Munich. U-Bahn passengers have to deal with an obstacle course in the next few weeks. The city is exchanging 125 escalators in 20 train stations. One of the stations closes completely during the procedure.

The upgrading will start with Fraunhoferstraße station on the 9th of August and this train station has to be closed during the replacement of the escalators. The trains will pass through the station without stopping. The MVG recommends passengers to use Tram line 27 or bus 52 instead.

All of the train stations listed are affected by the changes: Fraunhoferstraße, Giesinger Bahnhof, Hauptbahnhof, Holzapfelkreuth, Hohenzollernplatz, Josephsplatz, Königsplatz, Kolumbusplatz, Karl-Preis-Platz, Mailingerstraße, Neuperlach Zentrum, Ostbahnhof, Rotkreuzplatz, Silberhornstraße, Stiglmaierplatz, Schneidplatz, Sendlinger Tor, Therese-Giehse-Allee, Theresienstraße and Untersbergstraße.

The exact order in which the stations will upgraded is not known at this time; MVG will not publish a list yet because a lot of timetable shifting is still possible. However, if a station is next in line, then it will be published as soon as possible. In addition there is a list posted on the internet, showing all the U-Bahn stations and the status of their escalators. It is possible to read the duration of maintenance and up-to-date repair status on: www.mvg-zoom.de

The escalators have a life time of 25 to 30 years, according to MVG, it is the time to exchange the facilities. A longer run-time would increase the maintenance and repair costs to such an extent that is it more economic to replace the whole unit. Besides, the repair times would test the patience of the passengers.

The new escalators will be electronically supervised, so that disruptions are well-directed. In some cases, a stopped escalator can start moving again by itself.