Munich’s West Tangent tram line final approval

On 3 September the final planning approval and implementation plan for the so-called Westtangente tramway were issued by the government of Upper Bavaria, concluding several years of planning, preparation and public consultation. 

 

The new 8.25km line will run north–south through the city’s western suburbs, linking Romanplatz to Agnes-Bernauer-Strasse, Ammerseestrasse, Waldfriedhof and Ratzingerplatz. 

 

Work will start in February 2024 and completion will be in stages in 2025-2028. The line will intersect with three U-Bahn lines (U3, U5, U6) and tram lines 16/17, 18 and 19, replacing bus lines 51 and 151. Part of the alignment covers tram lines that were closed in the 1990s as the U-Bahn system expanded. An increase in passengers is expected with the switch from buses to trams. 

 

München (Munich) has an 82km tramway network with 14 lines carrying about 285 000 passengers/day. Horse tramway operation started in 1876 and electric trams in 1895. The fleet is all low-floor, 88 from ADtranz dating from 1994-2001, 14 from Stadler (2011) and an expanding number of Siemens Avenio of various lengths that started arriving in 2014 and are still being delivered.