Consultancy company, Sweco has been awarded a contract by Deutsche Bahn (DB), the German national railway company, starting in May 2025 and extending for approximately 4.5 years – with the possibility of a five-year extension – to oversee the construction supervision for a significant infrastructure project aimed at doubling the capacity and efficiency of the “S-Bahn” in Munich. The project includes adding a second line, constructing a new tunnel under the city centre and upgrading stations.
The two S-Bahn tunnels for the second core route and the escape and rescue tunnel in between them are each 7km long meaning a total of 21km of tunnels will be bored. Each will involve 6.4km of 7.5m i.d. TBM bored tunnel, 600m of cut and cover in the vicinity of the tunnel portals, and 800m of Sprayed concrete lined tunnel.
A total of six TBMs will be used. The machines will start from the western and eastern tunnel portals. Starting pits will be located to the west of Donnersberger Bridge for the western end of the tunnel and in the vicinity of Haidenauplatz for the eastern end. The TBMs will dig their way towards Munich city centre from each end and meet at the Marienhof underground station, around the halfway point. There, they will be dismantled and removed from the tunnel.
Munich is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Hamburg, and serves as an economic hub with a growing population that is expected to continue increasing in the coming decades. Originally designed to carry approximately 250,000 passengers each working day, the city’s commuter rail system, the “S-Bahn,” now serves over 800,000 users daily.
Substantial investments are currently underway to improve connectivity between Munich and its suburbs, to reduce overcrowding and to support sustainable urban growth. One of the key infrastructure projects comprises the expansion of the S-Bahn, which aims to double its capacity and raise efficiency.
“Sweco has undertaken several projects for Deutsche Bahn in the past, and we have a strong, long-standing relationship. As a leading European consultancy in the field of transportation, with 6,000 experts in mobility and active travel, we are proud to have been selected to advise Deutsche Bahn on this project, which is of vital importance for Munich and the entire Bavarian region,” says Julia Zantke, Business Area President for Sweco in Germany.
Sweco’s involvement in the expansion will engage approximately 60 experts on a daily basis in the provision of engineering services for the construction of a second line, including the new tunnel under the city centre and upgrades to existing stations.
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