New tramline number "23" to run from 2009

Works on a new tramline for northern Munich are to start this spring, creating an additional connection between Münchner Freiheit and Schwabing Nord (Frankfurter Ring). The route will carry passengers in 2009 and is intended to service the urban renewal project “Parkstadt Schwabing� area bordered by Leopold Strasse in the West and the A9 motorway in the East, formerly split between light industry and federal use. The journey should last only 8 minutes.

The new route will head north along Leopold Strasse, then following tracks formerly used by Die Bahn for industrial use, before crossing the Mittlerer Ring using a newly-constructed suspension bridge, which will also offer space for pedestrians and cyclists.

Tracks being laid in Parzivalstrasse will allow the 23 route to be serviced from the existing Munich tram network via the Scheidplatz terminus.




Details of the route are here: tram23_streckenplan_12.jpg

I was wondering how they were going to solve the problem of crossing the Ring.
However, I think their decision of laying the service track in Parzivalstrasse to Scheidplatz shows ill judgment (aka is stupid) as Parzivalstrasse is a main access route for ambulances to the Schwabinger Krankenhaus and has the parking facilities for visitors to the hospital. All you need is a car double-parked by someone "just running into the hospital to bring Granny her reading-glasses" and blocking a streetcar, thus making the whole street impassible for ambulances.
The shopkeepers and residents in Herzogstrasse kicked up such a fuss in the planning phase that the planners decided not to lay the service track there although it is wider and not as frequented as Parzivalstrasse.

it'll only be used for servicing and getting the trams on and off the line so shouldn't cause too many problems.

Parzivalstr used to have a tram line run down it anyway - there's still remains in the road up the Scheidplatz end I think, and down by Leopoldstr the bus stops are in the middle of the street where the tram used to go. So there's plenty of room on the street.

And as OG says a service route will not have too many trams running.

The idea of the City/MVG was / is to have a Haidhausen - Schwabing - Neuhausen tram route.
With just 2 short sections to be closed:

The CSU blocked the replacement of buses by trams in the English Garden and an unholy alliance of NIMBYs blocked it in the Hohenzollernstrasse.

that would have a been a really good and useful route. bloody idiots.

The Hohenzollerstrasse NIMBYs should have looked to the 15/25 extension in Haidhausen or the 17/18/27 in the Müllerstrasse
to see that a tram doesn't destroy the life of relatively narrow inner city streets ...

@ Monkstown
Yeh but it causes traffic carnage and huge congestion - Innere Weiner strasse is absolutely clogged for an hour every morning.

7 Stops. Whats the point??? Plenty of buses going up Leopoldstr anyways.

@ Parnell, if people got out of their cars and onto the tram less traffic carnage...

@ InflatableW, journey times will be quicker, capacity increased and the service more attractive.

MT, any news on when the extension of Tram 18 to St.Emmeram will be completed? I assume that now Effnerplatz tunnel is finished they can at least get on and re-connect Effnerplatz to Cosimapark (which is where the tram used to terminate until 1972 when is was "temporarily" discontinued due to the U-bahn being opened.

Remains mostly covered by asphalt. And all you need is one ambulance stuck behind an immobile tram for people to start yelling bloody murder.

and that is any different that InnereWiener Ring and Rechts der Isar?

It can go round it and drive on the other side of the road or on the pavement. Those ambulance drivers are nutters.

It goes nowhere usefull for me and will cause a mess outside my door. Not a fan of this idea.

Given that the there are going to be X thousand NEW residents and X thousand NEW workplaces served by the 23 tram it certainly will be usefull to them
cutting journey times to / from Münchner Freiheit and the city centre. Why won't you gain from it too?

For anyone intrested, theres a Tram23-Blog stared carrying pictures of construction work etc

Nice to see pictures of the old neighbourhood, even if they are digging it up, thanks.