With 34 tracks, Munich Central Station has the most tracks among Europe's train stations. And soon there could be even more.
Munich – It is one of the most frequently visited places in Munich: Munich Central Station. More than 450,000 people come there every day to take the train to a wide variety of places in Bavaria, Germany and Europe. But it can take longer for travelers to find the right platform in the main station. Because the distances are often anything but short. For example, when travelers want to go from platform one of the S-Bahn to platform five at the completely other end of the station hall.
Depending on the route, travelers pass more than 30 tracks in the station. There are a total of 34 tracks at the main station in Munich. This means that the station holds a special record - because it is the station with the most tracks in Europe.
Munich central station |
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|---|---|
address |
Bayerstraße 10A, 80335 Munich |
Number of tracks |
34 |
Munich Central Station has the most tracks in Europe – beaten Rome and Paris
The tracks in Munich Central Station are divided into the above-ground station hall and the S-Bahn tracks, which run underground. Tracks five to 36 are located in the station hall. Long-distance trains such as the ICE and the ÖBB Railjet, regional trains and regional trains depart from there. The Munich S-Bahn lines stop on tracks one and two underground.
If you only looked at the 32 tracks of the station hall, the Roma Termini train station in Rome (Italy) and the Gare du Nord in Paris (France) would be the same size. However, together with the tracks of the Hauptbahnhof subway station, Munich Central Station would have a total of 38 tracks. According to the city of Munich, around 250 long-distance and around 500 local trains travel to the main station every day. During the European Football Championship in 2024, the trains at the main station are likely to be more full. The Allianz Arena in the north of Munich is one of the venues for the European Championship.
International evaluation: Munich Central Station has one of the most passengers in Europe
Munich Central Station is also one of the leaders in Europe when it comes to passenger numbers. If you look at the European train stations in comparison, the main train station in the Bavarian capital even ends up in the top five. This emerges from the evaluation of the “European Train Station Index 2024” by the online travel platform Bounce.
Accordingly, just over 150 million people used Munich Central Station every year. This means that Munich ended up just behind the railway stations in Zurich, Frankfurt and Hamburg, which take fourth to second place in this category. According to Bounce, the Gare du Nord train station in Paris had the most travelers with more than 292 million.
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Train station of the future: This is how Munich Central Station will change in the future
Like other train stations, Munich Central Station is changing. Renovation work is currently taking place in the station hall to renovate the main station. In addition to an ultra-modern, glass reception hall, an underground stop for the second main route will also be created. Whether the construction will be completed as planned by 2028 is still unclear. Progress depends heavily on the construction status of the second main line.
(jr)