At just 1.5 km in length so far, the new line along Fürstenrieder Straße in Munich may be short, yet it marks a significant step forward in the expansion of the city’s tram network. After decades of planning and preparation, the first section of this important orbital connection in the west of the Bavarian capital has finally entered service.

Electric local transport on this route began as early as 1948, when the first section opened as a trolleybus line. In its final stage of development between 1953 and 1966, it corresponded almost exactly to the route now running between Romanplatz in the north-west and Aidenbachstraße next to Ratzingerplatz in the south-west.

Since the 1980s, a tram connection along this corridor had repeatedly been proposed, but it took more than 30 years before construction of the line was formally approved. The final milestone before construction began was planning approval for the first section in September 2023. We reported

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With a total planned length of 8.25 km, the West Tangent will in future link Romanplatz in the north-west with Aidenbachstraße in the south-west. On Saturday, 28 February 2026, the first construction phase between the stops Fürstenrieder Straße and Ammerseestraße entered passenger service, including the intermediate stops Laimer Platz and Aindorferstraße. The new Line 14 now operates here and, from Fürstenrieder Straße, continues westwards together with Line 19 to Pasing station. At the other end of the new section, Line 14 continues via the existing Line 18 route to the turning loop at Gondrellplatz in Kleinhadern. Services run every 10 minutes during the day and every 20 minutes after 10 p.m. and in the early morning hours.

The first section of the West Tangent tram line is almost exactly 1,500 metres long and includes the three stops Fürstenrieder Straße, Laimer Platz and Aindorferstraße. All are fully accessible, with near-level boarding, and are already designed to accommodate longer trams of up to 56 metres in length. For the initial phase, three-car vehicles will operate on the route. Once the entire line is completed, passenger numbers are expected to rise considerably, and larger vehicles will be introduced gradually.

As part of the construction works for the new line, the existing Fürstenrieder Straße stop on Line 19 was also made fully accessible; it has been in service since December 2025. It has been equipped with a freestanding and therefore particularly visible dynamic passenger information display (DFI) with an audio announcement function for visually impaired passengers. At most stops, grass track and newly planted trees create a greener and more pleasant environment.

The next stages of construction will initially begin on the section to the south from Ammerseestraße to Waldfriedhof and will later continue as far as the Aidenbachstraße Underground station. These sections are scheduled to enter service in 2028.

In the north, closing the gap between Fürstenrieder Straße and Romanplatz depends on completion of the so-called “environmental transport tunnel” at Laim S-Bahn station. In addition to the tram, this tunnel will also be available for pedestrians and cyclists and is being built by Deutsche Bahn as part of the Second S-Bahn Main Line project. Here too, commissioning is planned for 2028.

On Wotanstraße, track has already been laid in preparation as part of another construction project. The points required to connect to the existing routes of Lines 16 and 17 have likewise already been installed.

Once fully completed, the entire West Tangent will be served by the extended Line 12. It will then provide a direct and rapid cross-city connection without the need to change, linking Obersendling via Hadern, Sendling and Laim to Nymphenburg, and continuing along the existing route to Schwabing Nord.