Deutsche Bahn confirms: No ICE connection for Munich Airport for the time being

This has also dashed hopes for a provisional solution, as Deutsche Bahn further stated: "Die Hoffnungen auf eine Behelfslösung haben sich zerschlagen." The "Münchner Merkur" had initially reported on this. The debate over a long-distance connection to the airport has now been ongoing for forty years – so far without any tangible result.

Back in the 1980s, the airport had originally been planned with a long-distance train station and four runways. In the end, however, only two runways and an S-Bahn connection were realized. The decision made in the late 1980s in favor of the high-speed line between Munich and Nuremberg, which went into operation in 2006, also did not include a stop at the airport.

Disadvantage for travelers from Franconia and Upper Bavaria

The lack of a connection primarily affects travelers from northern Upper Bavaria and from Franconia. Although the airport lies only about 30 kilometers northeast of the state capital Munich, they must either take a bus directly or travel by train to Munich's main station and transfer there to a bus or the S-Bahn.

There is at least a regional express connection from Franconia: a regional express runs from Nuremberg via Regensburg directly to the airport terminal – provided that construction work does not disrupt operations. An ICE line is not currently planned on this route, however.

New line as a prerequisite

Deutsche Bahn refers to an internal review to justify this. According to that review, ICE trains cannot share the existing tracks, which are used by S-Bahn and regional trains. A separate, newly built line would therefore be the prerequisite for an ICE stop at the airport.

Railway subsidiary DB Fernverkehr has signaled fundamental interest in such a solution. "DB Fernverkehr befürwortet dies ausdrücklich, zum Beispiel im Kontext eines Ausbaus der Achse München–Ingolstadt", the company said. This brings a connection via Ingolstadt more sharply into focus.

Outlook: No end to the debate in sight

Concrete plans for the construction of a corresponding new line are not known, however. Munich Airport therefore remains, for the foreseeable future, the only major German airport without a direct connection to the ICE network – a state of affairs that travelers and business representatives in the region have been lamenting for decades.

The debate over the long-distance rail connection is closely linked to competition between locations within Germany. While airports such as Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, and Berlin have long been able to offer ICE stops in their immediate vicinity, passengers in Munich must continue to change trains – an argument that proponents of a new line have been putting forward for years.