The VE734 construction package covers the tunnel section between the new underground S-Bahn station for the Second Main Line at Munich Ostbahnhof and Berg-am-Laim-Straße, including Rescue Shaft 9.
The contract was awarded using the rail partnership model, bringing together the client, designers, and construction companies at an early stage to improve collaboration and help control costs and schedules. As the project partners have been working together since 2025, construction can begin immediately following activation of the construction option.
The tunnel construction contract was awarded to Wayss & Freytag. Porr will deliver the groundwater management, civil engineering, and specialist foundation engineering works. Planning services are being provided by the SSF/ILF engineering consortium.
“The Second Main Line continues to gain momentum. We will soon begin driving the first tunnel from the west towards the city centre. With the award of the VE734 package, we have now secured contractors for all tunnel works. Constructing the tunnel beneath the heavily used railway infrastructure at Munich Ostbahnhof will be one of the most technically challenging stages of the project,” said Kai Kruschinski, Second Main Line project manager.
Construction of the approximately 500m-long tunnels, reaching depths of up to 23m beneath the Ostbahnhof, is scheduled to begin in 2028.
The work will take place in one of the project’s most sensitive locations. Sixteen railway tracks pass directly above the tunnel alignment, including the European Scan-Med Corridor, and rail services are expected to continue operating without restrictions throughout construction.
As well as tunnel excavation, the contract includes extensive specialist foundation engineering, civil engineering, utility, and road construction works. Excavation pits, retaining structures, and supporting infrastructure will also be constructed.
A key element of the package is Rescue Shaft 9, measuring approximately 65m long and 20m deep. During construction it will serve as the launch shaft for tunnel excavation before becoming a permanent emergency access and rescue structure.
A further crossing structure, approximately 56m long and 25-30m wide, will be built at Berg-am-Laim-Straße. Its excavation, at up to 16m deep, will be constructed by cut-and-cover. Once the roof slab has been completed, road traffic will be able to continue above the site while construction progresses below ground.
Groundwater management is another major component of the project. Around 50 wells will be installed to control groundwater during construction. Over the course of the works, approximately 4.2 million m3 of water are expected to be pumped and managed.
Around 170 specialists from DB, the construction companies, and the planning teams are already working together on the VE734 package. Additional personnel from the participating contractors will join the project as construction progresses through its various phases.
The second Munich S-Bahn main line is one of Germany’s most important transport infrastructure projects. The approximately 11km-long line between Laim and Leuchtenbergring will relieve the existing main line, create additional capacity, and lay the foundation for a more efficient S-Bahn system in the growing Munich metropolitan region.
