Train Service Hopes Dashed: No ICE Connection at Munich Airport

Munich Airport will remain inaccessible by long-distance trains, as hopes for a temporary solution have been dashed. Deutsche Bahn (DB) announced that its assessment concluded ICE trains cannot run on the existing tracks used by S-Bahn and regional services. The rail operator stated that implementing a long-distance connection on the current, heavily utilized lines is not feasible.

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ICE trains cannot operate on the existing S-Bahn and regional train tracks.

A spokesperson for DB explained that the company continues to advocate for the long-discussed construction of a new rail line specifically for high-speed trains to reach Germany's second-largest airport. DB Fernverkehr explicitly supports this, particularly in conjunction with the expansion of the Munich-Ingolstadt axis. This new line is considered essential for a stable and reliable connection.

The issue of long-distance rail access to Munich Airport has been a subject of fruitless discussion for forty years. While the airport was initially planned in the 1980s with provisions for a long-distance station and four runways, only two runways and an S-Bahn connection were ultimately built. A decision in the late 1980s favored the high-speed line between Munich and Nuremberg, opened in 2006, without including a stop at the airport.

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A long-distance connection on the current, heavily utilized lines is not feasible.

The lack of a direct long-distance rail link presents a significant inconvenience, especially for travelers arriving from northern Upper Bavaria or Franconia. Despite the airport's location just 30 kilometers northeast of Munich, these passengers must either travel by bus directly or take a train to Munich's main station before transferring to the S-Bahn or a bus.

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DB Fernverkehr explicitly supports this, particularly in conjunction with the expansion of the Munich-Ingolstadt axis.