Trams in Munich

The tramway started in 1876, with a horsecar service. Electric trams were introduced by Union-Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft in 1895. In 1900, the last horsecar was taken out of service. In December 2012 new routes 22 and 28 were opened. In December 2013, the extension of route 19, from its previous terminus at Pasing-Marienplatz to München-Pasing railway station, was opened in order to enable better interchange with S-Bahn and long-distance train services. In December 2016, route 25 was extended to the east of the city, from Max Weber Platz to Berg am Laim S-Bahn station. The extension comprises of segregated alignment with seven new stops, and a journey time of approximately eight minutes. The area served is undergoing redevelopment. In January 2025, route 12 was extended from Scheidplatz to Schwabing Nord, along the route of Line 23 that has been a connecting track previously. On February 28, 2026, the first section of a new tangential line, known as the Tram-Westtangente () opened between the existing Fürstenrieder Straße and Ammerseestraße stops. The long new section has two intermediate stations, Aindorferstraße and Laimer Platz (where there is an interchange with U-Bahn line 5), and together with its opening introduced the new line 14. ==Operation==

Vehicles The tram system uses five types of tram: • The Class P tram is a two-section high-floor articulated tram carried on two four-wheeled trucks, usually operating with a similar articulated trailer tram. They were built by Rathgeber between 1967 and 1969. One two-car set carries 315 passengers, with 151 seated. , six sets remained in service, of which two are reserved for special services. The Class P tram was withdrawn in November 2014 for a short time. • The Class R2 tram is a three-section 100% low-floor articulated tram carried on six axles. The trams were built by Adtranz to their GT6N design between 1994 and 1997. Each tram has a capacity of 157 passengers, of whom 58 are seated. As of 2011, 68 trams are in service, operating on all lines. • The Class R3 tram is a four-section 100% low-floor articulated tram carried on eight axles. The trams were built by Adtranz to their GT8N2 design between 1999 and 2001. Each tram has a capacity of 218 passengers, of whom 67 are seated. As of 2011, 20 trams are in service, operating on lines 17, 19, 20, 21, 27, and also 25 on school holidays and weekend. • The Class S tram is a five-section 100% low-floor articulated tram carried on six axles. The trams were built by Stadler to their Variobahn design. They have a capacity of 221 passengers, of whom 75 are seated. Four trams of this design were delivered in 2011, and a further 10 are on order, with delivery expected in 2011. • The Class T trams are 100% low-floor articulated trams with two-, three- or four sections. They were built by Siemens to their Avenio design. The first tram was delivered to Munich in November 2012. The first Avenios entered service on 17 September 2014 on line 19. A number of older trams are still owned by the MVG. Some are exhibited in the MVG Museum, and may occasionally be seen on special services. Other Munich trams are displayed in the 'Verkehrszentrum' (Transport Centre) of the Deutsches Museum in Munich. Class M The first four M1.62 trams and two m1.62 trailers were delivered by Rathgeber and Westwaggon in 1949 and 1950. Based on the experience with the M1.62, eight M2.63 trams were delivered from 1951 to 1953. These trams had a different door arrangement than its predecessor. Daytime routes The daytime route network operates between 04:45 and 01:30, and comprises the following routes: ==Future developments==

Westtangente The new Westtangente line is meeting the demand for a crosstown transportation in the west, serving five municipalities: Neuhausen-Nymphenburg, Laim, Sendling-Westpark, Hadern, and Thalkirchen-Obersendling-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln. The new line follows mostly the current Metrobus 51 and the 1928 tram extension plan. The line will have seventeen stops with subway transfer points at Aidenbachstraße station (southern terminus), Holzapfelkreuth station, Laimer Platz station, and München-Laim S-Bahn station along with Tram line 12 and lines 16 and 17 at Romanplatz (northern terminus), Tram line 18 at Agnes-Bernauer-Straße, and Tram line 19 at Ammerseestraße. The passengers can transfer to Tram line 12 for further journey to Schwabing, bypassing the city centre. The line number has been determined as Line 14. The €170 million Euro construction, approved on 21 March 2018, began on 7 June 2024 and is planned to be completed by 2028 at the latest. The first phase of the line, from Fürstenrieder Straße to Ammerseestraße, opened on 28 February 2026. The Englischer Garten tram line was proposed in 1927 but was immediately rejected by the city council. The proposal for the Nordtangente isn't without controversy due to the feasibility of running trams through the busy thoroughfare and potential damage to the environment during the construction and after the service launch. Several buses (MetroBus 54, 58, and 68 as well as local Bus 154) currently serve the 600-metre-long Englischer Garten thoroughfare, adding noise and congestion. Adding the tram line would cause safety hazard for pedestrians and cyclists who in a very large number share the same thoroughfare. The overhead lines could not be used due to the sensitive nature environment in Englischer Garten and due to many mature trees in close proximity. An initial proposal was to use the specially modified trams that run on batteries across Englischer Garten before reverting to overhead lines outside the park. MVG and Stadler Rail modified one Class S tram with lithium-ion batteries for feasibility runs at Velten near Berlin: this specially modified tram broke the world distance record by running on a test track. The Class S trams delivered to MVG in 2012 are designed to be retrofitted with batteries. After the success of Initiative M-ein Englischer Garten, a grassroots movement to cover the portion of Mittleren Ring highway in Englischer Garten, the same grassroot movement group proposed a tram tunnel as the most optimal solution, citing the 1926 article in Bayerischen Umschau. The €45 million tram tunnel is gaining traction as most favoured option for several reasons. The tram tunnel along with forthcoming Mittleren Ring tunnel would reunite the northern and southern Englischer Garten once again. The tunnel moves the tram and bus traffic underground, removing the noise and congestion. Without the traffic on the thoroughfare, the safety of pedestrians and cyclists is enhanced. As to reduce the construction cost by making tunnels lower in height, the overhead lines would not be installed in the tunnel. The trams would switch to battery power during the travel through tunnel before switching back to the overhead lines outside the park. Further extensions • Line 18: Extension to Blumenau in the West • Line 19: Extension to the Michaelibad in the east • Hauptbahnhof-Silberhornstraße: Like bus line 58 • Südtangente: From the Aidenbachstraße or the Waldfriedhof, the planned Westtangente via Harras, Brudermühlstraße and Candidplatz could be connected with the line 25 at the Tegernseer Landstraße and on line 17 at the Giesing station. • Line 19: Extension in the east to Trudering, from there possibly to Haar. • The line 17 south of Stadelheimer, Nauplia and Seybothstraße could be used instead of U-Bahn line U1 from Mangfallplatz to Krankenhaus Harlaching or the Großhesseloherbrücke. Since this route is currently served (2016) by a bus in the 20-minute clock is sufficiently unlikely. • From the route to St. Emmeram to one of the S-Bahn stations or . • Alte Messe – Nordbad: New route from the Schwanthalerhöhe station via Heimeran- and Schwanthalerstraße to the main station, where the route could be linked to the planning of Hauptbahnhof-Silberhornstraße. The route continues northwards through the Seidl and Schleissheimer Straße to the turning wye at the Nordbad. • From Munich Moosach station to Moosach or from the Westfriedhof to Untermenzing station • Line 23: Extension to the south to the planned north-tangente at the Giselastraße. From there, the line could be taken to the Elisabethplatz and further towards the city center. • An extension of the tram from St. Emmeram to Unterföhring is unlikely because of the nature of the bridge which would be used over the Foehringer Ring and the narrow road in Unterföhring. • Olympia-Einkaufszentrum – St. Emmeram: New tangent in the north of Munich (like bus line 50) • Ostbahnhof-Neuperlach: Like bus line 55 ==References==