MAEX - Munich Airport Express S-Bahn

As reported in the local paper, page 5 Tageszeitung 22.Mar.2006, it would seem that Munich mayor Christian Ude, has commissioned a new study to see whether an express S-Bahn would be just as effective and cheaper than the currently planned Transrapid.

The new express line would run on the current S8 line and would require a new tunnel to be built between Daglfing and Unterföhring, and would also run in the new Stammstrecke tunnel currently being built. As of now the only planned stops for the express line will be: Hauptbahnhof, Marienhof, Leuchtenbergring and Unterföhring or Ismaning and Munich Airport.

The new line would take aprox. 25 min. from airport to Hauptbahnhof and would run every 15min. If built the new express line would cost less than the transrapid project and would also get people to/from the airport faster than the Transrapid's time.

The new line would be called MAEX - Munich Airport Express.

Marienhof S-Bahn?

New S-Bahn Tunnel = New Stations

The Marienhof station will be built behind the rathouse, 300m from Marienplatz (Where there is currently a huge Soccer ball for the WM2006)

Thats what I suspected you meant. Seems like madness as they are just finishing up the building work there for the U-Bahn extra foot tunnls. I hope they made life easy for themselves by using a bit of foresight and doing the s-bahney bits as well.

Of course they did, the new tunnels already include the connections to the future Marienhof station, check the
explanation boards at the Marienhof construction site.

I caught a brief report on the radio about this yesterday and if I understood it correctly the problem with this idea is that they wouldn't get any state funding for the S-Bahn but would for the transrapide.
Probably because there's less opportunity for pocket lining!

Transrapid=show of economic strength for Germany
Faster S bahn=who cares

Cost benefit for overtaxed taxpayers in Germany=Faster S Bahn

Look we have maglevs too=German govt to Far eastern govts

Mines bigger than yours=message to EU govts sparking the French into building a complete network. UK will build more airports.

SPOT ON !

The Transrapid is being pushed to benefit private industry who want a german project to be able to export the technology. Transrapid technology has been funded and funded and funded with billions of r decades becasue it gives some male politicians a stiffy.

A lot of perople who are seriously into transport would even prefer the Südring to the new S-Bahn tunnel.
That though would involve a bit of new signalling and a few points installed so even less chance for corruption so it was rejected.

Forget Suedring... Give me the Erdinger S-Bahn RingSchluss to the Airport and the new RE line it also brings...

what the heck's wrong with a 39 minute ride on the S-Bahn from town to the airport? except that it's too expensive already.
the cost for the 20 minutes saved? higher prices as usual. the cost / benefit/ downside ratio? as MT suggested, pol stiffies and make-work vs. higher prices for everyone. shheesh. no wonder there is so much unemployment in this country, we're pricing even ourselves out of the market.
jeezus.

The Express Sbahn plan will save the tax payers over 625 Million Eur over the transrapid project...

Express SBahn - 200 Million Eur
Transrapid - 800+ Million

That makes as much sense as when my mother would come home with a new shirt and say, "I just saved myself ten dollars, because this shirt was on sale!" A shirt that she would not have bought.

I don't thing there is much debate about the fact that the current 40-minute trundle to the airport is unacceptable. It is slow, uncomfortable and confusing (try explaining to a tourist at Hauptbahnhof that it doesn't matter which side of the platform they wait on for a train to the airport, but that if they use the S1, or is the S8, then they might have to get on at the back, or is it the front?).

The debate, in my mind at least, is whether the solution should be private or public. Do we spend billions on a train that will then probably cost €20 each way to use, and thus leave millions of ordinary commuters with the 40-minute slog, while rich businessmen are whisked down to Hbf in ten minutes (as at Heathrow). Or do we integrate a fast route to the airport into the MVV network and enable everyone to benefit?

As has been previously mentioned, the Magnetbahn is nothing more than a giant penis extension for Bavarian politicians. I'm very pleasantly surprised that the Mayor is prepared to consider the patently more sensible solution.

See also Third runway for Munich (debate quickly moves on to the Magnetbahn).

Everytime I hear something about this stupid Transrapide, my blood boils.
So what if the SBahn takes 40 minutes to the airport. It takes longer to drive and park and wait for the stupid bus to come around to the long-term parking.

The only people that will use it will be business people who are staying in the city center or people who live south of Marienplatz. Living myself in Unterschleissheim, I would never use it to get to the airport.

It is a gigantic waste of taxpyers money that could be used elsewhere!

So over half of all Munich residents and every single visitor to Munich (millions each year). And you're forgetting all the people travelling from further afield; Munich is by far the largest airport in the region. So a fast link between Hauptbahnhof and the airport would additionally serve most of Bavaria and western Austria.

I agree with you that the Transrapid would be a waste of money, but a fast S-Bahn link is desperately needed. The fact that you wouldn't use it is not, in my opinion, a good reason not to build it.