München Marienplatz is an important stop on the Munich S-Bahn

Munich S-Bahn

The Munich S-Bahn is an electric rail transit system in Munich, Germany. "S-Bahn" is the German abbreviation for stadtschnellbahn , and the Munich S-Bahn exhibits characteristics of both rapid transit and commuter rail systems.The Munich S-Bahn network is operated by S-Bahn München, a subsidiary...

 and U-Bahn

Munich U-Bahn

The Munich U-Bahn system is an electric rail rapid transit network in Munich, Germany. "U-Bahn" is the German contraction for Untergrundbahn or "subway." It is operated by the municipally owned Münchner Verkehrsgesellschaft...

 network, located under the square of the same name

Marienplatz

Marienplatz is a central square in the city center of Munich, Germany. It has been the city's main square since 1158.-Architecture:...

 in Munich's city centre. The S-Bahn

S-Bahn

S-Bahn refers to an often combined city center and suburban railway system metro in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Denmark...

 lines S1, S2, S4, S5, S6, S7 and S8 intersect with the U-Bahn lines U3 and U6. The station is one of the most frequently used stations in the network, with more than 30,000 passengers using it per hour.

History

In October 1966 construction was started, finishing in October 1971 as part of the new S-Bahn network for the 1972 Summer Olympics

1972 Summer Olympics

The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....

. Until early 2003 there were almost no further refurbishments done at the station. From 2003 to 2006, the platforms of the U-Bahn were widened to expand passenger capacity and were lifted by 4 cm to secure same-level boarding.

Under the Zweite Stammstrecke ("Second main line") tunnel project, Marienplatz station is to be connected to a second station further north, Marienhof, via the enlarged subway access tunnels on the fourth level.

Station layout

Marienplatz station is completely underground and consists of four levels:

• First Level: The first level sprawls underneath the Marienplatz
  Marienplatz
  Marienplatz is a central square in the city center of Munich, Germany. It has been the city's main square since 1158.-Architecture:...
  
  , with exits on all four ends of the square (clockwise from north-west: Weinstraße, north-east: Fischbrunnen/Tal, south-east: Rindermarkt, south-west: Sendlinger Straße). It contains a shopping passage, an MVG service centre, ticket booths, and the entrances to the S- and U-Bahn.

• Second Level: The second level contains the westbound S-Bahn track with two side platforms, in Spanish solution
  Spanish solution
  The Spanish solution is a method of using two railway platforms, one on each side of the track, in order to speed up boarding and alighting from trains. Alighting passengers get off the train on one side and boarding passengers get on from the other...
  
  . The larger platform is for embarking, the smaller for disembarking and connection to the subways. The Olympic station in Sydney copies this arrangement, albeit with two tracks and four platforms.

• Third Level: The third level contains the eastbound S-Bahn track with two side platforms, also laid out in Spanish solution.

• Fourth Level: The fourth level, accessible directly from all three levels, contains the two U-Bahn tracks on two side platforms connected to the rest of the station by wide newly-built access tunnels.

The services

S-Bahn

All S-Bahn lines service Marienplatz, except S20 and S27. Most lines service Marienplatz in 20 minute intervals, except the lines S2, S4 and S5, which run every 10 minutes during rush-hours. This equals a train every 2–4 minutes per direction.

U-Bahn

The U-Bahn services Marienplatz with 3-10 min intervals in off-peak hours, and every 2.5 min during rush hours.