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The capital of Bavaria is Germany's third largest city with 1.3 million inhabitants. The city hosted the Olympic Games in 1972 and for this occasion the first metro line was built. Since then, Munich has developed one of Europe's best metro networks which together with the S-Bahn serves almost all parts of the city. Munich also boasts an extensive tram network.

In the 1950's-60's Munich, like other German cities, such as Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne or Hannover, decided to build underground sections especially in the city centre for its existing tram routes. But before construction started the city changed its mind for a full metro. In 1964 construction of the first north-south route (now U6) between Kieferngarten and Goetheplatz began. A 600 m long tunnel (at Goetheplatz) built in 1941 for a planned north-south rail tunnel could be used. When the city knew that it would host the 1972 Olympics, a branch was planned from Münchner Freiheit to Olympiazentrum (U3). At the same time the S-Bahn tunnel straight through the city centre was built (opened May 1972). In 1971 Munich joined the European metro cities. The Munich U-Bahn system is actually a 3-line network with two branches at each end.

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In Oct. 2007 the network has a total length of 92.5 km, with approx. 9 km being above ground:
- U6 from Studentenstadt to Garching-Hochbrück - 7.9 km; and a short stretch between Garching and Garching-Forschungszentrum
- U5 Neuperlach-Süd (0.3 km; sharing platform with single track S-Bahn line S7).

The U-Bahn's main depot and maintenance yard is located next to Fröttmaning station on U6, another depot lies just south of Neuperlach-Süd. More sidings are distributed all over the network between the running tracks or behind terminal stations.

All stations have 2 tracks with an island platform, except:
- Olympia-EinkaufsZentrum [U1], Richard-Strauss-Straße, Neuperlach-Süd [U5], Garching-Hochbrück, Nordfriedhof (2 tracks, side platforms)
- Kolumbusplatz, Implerstraße, Max-Weber-Platz (1 track from the city centre with side platform, 2 tracks to the city centre with central platform)
- Hauptbahnhof [U1/U2], Scheidplatz, Innsbrucker Ring, Olympiazentrum, Münchner Freiheit, Kieferngarten (2 tracks with central platform in each direction)

All stations have automatic displays showing the next train with line number, destination and train length. Newer displays on the U2 (east of Innsbrucker Ring) also show the minutes left until the next train's departure and the following two trains.

Older stations are being refitted with elevators to allow full accessiblity. At Scheidplatz and Innsbrucker Ring passengers can change lines on the same platform in the same direction. Timetables are co-ordinated so that trains meet exactly on the minute.

The first of ten new 6-car trains of type C were presented in Sept. 2000 in Berlin and on 30 May in Munich. After some initial technical problems, the new trains have been running on line U6 since Nov. 2002. Type A cars have been in service since 1971 (a prototype had been tested since 1967), type B since 1981, although it took several years of testing until the majority of these trains could be delivered between 1988 and 1995. In 2002, six 2-car-units of the A-type were handed over to the Nuremberg U-Bahn. A minimum interval of 90 seconds is possible by automatic train operation (ATO), maximum speed is 90 km/h, commercial speed is 36 km/h.

The Munich S-Bahn operated by Deutsche Bahn AG is an important complementary rapid rail service also within the city. All routes have a basic frequency of 20 minutes which results in a 3-5 minute-interval along the common city route between Pasing and Ostbahnhof. Munich Airport can be reached on two routes, the S8 connects the city centre via Ostbahnhof and Ismaning, a second connection (an S1 branch opened in Nov. 1998) runs on a western route with transfer to U2 at Feldmoching.

New 4-car trains run on the S-Bahn-network since summer 2000 (in June 2001 on lines S1, S4, S7 and S8). Platforms are 120 m (U-Bahn, 6-car train) and usually 210 m (S-Bahn, 9-car train of older type ET420, 12-car train of newer generation ET423) long.

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19 Oct. 1971: U6 Kieferngarten - Goetheplatz (12 km)
08 May 1972: U3 Münchner Freiheit - Olympiazentrum
22 Nov 1975: U3/U6 Goetheplatz - Harras (except Poccistraße)
28 May 1978: U3/U6 Poccistraße added
16 Apr 1983: U3/U6 Harras - Holzapfelkreuth
28 Oct 1989: U3 Implerstraße - Forstenrieder Allee
01 Jun 1991: U3 Forstenrieder Allee - Fürstenried West
22 May 1993: U6 Holzapfelkreuth - Klinikum Großhadern
03 Jun 1994: U6 Kieferngarten - Fröttmaning
28 Oct 1995: U6 Fröttmaning - Garching-Hochbrück
14 Oct 2006: U6 Garching-Hochbrück - Garching-Forschungszentrum (4.4 km)
28 Oct 2007: U3 Olympiazentrum - Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (2.5 km)

U3 - 19.5 km, U6 - 27.5 km (5.8 km shared)

18 Oct 1980: U8 Scheidplatz - Neuperlach Süd (16 km)
  [U2 was initially called U8 and continued from Scheidplatz to Olympiazentrum sharing the U3 route]
28 May 1983: U1 Hauptbahnhof - Rotkreuzplatz
20 Nov 1993: U2 Scheidplatz - Dülferstraße
26 Oct 1996: U2 Dülferstraße - Feldmoching
08 Nov 1997: U1 Kolumbusplatz - Mangfallplatz
24 May 1998: U1 Rotkreuzplatz - Westfriedhof
29 May 1999: U2 Innsbrucker Ring - Messestadt-Ost (Munich Fair Centre - former airport) (7.7 km - 6 stations)
18 Oct 2003: U1 Westfriedhof - Georg-Brauchle-Ring (0.7km)
31 Oct 2004: U1 Georg-Brauchle-Ring - Olympia-Einkaufszentrum (0EZ) (0.6km)

U1 - 12.0 km, U2 - 23.7 km (2.8 km shared)

[initially planned as U5/U9]
10 Mar 1984: U4/U5 Westendstr. - Karlsplatz (plus service tunnel between Schwanthalerhöhe* and Implerstraße)
01 Mar 1986: U4/U5 Karlsplatz - Odeonsplatz
24 Mar 1988*: Laimer Platz - Westendstr.
27 Oct 1988: Odeonsplatz - Arabellapark (U4) / Innsbrucker Ring (U5) - continues to Neuperlach Süd (with U2 until May 1999)
Since June 1999, U4 trains end at Westendstraße.

U4 - 9.3 km, U5 - 15.4 km (6.3 km shared)

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 Projects

U3 is being extended to Moosach S-Bahn-station (Oct. 2004 > 2010).

Mid-term plans include extensions of
- U4 east to Englschalking (S) (1.9km; might be substituted by a tram line) and
- U5 west to Pasing (S) (3.6km)
- U6 from Klinikum Großhadern to Martinsried (1.3km)

With these extensions the Munich U-Bahn network would become 110 km long.

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- Operation

The Munich U-Bahn operates between 4:15 and 1:30, trains run every ten minutes and every 5 minutes during rush hours. 6-car trains are used during rush hours, 2-4-car trains in off-peak hours.

At certain times (peak hours, trade fairs) additional trains operate between Messestadt Ost and Rotkreuzplatz (U7) and between Feldmoching and Neuperlach Zentrum (U8). Some U2 trains run between Messestadt-Ost and Hauptbahnhof during important fairs held or to Olympiazentrum at special events in the Olympic Park.

During the "Oktoberfest" U4/U5 trains provide a 200-seconds-interval at Theresienwiese. During evening hours U4 operates only between Lehel and Arabellapark.

The first trains on each line meet in the city centre at approx. 4:30 to provide transfer between all lines in each direction.

- Tickets and Fares (04/2007, in Euro)

The U-Bahn is part of the MVV (Münchner Verkehrsverbund), the tariff union for the Munich region. All stations have information panels that show the zone you're in, although Munich city is basically identical with the inner zone (white zone - all U-Bahn stations apart from U6 Garching-Hochbrück).

1-day pass - 5.00 (XXL 6.70; 10.00 for the whole MVV network)

Single ticket - 2.20 (short trip - 1.10)
Strip ticket (10 strips) - 10.50 (for the inner zone two strips have to be cancelled)

Season Tickets (IsarCards) can be bought as "rings", the Munich city area would be 4 ring zones:

Weekly pass 15.80
Monthly pass 57.70

Like in other German cities, the Munich U-Bahn is an open system, there are no ticket barriers, you must cancel your ticket before entering the platform area and show it in case there is a control. All tickets are valid on any means of transport (bus, tram, U-Bahn, S-Bahn and local trains) with free transfer between them.

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See more photos

Schwandl, Robert: Schnellbahnen in Deutschland / Metros in Germany. U-Bahn - Stadtbahn - S-Bahn. - April 2007, Berlin, ISBN 978 3 836573 18 3

- Anything you want to know about German metro and light rail systems, with detailed maps and hundreds of colour photos; 192 pages; Text German and English - More details

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Papst, Martin: U- und S-Bahn-Fahrzeuge in Deutschland. München: GeraNova, 2000. ISBN 3932785185

If you plan to travel to Munich get Michael Brein's

GUIDE TO MUNICH BY THE U-BAHN for only $5.00

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144 pages and 176 great illustrations (52 in color), German and English text

Pischek, W. und H. Junghardt: DIE MÜNCHNER U-BAHN. Unterirdisch durch die bayrische Landeshauptstadt. 2002 (new edition), GeraMond. Largely illustrated, this book gives you all the details about the history and the daily routine of the Munich underground (German, 160 pages).

Pospischil, R. und E. Rudolph: S-Bahn München .- Alba, 1997. - This book illustrates and describes the transformation of the former regional rail lines into one of Germany's best suburban S-Bahn services (German, 240 pages).