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Rail chaos in the Oberland: rail replacement services until further notice!
Railway line between Munich and Holzkirchen closed. Replacement rail services, buses and taxis have been set up for affected travelers.
Rail chaos in the Oberland: rail replacement services until further notice!
There has been great chaos in the Oberland since last Sunday, July 4th, 2025, after the railway line between Holzkirchen and Deisenhofen had to be closed. The reason for the drastic measures are defective concrete sleepers under seven switches that were discovered during a regular inspection. This problem has wide implications because the closure not only affects the route in question, but also the train stations in Deisenhofen and Unterhaching. The Bavarian Regiobahn (BRB) has already reacted and let the trains end in Holzkirchen - the S3 of the Munich S-Bahn only runs to Giesing.
In order to offer rail passengers an opportunity to get around, a replacement rail service was set up. From Wednesday, July 7th, there will be a fixed timetable that includes numerous buses and up to 60 large taxis that commute between Holzkirchen and Giesing and stop at all affected S-Bahn stations. However, travelers must expect longer journey times as the replacement offer cannot completely replace the capacity of the train service German railway reported.
Demands for rapid action
Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter has called for urgent measures from the railway while those responsible are working on an interim solution. The plan is to expand the switches and bridge them with straight rail sections. According to the Mercury The problem with the concrete sleepers has been on the agenda since the train accident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in June 2022, which once again underlines the urgency of the situation.
In parallel to the rail situation, road traffic is also affected. The B318 is partially closed until July 18th due to asphalting work, while the A95 between Murnau and Eschenlohe remains completely closed until July 2nd. This creates further challenges for travelers and commuters.
A look into the future of rail infrastructure
Against the background of these current problems, Deutsche Bahn is trying to invest 16.4 billion euros in the renewal of the rail infrastructure as part of its comprehensive strategy daily news reported. The aim is to stop the deterioration of the infrastructure and reduce the unpunctuality of rail traffic. It was recently discovered that “age-based pent-up demand” is estimated at an impressive €103.4 billion, with bridges accounting for over €59 billion.
The completely new direction and the planned investments could help to drastically reduce the frequent disruptions in rail traffic in the coming years. By 2030, the railway wants to fundamentally renew its heavily used rail network and at the same time hire 5,500 new employees for maintenance and expansion projects. The coming weeks and months will show how effectively these measures can be implemented to overcome the challenges posed by the current rail replacement service.