore discourage interchanges. The South ring is already very heavily trafficked by trains going eastwards and will see even more cargo trains once the Brenner tunnel to Italy is finished. - The U9 project also includes a connection to the U2 before Hauptbahnhof. This would allow a line split similar to the U3/U9 through a new tunnel via Goetheplatz & Baldeplatz to Kolumbusplatz. They even have 4 platforms at the new additional Hauptbahnhof station for that reason but it's not likely to happen until the 2050s. - Fun fact: You can open the double doors individually on A-trains but not B-trains U-Bahns. You can also differentiate them by their seat color (blue vs. brown) - While many homes at Am Moosfeld are single-family homes many are also semi-detached houses or contain multiple units although looking like one house. Also this area is known for the many brothels on the other side of the park next to the station. - During major conventions (especially bauma) the U7 is operating the whole day but goes to Messestadt Ost instead of Neuperlach Zentrum) - The Olympiapark is at wrong location (1:36). The location you show is Nymphenburger Park that belongs to the city castle. - Besides the Messe, Olympic Park & Allianz Arena there's a fourth major event destination: Theresienwiese where every year the Oktoberfest and smaller festivals take place. During Oktoberfest peak the stations have to be closed sometimes because of overcrowding. This U4/U5 station is planned to get extended to four platforms to better handle peak traffic (similar to Olympiazentrum and Fröttmaning). However it's also reachable via U3/U6 Goetheplatz or with a longer walk directly from the S-Bahn station Hackerbrücke. The new U9 will also get a new station at Theresienwiese to ease the overcrowding. I hope you enjoy Munich and our railway infrastructure when you visit which is great when it works!
Rare to read a comment that long, where I'm in agreement with every point made. They really should build a new freight line connecting Brenner to the North and West, without going through München. Faster transport, less noise, and more capacity around the city.
Munich has one of the most efficient systems of any major city that I’ve ever traveled. I went there a few years ago for work and had to travel all throughout the city, and I felt like I never waited more than 10 minutes for a train or had to travel more than 20 minutes to get to any of my destinations. It literally made Munich feel really small.
@@christianrautenberg6089using the nominal population is so pointless. Frankfurt only has 600k people in the city borders but makes up a connected region of 5 million people. The city of London has a population of 10 thousand. Does that make london a small village?
@@cooltwittertag You didn´t catch the clue, did you? The Munich city area is indeed very small, 314 km² at least. Double the number of Frankfurt´inhabitants but just 75 km² more. So - Munich is a very small town in size, very dense.
@@christianrautenberg6089 thats not how cities work though. Munich transport doesnt stop existing outside of city borders and people dont only live in munich if they work in munich
A fun fact about the S-Bahn trains, especially about the old ones is, that originally they had already been taken out of service in Munich, but due to a massive shortage of trains (and no new trains coming in the near future) the old S-Bahn train sets had to be brought back to Munich (from the Rhein-Rhur area, because they had better planning and therefore now have new trains) to help alleviate the problem with having too few trains.
It has always stricken me that Frankfurt and Stuttgart got newer BR422 or BR430 trains to complement their BR423, while the Munich S-Bahn which has as many travellers as the other two combined doesn't. Although Munich has more than half of the total BR423 fleet, it is funny to see the BR420 make a comeback.
My hometown! Thank you for making this video :) The cross platform transfer between U2 and U5 at Innsbrucker Ring is great, I used it every day on my commute to school back in the day. And one thing I also want to note is the unique architectural design of most of the U-Bahn stations. The oldest stations in the network still have a standardised design but later on, different architects would create entirely unique designs for every station. If you use the system long enough you won't even have to look at any signs to know where you are. I would link a list of all stations with pictures but TH-cam seems to auto-delete comments with links. But I encourage everyone to look it up themselves, some of these stations are really beautiful in my opinion.
Agree! I visited Munich for the first time earlier this year and stayed in a hotel less than five minutes' walk from Ostbahnhof. Consequently I used U5 a lot but felt that some of the original stations were rather dated. However I was very impressed by the newer station designs, unique and visually interesting... as you say, it's easy to identify a station from its appearance only. Anyway, regardless of all that, I'd wanted to experience the Munich U-Bahn for many years and it didn't disappoint!
As always: great video! Living in the suburbs, there are two major issues with the s-Bahn: Reliability: if something goes wrong in the central tunnel, every single s-Bahn branch stalls. As the tunnel is operated at 3× the planned capacity, this is a frequent problem. Missing Ring Line: if you want to get to an nearby town on the neighboring branch, you need to ride to the city first. So a < 15 minutes car drive takes sometimes 1¼ hours via S-Bahn/public transport.
Which German city except Berlin has a ring line? Neither Stuttgart or Frankfurt/Main or Hamburg has one. In these cities every S-Bahn goes through the Haupfbahnhof, perfect Nadelöhr to cause problems.
Munichs U-Bahn also has a sibling-system in the nearby city of Nürnberg, with a population of only 500k. They were built at the same time and used to share their vehicles for different events.
Classic case of Bavarian politics: If Munich gets something, small sister Nuremberg also needs it... However, Nuremberg was really innovative in 2008 with the autonomous U-Bahn. Sounds boring, but they were the first old line on the world which was easily converted (almost no track-side hardware, just sensors at the stations!) for autonomous operation, even in mixed operation with old driver-operated trains.
@@skblablablabla here is the case with Franconia and Bavaria. Nuremberg is the capital of Franconia, whilst Munich is the capital of Bavaria. It is like the waffle iron politics of Belgium of the 80s. Antwerp got a Metro, but Charleroi also got one (which was over designed and a lot of lines are still not in service).
I, Roger Sexton, first visited Munich in 1976. It was the first time I had visited a city of more than a million population outside Britain! I was totally overwhelmed by the high quality of the public transport, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, Trams and Buses. And all of it integrated by the wonderful 'Verkehrsverbund'. One ticket system for all four modes. I thought then, 'Comparable British metropolitan areas such as Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow need a system like this.' Nearly fifty years later i am still waiting!
Faux leather bench seats, faux wood veneer, those electro-mechanical door handels, even manual announcements (garbled and unintelligeble, of course) if you're lucky. It really is a time capsule.
@@p4rz1val I always travelled with them when visiting my Greatgrandma in Munich. Was positively surprised when I still saw them cruise around en masse when I was in Munich again last year.
A Munich citizen here: On 1:51 The taller building on the left of this moment in the video, the BMW-headquarter ironically is called "Vierzylinder" (Four-cylinder like in most car engines). The smaller on the right, the BMW-Musum ironically is called the "Salatschüssel" (Salad bowl). I as a Munich citizen loves when my home city is mentioned in videos like yours. I live there since 1981 and I never needed a car in my whole life thanks to the Munich public transportation network which, consist of: - The U-Bahnen. Mentioned in depth in your video. - The S-Bahnen. Mentioned in depth in your video. - The Tram, a surface short train system, slower as the U-Bahn but with more stops, mostly reliable but it may have some delays in the winter. - the Busses. The most flexible one and the one withthe most lines. - And the Taxi. the fully flexible system. As a Munich I often joke that I don't need a car since I have these large mostly blue vehicles with my personal cauffeur ready. 😁
I agree but metro experts would also say Hamburg is better and more comprehensive. However all German cities have good public transport ... at Nuremberg one can reach the airport with just a few stops on the U-Bahn.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 Why would it be? Hamburg has sizeable gaps in its coverage and Munich‘s system is basically the same length while it is a smaller city.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 Oh god no. The metro system in Hamburg doesn't even cover the entire western and southern part of the city. Not to mention the use of Busses on routes that would have required metro-sytle services since the 1970s. I'd go as far as to say that Hamburg, considering its size, has quite possibly the worst metro system in Germany, even if we count Stadtbahns.
@@ft4709 I stand corrected. What I thought was from reading the UK rail press many years ago. Modern Railways I think which extolled the Hamburg system. Maybe Munich has improved over the decades since then.
The first experience I had with European public transit came in my Grade 12 year on a school trip in the late 80s. As a kid who grew up east of Toronto and was used to the Go Train slowly pulling into Union, I was completely blown away with Munich. We took a train to Dachau and then went into Munich on what I guess was S2. My jaw dropped when we the train I was on entered the core and seamlessly moved through downtown stations. It seemed so simple but so effective to treat the train as a metro while in the core. I feel like the Deux Montagnes line of the REM will finally bring the same seamless movement through canadian city's downtown. Why isn't this pursued in North America as much?
as a native of munich, i must say great explanation. however, you forgot the munich-pasing station in the west of the city. the third largest station in munich, after the main station and munich east. furthermore, munich-pasing is one of the 20 busiest stations in the german rail network and one of the largest stations in bavaria.
An interesting note for the core trunk line - to allow for the two minute headways with SEVEN different services sharing the track, the S-Bahn core actually uses LZB signalling - the same in-cab signalling used on Germanys mainline high-speed lines. Which makes the S-Bahn trains quite complex in what they have to do - they have to cope with the brutal life of the constant stop/start services of a commuter network, require an old (and with ETCS now outdated) incab signalling system introduced in the 1970s, travel gradients of 4% on the tunnel ramps AND are of a special 96cm high floor design incompatible with other mainline services.
Apart from my all time favorite Berlin (mostly because of the S-Bahn Ring, two central city corridors and large U-Bahn network), Munich has definitely the second best transit system in Germany. I always loved the star-like designs with branches diverging from the city center in all directions.
Back in 2016 i managed to catch one of the old 420s when they were in their last year of service in Stuttgart. Then in 2018 I visited Munich and saw one operating the Dachau to Altomunster shuttle of the S2, but disappointing didn't get time for a ride. Fast forward to 2022 and i was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few in service, and managed a get a few rides in, even all the way from Altomunster to Ostbahnhof.
Finally, Munich. Thank you for making a video about Munich public transportation. I was born and raised there and when I was a child I was using ubahn and sbahn basically every day. That's probably the reason I have such an interest in trains, especially in public transport trains. In my opinion, Munich has one of the best public transport networks in the entire world, with the most beautiful trains and stations. Munich and its trains are kind of childhood memories for me.
As somebody actually living in Munich, excellent video! Only two things i realized only semi correct are, tons of Sbahn trainlines actually drive every 10 minutes so 6 trains per hour during rush hour. The other one is, most Sbahns actually don't run 24/7, they usually drive the last train around 1am and start again at 4am which can be VERY annoying at weekends if you are out to party with friends ^^ quite often you have to decide if you want to take the first or the last train :D
It is also worth noting that Munich receives millions of tourists each year for the Oktoberfest, the venue being served by both U4 and U5 (Theresienwiese station). It's also fairly close to the main station so you can even walk there if you arrived by train.
Yeah, I really missed that in the video, as it is basically the end boss of public transportation: Thousands of very drunken people from all over the world trying to reach their hotels without causing or having accidents. ;)
You can also walk to the Octoberfest from S-Bahn Station "Hackerbrücke" of the S-Bahn coreline or from subway station "Goetheplatz" of the U3/U6 trunkline. As Hackerbrücke and Mozartstraße are closed for car traffic wilst Octoberfest, walking a few hundred meters to the "Wiesn" (local name of Octoberfest) is often more relaxed than struggling to get on one of the ecalators in the overcrowded "Theresienwiese" station.
Fantastic video Reece. I used to live in Munich for about 8 years and have fond memories of the U-Bahn/S-Bahn system. Used to live next to Ostbahnhof and took the S-Bahn to Fasanenpark to work every day. A few remarks: - The Oktoberfest is another major annual event which stress tests the system to its limits at peak times when crowd managers and U-Bahn personnel have to “whip” visitors thru the Theresenwiese station, preventing from dangerous congestion. - The single trackage in some of the suburban areas of the main rail and S-Bahn system has caused quite a few accidents with fatalities in recent years. E.g. two S Bahn trains of the S7 collided head-on this year with 1 casualty…
oh, i remember that, one of my classmates (not really school, doesn't matter) was in that crash, he likes complaining about DB. which is actually why i recommend using the S3 to get to wolfratshausen (basically, take s3 until furth/deisenhofen (depends on which is chosen on the day) and then the x320, it's foolproof)
the entire southern part of bavaria has lots of single track lines with too much traffic and often outdated equipment so head on collisions happen depressingly often
i cant believe you made a video about munich. i often thought about suggensting this city to you. What i really love about the trains here is how quiet they are (compared to much older systems like in Paris or london), espacially on the 2nd gen Type-C U-Bahn. By the way, there is also a good tram- and busservices worth mentioning.
Note about the C type trains: They are split into two, the C1 and the C2, and although they look similar, they were built by different companies. You can tell them apart from the round headlights at the front which belong to the C1 and the passenger information displays which are way simpler in the C1. Also, the U6 goes outside of munich to serve Garching, making it the only U-Bahn line in munich to leave the city.
I’m from Munich and must say I’m very happy with the network although there often are delays. Don’t forget the tram and bus lines, they are also very important.
@@paularvozm Well, it's rather a C than an actual ring. And often, it's still faster to ride the U-Bahn into the center. Together with the fact that there there are two good road rings, the lack of a proper U-Bahn or S-Bahn circle (such as Berlin Ringbahn, Madrid Line 6 or London's Circle Line) makes public transit less effective on routes not touching the city center.
@@skblablablabla well i wouldn't really call the Munich road rings "good" in any way. I don't even have a driving license since it doesn't make sense to drive anywhere in the city during a workday since they will be totally clogged up and you won't get anywhere xD as you said you get to most places faster by train anyways but a ring line still would make a ton of sense, my father used to drive to work by car since it would take him almost 2 hours by train what was effectively a 20-30 min car ride since the train would have to drive all the way into the city and all the way back out...
Let's not forget Oktoberfest! Theresienwiese on the U4&U5 is manic during Oktoberfest. The subway is one of the key ways to get to and from the festivities.
Rode all the different public transportation while in the city. I loved that there was a U-bahn, S-bahn or tram literally just a walk away from where I was staying and where I wanted to go. Plus it was pretty clean compared to other cities.
In my impression, the biggest problem of the Munich U-Bahn is the combination of lines in the city center. Essentially, you can get at most 4 trains per 10 minutes and direction through each of these central tunnels, making it impossible to have intervals shorter than 5 minutes on the outside branches. This is particularly bad on the U1/U2 north branches and U3/U6 during rush hours. On the U1/U2 south branches, this is solved via having U1 on a 10 min interval so there is an additional train for some of the U2 line (U7), but it causes an irregular interval.
As someone who regularly commutes to the Munich city center, I can say that the s and u bahn systems are absolutely amazing. Everything is so organised and it is fascinating to see everything working smoothly with no hiccups. There is also an extensive bus and tram system. Honestly, you don't need a car in Munich. You can either bike everywhere or use the public transport because it is so efficient
I live in Munich and use both the S-Bahn and the metro for my daily commute. The fact that you don't have to change trains for the majority of the city center makes it easy to use, although the downside is that if a train has a delay entering this section, all other trains that would come after this one have to wait until the delayed one arrives. This limits the capacity, especially if for example there is a disruption. Then all of a sudden all commuters try to board other trains that then can't drive because they're to full. But as you said there are ideas to start service for a Ring Bahn, or to let the trains enter in the order they arrive at the tunnel an not the order of the schedule, including the extension of the metro Wich would drastically increase the capacity at rush hours.
That's insane that they wait to enter the tunnel in the same order, I didn't know that.. and it explains a lot of the reliability problems! I think changing that rule and closing Karlsplatz (literally a 5 minute walk from HBF) would really increase capacity.
@@cbcbmad You can literally see the train stopping at Karlsplatz trough the tunnel standing at Central Station... But closing Stachus/Karlsplatz wouldn't work as it is also a transit hub
An excellent transit system, but very difficult for the first time user. Upon arriving at Munich airport in November 2024 I wanted a 7-day pass but was frustrated by the machine which demanded a start and end station before selling me a ticket. I tried to ask the DB Information booth person how to navigate it, but she rudely denied knowledge. After fumbling around for 35 minutes I finally figure out the machine and purchased the ticket. Having conquered the first day, every day after that was incredibly easy. Everything makes sense the 3rd time you use the system.
Thank you for the video! Living in Munich has spoiled me and I haven't actually took the time to appreciate how great the system is and instead been complaining a lot about delays haha. Also worth mentioning would be the Munich Oktoberfest where the system is stress tested every year moving millions of drunk visitors. Frankly I find it to be a miracle that can manage such a thing.
The most of them look like crap, not gonna lie. Outdated, dirty, ugly and whatsoever. I don’t like to take the subway. The only thing I like are the overground sections and the trains except the c2
Accessibility is a strong point in Munich Public Transport: You need only one ticket for alle busses, trams, S-Bahns and U-Bahns, there are no barriers at the entrance or the exit and the underground stations are all accessable for people with mobility shortcomings or strollers by lifts and escalators.
What an amazing system. I really like the class 423, even though its not a unique rolling stock to Munich as you said. Public Transport across the whole Germany looks super consistent, making way finding easy. Perhaps a video on this could be interesting.
@@bfapple Munich can be considered as the pioneer for this Stlye of S-Bahn networks aswell, as it was the first City that had plans to build it that way.
The Munich 423 actually is a specifically custom build version for the Munich system. There are small differnces to the stock 423, as the Munich 423 for example comes with the LZB system to enable tighter schedules.
@@bfapple not really on that scale as the munich stock has had a complete overhaul in the past years to the point where it really has very little in common with the usual model every other city has (only the exterior mostly). A lot of money went into "rebuilding" these trains instead of other probably more worthwile projects...
I once went to Munich for a day, because I had things to do there, and it was great. I really enjoyed just going around the city on U-Bahn and S-Bahn. It was surprisingly relaxing.
Just got back from Munich yesterday. I loved taking the metro there - we found ourselves using the U-Bahn a ton. It stops at every major place a visitor would want to see. The station at Allianz Arena is immaculate!
I wish everyone would talk as optimistic about our Bahn systems - this video was quite interesting! The concepts are great and having grown up with them, I can't imagine what Munisch would be like without them, however it is to be said that (especially talking about the S-Bahn) the execution isn't as good as the intention, with people losing hope for the second, deeper S-Bahn tunnel already, because sometimes, even wishing to just be able to ride the Bahn back home is expecting too much with trains being cancelled and being way too late. Great video, keep making that good content, you seem to have a lot of passion for it
Can remember being in Munich when the Central corridor was being built. Central Munich was basically one big building site. Have since used the local transport there 100's of times; always very efficient. 20 minute tact on most of the S-Bahn.
An interesting fact about the tickets in Munich is that there are group passes (same price for 2 to 5 people) which last one day. In addition, as in many cities, the network is divided into zones (M for München and then 1 to 5) and it is possible to buy a ticket for each possible zone combination (for example, a ticket for zones 1 to 3 (avoiding the main city) if a route from let's say the southern suburbs to the northern suburbs is possible).
Having traveled all over western Europe, NYC, San Francisco, Washington DC, São Paulo, Istambul, New Dheli, Shanghai, and living in Munich 1 year, I tell you this: I've never seen a better public transport system. It's not only U-bahn and S-bahn, it has also a nicely integrated network of trams and buses. One thing could be mentioned: U-bahn, buses and trams are operated by the city's own company, MVG. S-bahn is owned by Deutsche Bahn, the national rail company, which lately has been affected by strikes while the MVG network keeps working.
Sorry but both São Paulo's metro and overground (CPTM) are more reliable than our S-Bahn here in Munich. They had a problem yesterday and blocked the core route and today we have the same as always: a blocked core route and no S-Bahn service between Pasing and East station. When it works properly, it's a blessing - but it is not the reality of our S-Bahn (DB) and we desperately need the Ring in Munich! Because the Southring for instance is exactly the route that's being used between Pasing and East Station when the Stammstrecke (core route) is not available. Which is not an exception here 😢. It's really sad to admit, but for a rich city like Munich in a rich 1st world country like Germany our S-Bahn and the current DB service are a shame for this country 😔
As a French used to hear from Paris "The RER D (or B or C or A...) works bad because it has too many (read : three) branches and heavy traffic", looking the Munich S-Bahn has blown my mind. How can they make such a mess work ? Reading from your comments, it doesn't always works as fluently as when I went here on holiday. However I think the better design of trains and maybe better reliability of all the systems (dut to better maintenance) play a key role in making the Munich S-Bahn not an actual nightmare.
The Munich S-Bahn is overcrowded, to put it mildly. The Stammstrecke (main trunk between Central Station and Ostbahnhof) was planned for some 250,000 passengers per day. Now we are talking about 800,000 passengers per day. A second tunnel is under construction, but it seems to be an endless project and becomes more and more expensive.
I lived in Munich in the late '90s and I thought one of the coolest things about the U-Bahn and S-Bahn system was that to go from any stop to any other stop on the entire network the maximum number of train changes you would have to make is one. It might have changed since then with adding of new branch lines but I spent hours checking this one and it was true. Nifty planning!
A few fun facts: - The U6 northernmost terminus serves a university campus (hence the name Forschungszentrum -> research campus) and one of Europes fastest expanding business parks (at Garching Hochbrück, two stops before the terminus). There are 30k people commuting to the research campus everyday alone; and we finally have a 5 minute headway during peak hours. Gives you some perspective. - The S-Bahn ring was one alternative proposed to the second S-Bahn city tunnel (2. Stammstrecke). It was a political decision not to build it, because the much more expensive second tunnel has the better short term outcome. If you ask me, it won't be long before we have both. U6 Trains are crowded at Marienplatz to a point where it isn't funny anymore, and the headway cannot be increased because of shared tracks with U3. U9 will alleviate some of this, but shoving even more people into the city center isn't sustainable. Ah, we'll see. - The class 420 trains shown in the video aren't original to Munich - they were originally delivered to Stuttgart. 420 001 (the first ever built) was actually rolling in Munich until its decommission; the 420 series came back some 10 years later as upgrade units from Stuttgart when Munich needed trains to supplement their stock during the refurbishment of the class 423. The 420s got new safety equipment to be allowed into the city tunnel and some other things, like improved signage and LED lighting. - The signal tower at Ostbahnhof responsible for the signals in the S-Bahn tunnel and line to Pasing is typically out of operation at least once per day during rush-hour. It's an old system from the 70s that gets replaced by a new one at the moment, but the outages have become so frequent that a major newspaper (Süddeutsche) has coined the term Störwerk as a play on the german word Stellwerk (signal tower).
Don't ever abbreviate Forschungszentrum. When I went to Burger King at Forschungszentrum bus stop, I used to say I go to Foze, but that didn't turn out that well amongst teenagers.
The reason the U6 (blue) goes so far north, way past the Allianzarena is because it serves the Technische Universität München Campus/Garching Forschungzentrum out there. In the mornings and evening, this terminus sees packed trains every couple minutes. During the day the frequency is reduced to ten minutes.
I use the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Munich everyday to commute from a smaller village outside of Munich to a school deep inside of Munich. The car trip would take an hour through very traffic heavy areas, however my train commute takes 50 minutes with good high speed wifi on board and always the right temperature in the cars. Im very thankful for the S-Bahn and i really enjoy using it just like all the other transportation services in Munich. Theyre amongst the best in Europe!
Thank you so much for making a video on this! I just moved to Munich for my studies, and I have to be honest: One of the reasons I chose Munich was because I fell in love with the C1 and C2 U-Bahn trains! I am very fascinated by public transport in general. Btw: One of the ongoing projects is building a brand new, very modern Central Station. See you soon in Munich! 👋
The location of the Olympic Park @1:36 is wrong. That's Nymphenburg palace, Olympiapark is the green blob to the north-east from there with the lakes in the middle.
Something to note about the Messe site: It used to be the location of Munich's old airport, named "München-Riem". The airport was closed down in 1992 and replaced with the current airport named "München Franz Josef Strauß" (after the Bavarian politician) south of Freising and converted into the exhibition grounds. My guess as to why the housing around Moosfeld station looks the way it does is because it used to be an independent municipality that was integrated into the city over time. Also, a few of these houses may actually be home to more than one family - usually you can see whether or not that is the case by checking if more than one doorbell and mailbox is present. A lot of houses in rural Bavaria look like single-family homes from the outside, but have a shared entrance for two parties, splitting the living areas on floors!
I live in Munich and mainly appreciate the U-Bahn system. It’s quite reliable and i effortlessly use it to get to work/uni. I currently don’t even feel the need to get a drivers license as long as i live in this wonderful city, thanks for the great video on it’s railway system. The buses and tram are also quite handy sometimes ;)
@@Penglorrrd commute regional trains, subways, trams and light rails, buses,National convention train system, high-speed train all make its crucial parts
Thank you for doing a video about Munich, I was already hoping for that. :D I hope you'll do a video about the tram network as well :) A few additional interesting bits of information: - as others mentioned: the ET 420 aren't Munch's original 420, but were brought in from other cities when they replaced their own 420 cause Munich didn't want to switch to a third type of train yet - the city tunnel of the S-Bahn is one of the tunnels in Europe with the highest traffic - the city tunnel uses the LZB as signalling to allow for this high frequency and the 420 were updated with that system as well (when they were initially brought back they couldn't service the tunnel as they didn't have the LZB equipment) - the distance between the stations Hauptbahnhof and Karlsplatz is so short that a train leaving one towards the other but having to stop before entering the next station would still be partially inside the previous station - there has been a dedicated station at the Olympia Park for the S-Bahn which had been served by the S-Bahn as well as regional trains during the Olympic Games; the station still exists, but is no longer connected to the Northern part of the ring and is left to its own devices (quite some nice flora there ;) ) as it is part of the Olympic Park ensemble - a part of the U6 tunnel from Sendlinger Tor to Goetheplatz including Goetheplatz itself had been built during the Third Reich for the planned S-Bahn system which is why the platform of Goetheplatz is longer than those of the other U-Bahn stations and the tunnel towards Sendlinger Tor contains niches for overhead power line masts - the U-Bahn network is connected to DB's network between the stations Freimann and Studentenstadt - the U-Bahn trains have dedicated North and South ends and it's not trivially possible to swap these - the tunnels of U4/5 und U3/6 are connected by a service tunnel that runs below Theresienwiese - at the station Neuperlach Süd the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stop at the same platform - the U-Bahn uses LZB as well that allows for automatic driving once the driver pressed two buttons (no matter the train generation!) - the U6 is the only line that leaves the city perimeter (between Fröttmaning and Garching Hochbrück)
Do you also plan to make a video on the S- and U-Bahn of Hamburg? Altough it's also an impressive network going along with the networks of Berlin and Munic, the main reason for such a video would be to hear how you pronounce the stop "Kellinghusenstraße" (one excellent example for cross-platform transfers) ;) And if you do, don't forget to mention the Hafenfähre (harbour boats) as they are part fo the transit network.
Thank you for making a video about the public transport system in my hometown. Even though it has it flaws, it is still pretty excellent compared to some North American cities I visited. I just have a little remark on one of your maps: the map supposed to show the location of the Olympic park actually shows the Schlosspark of Schloss Nymphenburg, a castle in the west of the city. I hope that your trip to Munich will happen soon and that you will enjoy our city!
I would also like to mention that the Station Goetheplatz on the line U6, was originally intended as an S- Bahn station. However constrution was stopped during World War II. During the war, the station was then used as an air raid shelter. Traces of this period can still seen today.
Been to Munich a couple of times, since I live three hours of car away. Had an excellent experience with the metro, apart from a ticket machine not working. The St. Quirin station is very nice.
Can you please do a video about the Stadtbahn Rhein Ruhr? It's the largest lightrail system in the entire world and there are many interesting aspects about it, simply the fact that it operates in 16 cities is just stunning. Anyway, keep up your great work, I really appreciate the effort you put in videos like this. Greets from Krefeld and have a great day!
There is a lot of more things to cover with the Ruhrgebiet. The Busspur test track between the A40 at Essen, the U Bahn, the S Bahn as well. It is largely unknown to Americans that some place like Dortmund, Bochum, Essen, Muehlheim and other places exist.
I really liked the Karlsplatz station, it is so deep, like underneath the big square, there is a small mall, and then 2 minutes of escaltors until the u4/u5 platforms. really cool stuff tbh.
looking forward to more Munich content post-visit - just hope you don't get an S-Bahn meltdown where one thing going wrong in the Stammstrecke creates mass chaos!
Munic citizen here, i must say that its required to mention: The Subway network and the s-bahn network have crossing points, but are to seperated systems, and while the subway system actually works really well most of the times, the s-bahn network is a real desaster. Delays and cancellations are happening every day, and as soon as theres a bit of a heat wave, cold wave, snow or thunder happening you can bet your butt that there will be major delays with this system. Often times to such a huge extend that it will take you more than one or two hours to get home, even though it might be a usually 20 minute train drive.
Good to finally see a video on Munich. I know Munich well and have travelled on the S1, S8 and the S6 out to Lake Starnberg numerous times. I think the main issue with the Munich S Bahn which you should have talked about more is lack of an 'express' service to the Airport (especially as Munich Airport has no proper intercity rail connection unlike Frankfurt Airport) at least on the S8 corridor although hopefully the 2nd tunnel will help fix this and there will be new express services as mooted on wikipedia. I have also travelled all the way from Salzburg to Munich Airport before and found the cross platform transfer at Ostbahnhof in that direction convenient though.
Some unknown facts how Munich's U-Bahn is related to Nuremberg's: Only because of the Olympics, the state of Bavaria funded the U-Bahn. There was money leftover, so the other Bavarian city could afford a "real" U-Bahn. Without Munich and the Olympics in 1972, we wouldn't have our U-Bahn. Munich and us used to share and exchange rolling stock throughout the decades. The trains were transported between the two cities via main line rail. The colours of the trains represent the local culture. Munich's trains are blue and white, as those are the colours of the Bavarian flag and they are Bavarian. Nuremberg's trains are red and white, as those are the colours of the Franconian flag. The oldest trains are still in service in Munich. In Nuremberg, they will officially be out of service by tomorrow.
@@RMTransit Nuremberg doesn't have an S-Bahn system though. It's just regional trains that are called S-Bahn. S1 and S2 run every 20 minutes (finally), S3 and S4 every 40 and S5 and S6 hourly. S5 also only has one stop. S3, S4, S5 and S6 also skip stations in the city center. Munichs S-Bahn is much better frankly.
@@offichannelnurnberg5894 Nuremberg's S-Bahn is an official S-Bahn network even if it is owned by DB Regio, as are many other S-Bahn networks in Germany. Network layout and rolling stock resemble more of a common DB Regio network however, but that doesn't make it a lesser S-Bahn. You simply can't compare the demands of Munich with that of Nuremberg.
The Messe used to be Munich's former airport, which was moved to the Freisinger Moos (near Hallbergmoos) in the early 90s. Reason being that an aircraft crashed on a Tram in 1958. But there is a small design flaw: The new airport does not have a long distance train station, you always have to connect through Munich HBF and go either with the S8 or S1.
Very nice and informative Video! In the summer holidays of 2022, I used the S-Bahn to the Airport. One day before, when we arrived in Munich, I went to the Hackerbrücke. Its a spectacular view! When you are in Munich, you have to get on the Hackerbrücke. There you can watch all tracks, which lead in and out of the Central station. I saw more than 5 trains moving at the same time and driving parallel to each other! This is the only Station in germany, where you can se so much trains so well from above. greetings from Dresden :)
Hackerbrücke is indeed a cool place! In the summer there are always a lot of young people sitting at the the of the bridge, drinking beer, and watching the trains.
When thinking of German cities, I always think of Berlin first for having incredible transit - completely overlooking Munich - until now of course- the stations look amazing and the class 423s look great with their metallic red. Excellent coverage too by the network itself. Really love seen older rolling stock on the Ubahn. One thing that will be nice to see is a good ring line connecting all the radial lines.
Despite their nice retrofit with a new interior, the class 423 is already over 20 years old, with the first units delivered in 1998. For some reason, unlike Stuttgart and Frankfurt, Munich also never got the class 430 3rd generation S-Bahn trains introduced in the 2010s. Although DB is currently designing 4th generation S-Bahn EMUs who afaik are also intended for usage in Munich.
@@p4rz1val the class 430 is a couple of Meters too long to work with Munichs signalling system and stations. Basically when stopped at the signal in the stations the last door of the train would not fit onto the platform. (In a double traction)
@@georgobergfell This made me realise that these trains have asymmetrical centre carriages thanks to the longer redesigned heads due to modern crash standards.
Let's not talk about Hamburg and Cologne, the big elefants in the form of the other two big German cities which have transit which could be better. But Reece, who likes elevated lines would like Hamburg.
The oldest S-Bahn type service is I think the North Clyde Line in Glasgow which opened in 1886 as the Glasgow City and District Railway. You could argue that the Hammersmith & City and District Lines in London were at one point S-Bahn type services, and while the initial stages opened earlier, through-city connections came later.
I love the Hammersmith & City Line, but I feel our "tube" is less cutting edge than some 40 years ago and I would be ashamed to introduce it to a discussion about Munich, in my humble opinion.
Great video and nice overview on the U/S-Bahn network. Looking forward to more videos and you exploring the tram and bus networks ;) Especially the bus lines are quite extensive, we have a wild mix of lines that go all across the city, including quite a few that serve as additional interconnects/"collectors" between U-Bahn stations/hubs.
Olympia 1972 is what turned Munich from a large city into a true metropolitan center. Without that event, neither U-Bahn nor S-Bahn would have been built (or built to that extent).
You forgot to mention that Munich also has a tram network. It was cut back a lot when new U-Bahn lines were built, but it is still being extended in other areas.
It’s just not the topic of the video, but I’m pretty sure I at least made mention that it exists!
@@RMTransit Didn't really notice. I think it should have had it's equal screen time, as it may be competitive with many metro/light rail systems around the world. The network got almost the same length as the U-Bahn and carries up to half a million rides per weekday.
Also Munich has other train networks like the RBR which hell with faster travel to the outskirts, especially closer to the alps without having to take the Sbahn with many stops.
It’s a wonderful system.
@@RMTransit It's as important as the other trains cause in most other cities they doesn't exist or even worse are called S-Bahn like in Zurich or Cologne.
Also major cuts are added by fast bus transits (X-Buslines) with just a few stops mostly at trainstations. To further improve the service and also reduce the ammount of people in the central tubes. Like X35 in the city connecting S1, U3, U7, U1, U2 to U6 at the university.
Also the fact that your ticket also includes all Regional trains within the MVV Region so its also possible to move faster or sometimes even further or different rutes by them, for example the S4 and S6 ending in Ebersberg are extended by the RB 48 to Wasserburg am Inn or the RB58 connecting both ends of the S7 and the S3 with less then 5 stops.
The fact that the Marienplatz station is right beneath the central plaza of the church and city centre is so cool. Climbing the stairs as you emerge outside and seeing the grand structure for the first time as a tourist is a sight to behold.
I've been living in Munich for almost 3 years and it amazes me every time.
wow having lived there until I was 19 I never really noticed how cool that actually is haha
Probably, the building you consider to be a church is actually the Town Hall.
The closest church is a least 300m walking distance away from the station/Marienplatz and not reall visible from the Station/Plaza.
@@mmd77777 Oh yes, I meant the Rathaus, but couldn't find the right word at that time.
You should visit Garching by U-Bahn then.
Its literally a vilage with a subway station beneth its central plaza.
Fun fact about the Munich U-Bahn: despite the fact that all tracks are connected to each other (also via some "hidden" service connections through depots and service stations), it's impossible to rotate a vehicle on the network without removing it from the rails.
The cars have designated „North“ (first digit „6“) & „South“ (first digit „7“) ends.
Not quite, there is one way to rotate a car without taking it of it's rails. The (north) depot has a turntable that could be used to achieve such a thing.
@@ssingfo indoors?
@@burgerpommes2001 Yes, outside, should be visible on Google maps :)) AFAIR it can only rotate a single bogey - so not even a half train.
The U-Bahn network is connected to the whole German railway network in Milbertshofen, so theoretically trains could be turned out there at DB tracks. This is also used to transport new subway trains via rail to Munich.
Awesome video about my home town railway systems.
Here are a few (turns out a lot more) points I want to share:
- The S-Bahn class 420 trains were decommissioned already for decades and just recently came back into service primarily from other cities because we didn't have enough 423 trains which are also no longer In production.
- The city center corridor got a new station in 2009 with Hirschgarten between Laim and Donnersberger Brücke. As a result the travel time increased by about 2 minutes. In order to not break the endless connections with busses on the outskirts they just shuffled the line designations and reconnected different branches to keep the same departure times.
- There used to be an S5 but the line designations change from time to time and get reconnected. There was also a time when there was no S3. Basically they try to accommodate the S8 to always go to the airport to not confuse visitors.
- The S2 branch to Altomünster got only recently electrified. Before that it was served by the A train which was basically a weird diesel regional train but still part of the S-Bahn system.
- The S7 is probably the most under-developed S-Bahn line on the outskirts and leaves the core the earliest together with the BOB private regional trains which stop at a common platform at Donnersberger Brücke. This line is also very known for more delays than another.
- While the S8 technically runs 24/7 there are just a few trains at night (from central station: 0:15, 0:55, 1:35, 2:35, 3:15)
- About the number of trains per hour both S-Bahn and U-Bahn cores are at the upper limit with 30 an hour considering that those trains have to merge and delays have huge knock on effects resulting often to very irregular service at the end of peak hours. That's a main reason why the new tunnels through the center are so important to give more capacity through the chokepoints and reduce interlining.
- The S-Bahn corridor has a major chokepoint problem. Pretty often there are problems and then the whole network collapses (we call it Stammstreckenstörung). Oftentimes then S-Bahns terminate early at Pasing or end at the central station proper (above ground) like normal regional trains.
- The second S-Bahn corridor can be a huge relief as an alternative route but it just got delayed until 2037 (instead of 2028).
- A Ring S-Bahn is discussed a lot but has major problems. The Nordring are narrow industrial tracks that are far away from other U-Bahn stations and therefore discourage interchanges. The South ring is already very heavily trafficked by trains going eastwards and will see even more cargo trains once the Brenner tunnel to Italy is finished.
- The U9 project also includes a connection to the U2 before Hauptbahnhof. This would allow a line split similar to the U3/U9 through a new tunnel via Goetheplatz & Baldeplatz to Kolumbusplatz. They even have 4 platforms at the new additional Hauptbahnhof station for that reason but it's not likely to happen until the 2050s.
- Fun fact: You can open the double doors individually on A-trains but not B-trains U-Bahns. You can also differentiate them by their seat color (blue vs. brown)
- While many homes at Am Moosfeld are single-family homes many are also semi-detached houses or contain multiple units although looking like one house. Also this area is known for the many brothels on the other side of the park next to the station.
- During major conventions (especially bauma) the U7 is operating the whole day but goes to Messestadt Ost instead of Neuperlach Zentrum)
- The Olympiapark is at wrong location (1:36). The location you show is Nymphenburger Park that belongs to the city castle.
- Besides the Messe, Olympic Park & Allianz Arena there's a fourth major event destination: Theresienwiese where every year the Oktoberfest and smaller festivals take place. During Oktoberfest peak the stations have to be closed sometimes because of overcrowding. This U4/U5 station is planned to get extended to four platforms to better handle peak traffic (similar to Olympiazentrum and Fröttmaning). However it's also reachable via U3/U6 Goetheplatz or with a longer walk directly from the S-Bahn station Hackerbrücke. The new U9 will also get a new station at Theresienwiese to ease the overcrowding.
I hope you enjoy Munich and our railway infrastructure when you visit which is great when it works!
Rare to read a comment that long, where I'm in agreement with every point made.
They really should build a new freight line connecting Brenner to the North and West, without going through München. Faster transport, less noise, and more capacity around the city.
zwo und dreißig, sechzehn, acht (German in-joke)
You could add, that you can use the U5 and the other Underground in the same tunnel to act as a Quasi "Stammstrecke" the central S-Bahntunnel.
nice comment:
did the S2 go through the tunnel when it wasn't electrified?
@@_qwe_fk_1700 No, it ended where the branch connected, at Dachau. So you had to switch train onto the electric S-Bahn.
Munich has one of the most efficient systems of any major city that I’ve ever traveled. I went there a few years ago for work and had to travel all throughout the city, and I felt like I never waited more than 10 minutes for a train or had to travel more than 20 minutes to get to any of my destinations. It literally made Munich feel really small.
In fact, Munich is by far the smallest city in Germany with more than 1 Million inhabitants
@@christianrautenberg6089using the nominal population is so pointless. Frankfurt only has 600k people in the city borders but makes up a connected region of 5 million people. The city of London has a population of 10 thousand. Does that make london a small village?
@@cooltwittertag You didn´t catch the clue, did you? The Munich city area is indeed very small, 314 km² at least. Double the number of Frankfurt´inhabitants but just 75 km² more. So - Munich is a very small town in size, very dense.
@@christianrautenberg6089 thats not how cities work though. Munich transport doesnt stop existing outside of city borders and people dont only live in munich if they work in munich
A fun fact about the S-Bahn trains, especially about the old ones is, that originally they had already been taken out of service in Munich, but due to a massive shortage of trains (and no new trains coming in the near future) the old S-Bahn train sets had to be brought back to Munich (from the Rhein-Rhur area, because they had better planning and therefore now have new trains) to help alleviate the problem with having too few trains.
adding to this: those old trains even got the "LZB" train control system implemented, that is used in the tunnel to allow that many trains per hour.
Afaik the 420 units now running in Munich used to run in Stuttgart
It has always stricken me that Frankfurt and Stuttgart got newer BR422 or BR430 trains to complement their BR423, while the Munich S-Bahn which has as many travellers as the other two combined doesn't. Although Munich has more than half of the total BR423 fleet, it is funny to see the BR420 make a comeback.
I love those old trains, I remember as kid they had leather seating, which was really comfortable.
My hometown! Thank you for making this video :)
The cross platform transfer between U2 and U5 at Innsbrucker Ring is great, I used it every day on my commute to school back in the day.
And one thing I also want to note is the unique architectural design of most of the U-Bahn stations. The oldest stations in the network still have a standardised design but later on, different architects would create entirely unique designs for every station. If you use the system long enough you won't even have to look at any signs to know where you are.
I would link a list of all stations with pictures but TH-cam seems to auto-delete comments with links. But I encourage everyone to look it up themselves, some of these stations are really beautiful in my opinion.
Mine aswell ;) (Fahre U3 btw)
The city is planning on using more standardised station designs in the future, though, since it's cheaper and quicker to build.
Agree! I visited Munich for the first time earlier this year and stayed in a hotel less than five minutes' walk from Ostbahnhof. Consequently I used U5 a lot but felt that some of the original stations were rather dated. However I was very impressed by the newer station designs, unique and visually interesting... as you say, it's easy to identify a station from its appearance only. Anyway, regardless of all that, I'd wanted to experience the Munich U-Bahn for many years and it didn't disappoint!
@@leDespicable Sure? The new Station Martinsried look quite unique imo
The stations are definitely excellent!
The tiered transport system in Germany (DB Rail-SBahn-UBahn-trams-buses-bike/ped) just works so well, especially in Munich.
As always: great video!
Living in the suburbs, there are two major issues with the s-Bahn:
Reliability: if something goes wrong in the central tunnel, every single s-Bahn branch stalls. As the tunnel is operated at 3× the planned capacity, this is a frequent problem.
Missing Ring Line: if you want to get to an nearby town on the neighboring branch, you need to ride to the city first.
So a < 15 minutes car drive takes sometimes 1¼ hours via S-Bahn/public transport.
Which German city except Berlin has a ring line? Neither Stuttgart or Frankfurt/Main or Hamburg has one. In these cities every S-Bahn goes through the Haupfbahnhof, perfect Nadelöhr to cause problems.
@@Lemiiker Well Hamburg does not have a dedicated ring line but the network is a lot more interconnected than Munich.
@@Lemiiker Isn't Cologne constructing theirs rn?
dont buses exist?
@@LouisChang-le7xo if you're lucky, there's one bus once an hour between some suburbs.
Munichs U-Bahn also has a sibling-system in the nearby city of Nürnberg, with a population of only 500k. They were built at the same time and used to share their vehicles for different events.
addition: the 1st and 2nd generation of rolling stock is also the same, but due to modiciations they can't be in one consist together
Vienna's type U stock is also very similar but with a tapered design to fit the smaller lading gauge.
Classic case of Bavarian politics: If Munich gets something, small sister Nuremberg also needs it... However, Nuremberg was really innovative in 2008 with the autonomous U-Bahn. Sounds boring, but they were the first old line on the world which was easily converted (almost no track-side hardware, just sensors at the stations!) for autonomous operation, even in mixed operation with old driver-operated trains.
@@skblablablabla well there's two big cities, bwing nurembwrg and munich, in bavaria, trying to balance these centers is just smart
@@skblablablabla here is the case with Franconia and Bavaria. Nuremberg is the capital of Franconia, whilst Munich is the capital of Bavaria. It is like the waffle iron politics of Belgium of the 80s. Antwerp got a Metro, but Charleroi also got one (which was over designed and a lot of lines are still not in service).
1:36 the Olympic parc is not where it is marked on the map. At the point is Nymphenburger Schloss.
I, Roger Sexton, first visited Munich in 1976. It was the first time I had visited a city of more than a million population outside Britain! I was totally overwhelmed by the high quality of the public transport, S-Bahn, U-Bahn, Trams and Buses. And all of it integrated by the wonderful 'Verkehrsverbund'. One ticket system for all four modes. I thought then, 'Comparable British metropolitan areas such as Manchester, Birmingham and Glasgow need a system like this.' Nearly fifty years later i am still waiting!
I live in the north of Bavaria and went to Munich this summer. I really liked the old model of the U-Bahn. It is like time-travelling back to the 70s
Faux leather bench seats, faux wood veneer, those electro-mechanical door handels, even manual announcements (garbled and unintelligeble, of course) if you're lucky. It really is a time capsule.
@@p4rz1val I always travelled with them when visiting my Greatgrandma in Munich.
Was positively surprised when I still saw them cruise around en masse when I was in Munich again last year.
1:35 That's Nymphenburg Palace/Park, not the Olympic Park 😉🤣
A Munich citizen here:
On 1:51
The taller building on the left of this moment in the video, the BMW-headquarter ironically is called "Vierzylinder" (Four-cylinder like in most car engines).
The smaller on the right, the BMW-Musum ironically is called the "Salatschüssel" (Salad bowl).
I as a Munich citizen loves when my home city is mentioned in videos like yours.
I live there since 1981 and I never needed a car in my whole life thanks to the Munich public transportation network which, consist of:
- The U-Bahnen. Mentioned in depth in your video.
- The S-Bahnen. Mentioned in depth in your video.
- The Tram, a surface short train system, slower as the U-Bahn but with more stops, mostly reliable but it may have some delays in the winter.
- the Busses. The most flexible one and the one withthe most lines.
- And the Taxi. the fully flexible system.
As a Munich I often joke that I don't need a car since I have these large mostly blue vehicles with my personal cauffeur ready. 😁
...and since Munich is a rather flat city, also going by bycicle is quite convenient.
I think Munich has one of the best metro station designs in Europe, I love this metro system!
I agree but metro experts would also say Hamburg is better and more comprehensive. However all German cities have good public transport ... at Nuremberg one can reach the airport with just a few stops on the U-Bahn.
@@alexmcwhirter6611 Why would it be? Hamburg has sizeable gaps in its coverage and Munich‘s system is basically the same length while it is a smaller city.
It’s a great system, definitely and quite unique in the interconnectivity
@@alexmcwhirter6611 Oh god no. The metro system in Hamburg doesn't even cover the entire western and southern part of the city. Not to mention the use of Busses on routes that would have required metro-sytle services since the 1970s. I'd go as far as to say that Hamburg, considering its size, has quite possibly the worst metro system in Germany, even if we count Stadtbahns.
@@ft4709 I stand corrected. What I thought was from reading the UK rail press many years ago. Modern Railways I think which extolled the Hamburg system. Maybe Munich has improved over the decades since then.
The first experience I had with European public transit came in my Grade 12 year on a school trip in the late 80s. As a kid who grew up east of Toronto and was used to the Go Train slowly pulling into Union, I was completely blown away with Munich. We took a train to Dachau and then went into Munich on what I guess was S2. My jaw dropped when we the train I was on entered the core and seamlessly moved through downtown stations. It seemed so simple but so effective to treat the train as a metro while in the core. I feel like the Deux Montagnes line of the REM will finally bring the same seamless movement through canadian city's downtown. Why isn't this pursued in North America as much?
as a native of munich, i must say great explanation. however, you forgot the munich-pasing station in the west of the city. the third largest station in munich, after the main station and munich east. furthermore, munich-pasing is one of the 20 busiest stations in the german rail network and one of the largest stations in bavaria.
An interesting note for the core trunk line - to allow for the two minute headways with SEVEN different services sharing the track, the S-Bahn core actually uses LZB signalling - the same in-cab signalling used on Germanys mainline high-speed lines. Which makes the S-Bahn trains quite complex in what they have to do - they have to cope with the brutal life of the constant stop/start services of a commuter network, require an old (and with ETCS now outdated) incab signalling system introduced in the 1970s, travel gradients of 4% on the tunnel ramps AND are of a special 96cm high floor design incompatible with other mainline services.
I meet a Train Driver from another Country, he was baffled that the S-Bahn runs in such a short time period in the tunnels using only 2 tracks.
The things I love most about the Munich Metro are the great cross platform transfers, and the very beautiful stations.
Apart from my all time favorite Berlin (mostly because of the S-Bahn Ring, two central city corridors and large U-Bahn network), Munich has definitely the second best transit system in Germany. I always loved the star-like designs with branches diverging from the city center in all directions.
Back in 2016 i managed to catch one of the old 420s when they were in their last year of service in Stuttgart. Then in 2018 I visited Munich and saw one operating the Dachau to Altomunster shuttle of the S2, but disappointing didn't get time for a ride. Fast forward to 2022 and i was pleasantly surprised to see quite a few in service, and managed a get a few rides in, even all the way from Altomunster to Ostbahnhof.
Thank you for the Munich video. It and Chicago were my first exposures to good transit.
Thank you!
Finally, Munich. Thank you for making a video about Munich public transportation. I was born and raised there and when I was a child I was using ubahn and sbahn basically every day. That's probably the reason I have such an interest in trains, especially in public transport trains. In my opinion, Munich has one of the best public transport networks in the entire world, with the most beautiful trains and stations. Munich and its trains are kind of childhood memories for me.
As somebody actually living in Munich, excellent video! Only two things i realized only semi correct are, tons of Sbahn trainlines actually drive every 10 minutes so 6 trains per hour during rush hour. The other one is, most Sbahns actually don't run 24/7, they usually drive the last train around 1am and start again at 4am which can be VERY annoying at weekends if you are out to party with friends ^^ quite often you have to decide if you want to take the first or the last train :D
Er meinte die Frequenz der Stammstrecke glaube ich. Da ist es egal welche du nimmst und die Frequenz ist entsprechend hoch
It is also worth noting that Munich receives millions of tourists each year for the Oktoberfest, the venue being served by both U4 and U5 (Theresienwiese station). It's also fairly close to the main station so you can even walk there if you arrived by train.
Yeah, I really missed that in the video, as it is basically the end boss of public transportation: Thousands of very drunken people from all over the world trying to reach their hotels without causing or having accidents. ;)
You can also walk to the Octoberfest from S-Bahn Station "Hackerbrücke" of the S-Bahn coreline or from subway station "Goetheplatz" of the U3/U6 trunkline. As Hackerbrücke and Mozartstraße are closed for car traffic wilst Octoberfest, walking a few hundred meters to the "Wiesn" (local name of Octoberfest) is often more relaxed than struggling to get on one of the ecalators in the overcrowded "Theresienwiese" station.
My favourite transit youtuber made a video about the transit network of my hometown. I don't think my day can get any better than this! XD
Fantastic video Reece. I used to live in Munich for about 8 years and have fond memories of the U-Bahn/S-Bahn system. Used to live next to Ostbahnhof and took the S-Bahn to Fasanenpark to work every day. A few remarks:
- The Oktoberfest is another major annual event which stress tests the system to its limits at peak times when crowd managers and U-Bahn personnel have to “whip” visitors thru the Theresenwiese station, preventing from dangerous congestion.
- The single trackage in some of the suburban areas of the main rail and S-Bahn system has caused quite a few accidents with fatalities in recent years. E.g. two S Bahn trains of the S7 collided head-on this year with 1 casualty…
If you went to Fasanenstraße you probably worked at Infineon :)
oh, i remember that, one of my classmates (not really school, doesn't matter) was in that crash, he likes complaining about DB. which is actually why i recommend using the S3 to get to wolfratshausen (basically, take s3 until furth/deisenhofen (depends on which is chosen on the day) and then the x320, it's foolproof)
the entire southern part of bavaria has lots of single track lines with too much traffic and often outdated equipment so head on collisions happen depressingly often
i cant believe you made a video about munich. i often thought about suggensting this city to you. What i really love about the trains here is how quiet they are (compared to much older systems like in Paris or london), espacially on the 2nd gen Type-C U-Bahn. By the way, there is also a good tram- and busservices worth mentioning.
I feel like the older A and B types were especially quiet, and efficient. Did they ever even break down?!
Great video. A small nitpick but at 1:37, you did not show Olympiapark but Schlosspark Nymphenburg.
Note about the C type trains: They are split into two, the C1 and the C2, and although they look similar, they were built by different companies. You can tell them apart from the round headlights at the front which belong to the C1 and the passenger information displays which are way simpler in the C1. Also, the U6 goes outside of munich to serve Garching, making it the only U-Bahn line in munich to leave the city.
I’m from Munich and must say I’m very happy with the network although there often are delays. Don’t forget the tram and bus lines, they are also very important.
You're a bot created by the MVV.
I am super unhappy with the network, especially due to the lack of an outside ring network
@@DMGaina There is an outside ring network made up of several express bus routes.
that's a joke right?
@@paularvozm Well, it's rather a C than an actual ring. And often, it's still faster to ride the U-Bahn into the center. Together with the fact that there there are two good road rings, the lack of a proper U-Bahn or S-Bahn circle (such as Berlin Ringbahn, Madrid Line 6 or London's Circle Line) makes public transit less effective on routes not touching the city center.
@@skblablablabla well i wouldn't really call the Munich road rings "good" in any way. I don't even have a driving license since it doesn't make sense to drive anywhere in the city during a workday since they will be totally clogged up and you won't get anywhere xD as you said you get to most places faster by train anyways but a ring line still would make a ton of sense, my father used to drive to work by car since it would take him almost 2 hours by train what was effectively a 20-30 min car ride since the train would have to drive all the way into the city and all the way back out...
Let's not forget Oktoberfest! Theresienwiese on the U4&U5 is manic during Oktoberfest. The subway is one of the key ways to get to and from the festivities.
Rode all the different public transportation while in the city. I loved that there was a U-bahn, S-bahn or tram literally just a walk away from where I was staying and where I wanted to go. Plus it was pretty clean compared to other cities.
In my impression, the biggest problem of the Munich U-Bahn is the combination of lines in the city center. Essentially, you can get at most 4 trains per 10 minutes and direction through each of these central tunnels, making it impossible to have intervals shorter than 5 minutes on the outside branches. This is particularly bad on the U1/U2 north branches and U3/U6 during rush hours. On the U1/U2 south branches, this is solved via having U1 on a 10 min interval so there is an additional train for some of the U2 line (U7), but it causes an irregular interval.
As someone who regularly commutes to the Munich city center, I can say that the s and u bahn systems are absolutely amazing. Everything is so organised and it is fascinating to see everything working smoothly with no hiccups. There is also an extensive bus and tram system. Honestly, you don't need a car in Munich. You can either bike everywhere or use the public transport because it is so efficient
Finally a vid about my home city.
My grampa worked on the design of the tunnels I was told.
Cool video. You mislocated the Olympiapark into the garden of Nymphenburg (1:36)
I live in Munich and use both the S-Bahn and the metro for my daily commute. The fact that you don't have to change trains for the majority of the city center makes it easy to use, although the downside is that if a train has a delay entering this section, all other trains that would come after this one have to wait until the delayed one arrives. This limits the capacity, especially if for example there is a disruption. Then all of a sudden all commuters try to board other trains that then can't drive because they're to full. But as you said there are ideas to start service for a Ring Bahn, or to let the trains enter in the order they arrive at the tunnel an not the order of the schedule, including the extension of the metro Wich would drastically increase the capacity at rush hours.
That's insane that they wait to enter the tunnel in the same order, I didn't know that.. and it explains a lot of the reliability problems! I think changing that rule and closing Karlsplatz (literally a 5 minute walk from HBF) would really increase capacity.
@@cbcbmad You can literally see the train stopping at Karlsplatz trough the tunnel standing at Central Station... But closing Stachus/Karlsplatz wouldn't work as it is also a transit hub
@@emilschurr7533 tbh not many people are getting into or out of the sbahn there compared to central station and marienplatz
An excellent transit system, but very difficult for the first time user. Upon arriving at Munich airport in November 2024 I wanted a 7-day pass but was frustrated by the machine which demanded a start and end station before selling me a ticket. I tried to ask the DB Information booth person how to navigate it, but she rudely denied knowledge. After fumbling around for 35 minutes I finally figure out the machine and purchased the ticket.
Having conquered the first day, every day after that was incredibly easy. Everything makes sense the 3rd time you use the system.
Thank you for the video! Living in Munich has spoiled me and I haven't actually took the time to appreciate how great the system is and instead been complaining a lot about delays haha. Also worth mentioning would be the Munich Oktoberfest where the system is stress tested every year moving millions of drunk visitors. Frankly I find it to be a miracle that can manage such a thing.
I was surprised he didn't mention Oktoberfest! Would be great to see a dedicated video on how Munich handles it
Munich U-bahn has some really beautiful stations
The most of them look like crap, not gonna lie. Outdated, dirty, ugly and whatsoever. I don’t like to take the subway. The only thing I like are the overground sections and the trains except the c2
visited Munich when I was 17 and was floored by how intermodal Germany was while still being a very car centric society.
Accessibility is a strong point in Munich Public Transport: You need only one ticket for alle busses, trams, S-Bahns and U-Bahns, there are no barriers at the entrance or the exit and the underground stations are all accessable for people with mobility shortcomings or strollers by lifts and escalators.
1:35 thats not the Olympiapark, thats the Nymphenburger Schlosspark. The Olympiapark is northeast from there :)
What an amazing system. I really like the class 423, even though its not a unique rolling stock to Munich as you said. Public Transport across the whole Germany looks super consistent, making way finding easy.
Perhaps a video on this could be interesting.
It certainly isn’t, but Munich was the pioneer for the 423, just as it was for the 420.
@@bfapple Munich can be considered as the pioneer for this Stlye of S-Bahn networks aswell, as it was the first City that had plans to build it that way.
The Munich 423 actually is a specifically custom build version for the Munich system. There are small differnces to the stock 423, as the Munich 423 for example comes with the LZB system to enable tighter schedules.
@@mastermuc0 But that's the same for all modern multiple units. More often than not, they are tailored to their operator's requirements.
@@bfapple not really on that scale as the munich stock has had a complete overhaul in the past years to the point where it really has very little in common with the usual model every other city has (only the exterior mostly).
A lot of money went into "rebuilding" these trains instead of other probably more worthwile projects...
It was a pleasure working on this with you. 💪
Same here!
I once went to Munich for a day, because I had things to do there, and it was great. I really enjoyed just going around the city on U-Bahn and S-Bahn. It was surprisingly relaxing.
Just got back from Munich yesterday. I loved taking the metro there - we found ourselves using the U-Bahn a ton. It stops at every major place a visitor would want to see. The station at Allianz Arena is immaculate!
I wish everyone would talk as optimistic about our Bahn systems - this video was quite interesting! The concepts are great and having grown up with them, I can't imagine what Munisch would be like without them, however it is to be said that (especially talking about the S-Bahn) the execution isn't as good as the intention, with people losing hope for the second, deeper S-Bahn tunnel already, because sometimes, even wishing to just be able to ride the Bahn back home is expecting too much with trains being cancelled and being way too late.
Great video, keep making that good content, you seem to have a lot of passion for it
1:35 the Location shown on the map is „Schloss Nymphenburg“. The Olympiapark is about 5km to the northeast.
Can remember being in Munich when the Central corridor was being built. Central Munich was basically one big building site. Have since used the local transport there 100's of times; always very efficient. 20 minute tact on most of the S-Bahn.
An interesting fact about the tickets in Munich is that there are group passes (same price for 2 to 5 people) which last one day. In addition, as in many cities, the network is divided into zones (M for München and then 1 to 5) and it is possible to buy a ticket for each possible zone combination (for example, a ticket for zones 1 to 3 (avoiding the main city) if a route from let's say the southern suburbs to the northern suburbs is possible).
Having traveled all over western Europe, NYC, San Francisco, Washington DC, São Paulo, Istambul, New Dheli, Shanghai, and living in Munich 1 year, I tell you this:
I've never seen a better public transport system. It's not only U-bahn and S-bahn, it has also a nicely integrated network of trams and buses.
One thing could be mentioned: U-bahn, buses and trams are operated by the city's own company, MVG. S-bahn is owned by Deutsche Bahn, the national rail company, which lately has been affected by strikes while the MVG network keeps working.
Sorry but both São Paulo's metro and overground (CPTM) are more reliable than our S-Bahn here in Munich. They had a problem yesterday and blocked the core route and today we have the same as always: a blocked core route and no S-Bahn service between Pasing and East station. When it works properly, it's a blessing - but it is not the reality of our S-Bahn (DB) and we desperately need the Ring in Munich! Because the Southring for instance is exactly the route that's being used between Pasing and East Station when the Stammstrecke (core route) is not available. Which is not an exception here 😢. It's really sad to admit, but for a rich city like Munich in a rich 1st world country like Germany our S-Bahn and the current DB service are a shame for this country 😔
As a French used to hear from Paris "The RER D (or B or C or A...) works bad because it has too many (read : three) branches and heavy traffic", looking the Munich S-Bahn has blown my mind. How can they make such a mess work ?
Reading from your comments, it doesn't always works as fluently as when I went here on holiday. However I think the better design of trains and maybe better reliability of all the systems (dut to better maintenance) play a key role in making the Munich S-Bahn not an actual nightmare.
The Munich S-Bahn is overcrowded, to put it mildly. The Stammstrecke (main trunk between Central Station and Ostbahnhof) was planned for some 250,000 passengers per day. Now we are talking about 800,000 passengers per day. A second tunnel is under construction, but it seems to be an endless project and becomes more and more expensive.
Hamburg, Munich and Vienna are roughly about the same size. And they all have great public transport ❤
I grew up there and never realised i had it so well. Then I moved to the north of England and could cry at just how bad it is,
Speaking about German S-Bahn: The S-Bahn and U-Bahn systems of Stuttgart are quite interesting too. They have a lot of crazy stuffin there
I lived in Munich in the late '90s and I thought one of the coolest things about the U-Bahn and S-Bahn system was that to go from any stop to any other stop on the entire network the maximum number of train changes you would have to make is one. It might have changed since then with adding of new branch lines but I spent hours checking this one and it was true. Nifty planning!
A few fun facts:
- The U6 northernmost terminus serves a university campus (hence the name Forschungszentrum -> research campus) and one of Europes fastest expanding business parks (at Garching Hochbrück, two stops before the terminus). There are 30k people commuting to the research campus everyday alone; and we finally have a 5 minute headway during peak hours. Gives you some perspective.
- The S-Bahn ring was one alternative proposed to the second S-Bahn city tunnel (2. Stammstrecke). It was a political decision not to build it, because the much more expensive second tunnel has the better short term outcome. If you ask me, it won't be long before we have both. U6 Trains are crowded at Marienplatz to a point where it isn't funny anymore, and the headway cannot be increased because of shared tracks with U3. U9 will alleviate some of this, but shoving even more people into the city center isn't sustainable. Ah, we'll see.
- The class 420 trains shown in the video aren't original to Munich - they were originally delivered to Stuttgart. 420 001 (the first ever built) was actually rolling in Munich until its decommission; the 420 series came back some 10 years later as upgrade units from Stuttgart when Munich needed trains to supplement their stock during the refurbishment of the class 423. The 420s got new safety equipment to be allowed into the city tunnel and some other things, like improved signage and LED lighting.
- The signal tower at Ostbahnhof responsible for the signals in the S-Bahn tunnel and line to Pasing is typically out of operation at least once per day during rush-hour. It's an old system from the 70s that gets replaced by a new one at the moment, but the outages have become so frequent that a major newspaper (Süddeutsche) has coined the term Störwerk as a play on the german word Stellwerk (signal tower).
Don't ever abbreviate Forschungszentrum. When I went to Burger King at Forschungszentrum bus stop, I used to say I go to Foze, but that didn't turn out that well amongst teenagers.
@@offichannelnurnberg5894 HA!
@@offichannelnurnberg5894 Hence why the locals call it Garchosibirsk.
@@delirium3181 well, in the early 2010s we called the campus area "akademgorod novogarchinsk" :D
@@MrPanurgos heard that one as well. Although since the Süddeutsche called it Garchosibirsk some time ago that name kinda stuck.
The reason the U6 (blue) goes so far north, way past the Allianzarena is because it serves the Technische Universität München Campus/Garching Forschungzentrum out there. In the mornings and evening, this terminus sees packed trains every couple minutes. During the day the frequency is reduced to ten minutes.
I use the S-Bahn and U-Bahn in Munich everyday to commute from a smaller village outside of Munich to a school deep inside of Munich. The car trip would take an hour through very traffic heavy areas, however my train commute takes 50 minutes with good high speed wifi on board and always the right temperature in the cars. Im very thankful for the S-Bahn and i really enjoy using it just like all the other transportation services in Munich. Theyre amongst the best in Europe!
Thank you so much for making a video on this! I just moved to Munich for my studies, and I have to be honest: One of the reasons I chose Munich was because I fell in love with the C1 and C2 U-Bahn trains! I am very fascinated by public transport in general. Btw: One of the ongoing projects is building a brand new, very modern Central Station.
See you soon in Munich! 👋
The location of the Olympic Park @1:36 is wrong. That's Nymphenburg palace, Olympiapark is the green blob to the north-east from there with the lakes in the middle.
Something to note about the Messe site: It used to be the location of Munich's old airport, named "München-Riem". The airport was closed down in 1992 and replaced with the current airport named "München Franz Josef Strauß" (after the Bavarian politician) south of Freising and converted into the exhibition grounds.
My guess as to why the housing around Moosfeld station looks the way it does is because it used to be an independent municipality that was integrated into the city over time. Also, a few of these houses may actually be home to more than one family - usually you can see whether or not that is the case by checking if more than one doorbell and mailbox is present. A lot of houses in rural Bavaria look like single-family homes from the outside, but have a shared entrance for two parties, splitting the living areas on floors!
I live in Munich and mainly appreciate the U-Bahn system. It’s quite reliable and i effortlessly use it to get to work/uni. I currently don’t even feel the need to get a drivers license as long as i live in this wonderful city, thanks for the great video on it’s railway system. The buses and tram are also quite handy sometimes ;)
Trams are the best
Lol my bad handmaking abilities may let me fail the driving test 100 times, but in the future I would love in Europe that fucking saves me
@@Penglorrrd commute regional trains, subways, trams and light rails, buses,National convention train system, high-speed train all make its crucial parts
Thank you for doing a video about Munich, I was already hoping for that. :D I hope you'll do a video about the tram network as well :)
A few additional interesting bits of information:
- as others mentioned: the ET 420 aren't Munch's original 420, but were brought in from other cities when they replaced their own 420 cause Munich didn't want to switch to a third type of train yet
- the city tunnel of the S-Bahn is one of the tunnels in Europe with the highest traffic
- the city tunnel uses the LZB as signalling to allow for this high frequency and the 420 were updated with that system as well (when they were initially brought back they couldn't service the tunnel as they didn't have the LZB equipment)
- the distance between the stations Hauptbahnhof and Karlsplatz is so short that a train leaving one towards the other but having to stop before entering the next station would still be partially inside the previous station
- there has been a dedicated station at the Olympia Park for the S-Bahn which had been served by the S-Bahn as well as regional trains during the Olympic Games; the station still exists, but is no longer connected to the Northern part of the ring and is left to its own devices (quite some nice flora there ;) ) as it is part of the Olympic Park ensemble
- a part of the U6 tunnel from Sendlinger Tor to Goetheplatz including Goetheplatz itself had been built during the Third Reich for the planned S-Bahn system which is why the platform of Goetheplatz is longer than those of the other U-Bahn stations and the tunnel towards Sendlinger Tor contains niches for overhead power line masts
- the U-Bahn network is connected to DB's network between the stations Freimann and Studentenstadt
- the U-Bahn trains have dedicated North and South ends and it's not trivially possible to swap these
- the tunnels of U4/5 und U3/6 are connected by a service tunnel that runs below Theresienwiese
- at the station Neuperlach Süd the U-Bahn and S-Bahn stop at the same platform
- the U-Bahn uses LZB as well that allows for automatic driving once the driver pressed two buttons (no matter the train generation!)
- the U6 is the only line that leaves the city perimeter (between Fröttmaning and Garching Hochbrück)
U6 goes on through Garching and terminates at the Technical University , 2 more stops beyond Hochbrück
Do you also plan to make a video on the S- and U-Bahn of Hamburg? Altough it's also an impressive network going along with the networks of Berlin and Munic, the main reason for such a video would be to hear how you pronounce the stop "Kellinghusenstraße" (one excellent example for cross-platform transfers) ;)
And if you do, don't forget to mention the Hafenfähre (harbour boats) as they are part fo the transit network.
I'm in Munich quite often, but this is the first time I've understood how the city works 😘
I LOVE YOU, I was SO hyped when I read "Munich" since I always wanted to see a vid from you talking about Munich ☺️☺️☺️
Thank you for making a video about the public transport system in my hometown. Even though it has it flaws, it is still pretty excellent compared to some North American cities I visited. I just have a little remark on one of your maps: the map supposed to show the location of the Olympic park actually shows the Schlosspark of Schloss Nymphenburg, a castle in the west of the city.
I hope that your trip to Munich will happen soon and that you will enjoy our city!
I would also like to mention that the Station Goetheplatz on the line U6, was originally intended as an S- Bahn station. However constrution was stopped during World War II. During the war, the station was then used as an air raid shelter. Traces of this period can still seen today.
Been to Munich a couple of times, since I live three hours of car away. Had an excellent experience with the metro, apart from a ticket machine not working.
The St. Quirin station is very nice.
Can you please do a video about the Stadtbahn Rhein Ruhr? It's the largest lightrail system in the entire world and there are many interesting aspects about it, simply the fact that it operates in 16 cities is just stunning. Anyway, keep up your great work, I really appreciate the effort you put in videos like this. Greets from Krefeld and have a great day!
RRX is love, RRX is life
There is a lot of more things to cover with the Ruhrgebiet. The Busspur test track between the A40 at Essen, the U Bahn, the S Bahn as well. It is largely unknown to Americans that some place like Dortmund, Bochum, Essen, Muehlheim and other places exist.
@@Ginkoman2 yeah, I always enjoyed the rides on the RRX lines, they are just super comfortable
Thank you for this one🙏🏻 my time in München was what originally opened my eyes to just how good a transit system could be.
I really liked the Karlsplatz station, it is so deep, like underneath the big square, there is a small mall, and then 2 minutes of escaltors until the u4/u5 platforms. really cool stuff tbh.
looking forward to more Munich content post-visit - just hope you don't get an S-Bahn meltdown where one thing going wrong in the Stammstrecke creates mass chaos!
Greetings from Munich. Great research, great Video. I learned a lot about my own public transport here in MUC, thnx for that.
Munic citizen here, i must say that its required to mention: The Subway network and the s-bahn network have crossing points, but are to seperated systems, and while the subway system actually works really well most of the times, the s-bahn network is a real desaster. Delays and cancellations are happening every day, and as soon as theres a bit of a heat wave, cold wave, snow or thunder happening you can bet your butt that there will be major delays with this system. Often times to such a huge extend that it will take you more than one or two hours to get home, even though it might be a usually 20 minute train drive.
Thanks for the video! I was hoping for a video on Munich for a while and this did not disappoint :D
Good to finally see a video on Munich. I know Munich well and have travelled on the S1, S8 and the S6 out to Lake Starnberg numerous times. I think the main issue with the Munich S Bahn which you should have talked about more is lack of an 'express' service to the Airport (especially as Munich Airport has no proper intercity rail connection unlike Frankfurt Airport) at least on the S8 corridor although hopefully the 2nd tunnel will help fix this and there will be new express services as mooted on wikipedia. I have also travelled all the way from Salzburg to Munich Airport before and found the cross platform transfer at Ostbahnhof in that direction convenient though.
i always love when you upload videos about germany ❤
1:38 This is not the olympic park, but the Schlosspark Nymphenburg, the former summer residence of the king of bavaria.
I'm flying there in less than 2 weeks so this video was just in time!
Enjoy your stay 👍
I hope you have a good transit filled trip!
I study in munich and get to my university every day with the S and U-Bahn, and I definitely learned some new things here. Great video 😁
The place marked at 1:35 is not olympiapark but Nymphenburg.
Some unknown facts how Munich's U-Bahn is related to Nuremberg's:
Only because of the Olympics, the state of Bavaria funded the U-Bahn. There was money leftover, so the other Bavarian city could afford a "real" U-Bahn. Without Munich and the Olympics in 1972, we wouldn't have our U-Bahn.
Munich and us used to share and exchange rolling stock throughout the decades. The trains were transported between the two cities via main line rail.
The colours of the trains represent the local culture. Munich's trains are blue and white, as those are the colours of the Bavarian flag and they are Bavarian. Nuremberg's trains are red and white, as those are the colours of the Franconian flag.
The oldest trains are still in service in Munich. In Nuremberg, they will officially be out of service by tomorrow.
Very interesting to hear! Both very interesting systems
@@RMTransit Nuremberg doesn't have an S-Bahn system though. It's just regional trains that are called S-Bahn. S1 and S2 run every 20 minutes (finally), S3 and S4 every 40 and S5 and S6 hourly. S5 also only has one stop. S3, S4, S5 and S6 also skip stations in the city center. Munichs S-Bahn is much better frankly.
@@offichannelnurnberg5894 Nuremberg's S-Bahn is an official S-Bahn network even if it is owned by DB Regio, as are many other S-Bahn networks in Germany. Network layout and rolling stock resemble more of a common DB Regio network however, but that doesn't make it a lesser S-Bahn. You simply can't compare the demands of Munich with that of Nuremberg.
The Messe used to be Munich's former airport, which was moved to the Freisinger Moos (near Hallbergmoos) in the early 90s. Reason being that an aircraft crashed on a Tram in 1958. But there is a small design flaw: The new airport does not have a long distance train station, you always have to connect through Munich HBF and go either with the S8 or S1.
Very nice and informative Video! In the summer holidays of 2022, I used the S-Bahn to the Airport. One day before, when we arrived in Munich, I went to the Hackerbrücke. Its a spectacular view! When you are in Munich, you have to get on the Hackerbrücke. There you can watch all tracks, which lead in and out of the Central station. I saw more than 5 trains moving at the same time and driving parallel to each other! This is the only Station in germany, where you can se so much trains so well from above. greetings from Dresden :)
Hackerbrücke is indeed a cool place! In the summer there are always a lot of young people sitting at the the of the bridge, drinking beer, and watching the trains.
When thinking of German cities, I always think of Berlin first for having incredible transit - completely overlooking Munich - until now of course- the stations look amazing and the class 423s look great with their metallic red. Excellent coverage too by the network itself. Really love seen older rolling stock on the Ubahn. One thing that will be nice to see is a good ring line connecting all the radial lines.
Despite their nice retrofit with a new interior, the class 423 is already over 20 years old, with the first units delivered in 1998. For some reason, unlike Stuttgart and Frankfurt, Munich also never got the class 430 3rd generation S-Bahn trains introduced in the 2010s. Although DB is currently designing 4th generation S-Bahn EMUs who afaik are also intended for usage in Munich.
@@p4rz1val I am surprised that they are 20 years old as this retrofit makes it look very new. The red even gives it an aura of being new-ish.
@@p4rz1val the class 430 is a couple of Meters too long to work with Munichs signalling system and stations. Basically when stopped at the signal in the stations the last door of the train would not fit onto the platform. (In a double traction)
@@georgobergfell This made me realise that these trains have asymmetrical centre carriages thanks to the longer redesigned heads due to modern crash standards.
Let's not talk about Hamburg and Cologne, the big elefants in the form of the other two big German cities which have transit which could be better. But Reece, who likes elevated lines would like Hamburg.
I was in München last week (Ich bin Australien!). Wonderful city. One of my favorites. I used the straußenbahn mostly. But got the S8 to the airport.
*Ich bin Australier!-Unless you wanted to say that you're Australia.
2:08
Hey! It's showing my beloved home village!!
The oldest S-Bahn type service is I think the North Clyde Line in Glasgow which opened in 1886 as the Glasgow City and District Railway.
You could argue that the Hammersmith & City and District Lines in London were at one point S-Bahn type services, and while the initial stages opened earlier, through-city connections came later.
I love the Hammersmith & City Line, but I feel our "tube" is less cutting edge than some 40 years ago and I would be ashamed to introduce it to a discussion about Munich, in my humble opinion.
Den Olympiapark einfach mit Schloss Nymphenburg verwechselt 1:35 😂😂😥
Great video and nice overview on the U/S-Bahn network. Looking forward to more videos and you exploring the tram and bus networks ;)
Especially the bus lines are quite extensive, we have a wild mix of lines that go all across the city, including quite a few that serve as additional interconnects/"collectors" between U-Bahn stations/hubs.
1:36 that's not the Olympic Park, but the park of Schloss Nymphenburg ;)
I would’ve never thought that you’d make a video of my home town, very cool
Olympia 1972 is what turned Munich from a large city into a true metropolitan center. Without that event, neither U-Bahn nor S-Bahn would have been built (or built to that extent).
@1:35 that's schloss nymphenburg my dudes, the olympic park is the green spot northeast from there