Munich (dpa/lby) - By 2028, the airport's trouble-prone S-Bahn connection to downtown Munich is to be improved by a new million-euro project. Bavaria's Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter (CSU) and the Deutsche Bahn Group representative for the Free State, Klaus Dieter Josel, signed the contract for the overall construction project "Munich West Airport flyover", as the ministry announced on Monday in Munich. It has a volume of 125 million euros.
According to the information provided, the project, which also includes the construction of an electronic signal box (ESTW), should make it possible for trains to travel on the S-Bahn lines S1 and S8 on the two lines that converge there without mutual interference. This would increase the quality of operations and enable additional mobility offers to and from the airport, it said. The ESTW should go into operation in 2024/2025, followed by the commissioning of the flyover structure in 2028.
"The improved rail connection from Munich Airport to the city and to the whole of Bavaria is taking shape," said Bernreiter. For four years, regional trains from the direction of Upper Palatinate and Lower Bavaria have been able to reach the airport directly via the Neufahrner curve. The construction work for the extension of the railways to the east has also recently started. "And today we are giving the go-ahead for a new building that will ensure trouble-free traffic on the existing S-Bahn lines at the airport."
"With the new flyover structure, the S8 and S1 S-Bahn trains will run independently and without red signals, making it easier and faster to get into and out of the airport station," emphasized Josel. This will create the conditions for more and more reliable train connections to Munich Airport.
It is the state government's transport policy goal to significantly increase the attractiveness of the railway and to optimally connect Munich Airport from all parts of the country. Of the approximately 125 million euros, the Free State will pay around 44 million euros - the rest will be financed by the federal government and Deutsche Bahn. As soon as the federal government gives the green light, construction can begin in autumn 2023.
