the Munich U-Bahn

A postcard promoting the opening of the Munich underground railway system which began operating on 19 October 1971, 8 months before the opening of the 1972 Summer Olympics (most remembered for the attack by Muslim terrorists on the Isreali team in the Olympic Village).

Today the U-Bahn network has 100.3 km (62.3 miles) of active lines in standard gauge with 100 stations.  In 2009, 351 million passengers rode the U-Bahn. The trains operate at speeds up to 80 km/h.

Except for the lines U5 and U6, all lines operate completely below ground. U5 only comes above ground at the south terminus Neuperlach-Süd, U6 on the northern section from Studentenstadt (except Garching and Garching-Forschungszentrums stations and tunnels).