The U2 is an underground line in Nuremberg, opened on 28 January 1984. The line is about 13.1 km long and has 16 stations; the termini are Röthenbach and Flughafen. Since 2010 all trains in regular operations are run driverless.
Overview
The route begins in the southwest of Nuremberg at Röthenbach station, at the western end of a three-track parking and sweeping system, and continues east along the Schweinauer main street under the Main-Danube Canal and the southwest tangent to the stationHohe Marter. This is the longest in the Nuremberg subway network with 268 m and replaces the two abandoned tram stops Friesenstraße and Schweinau, which were formerly located at the two present-day subway exits. The route continues under Schweinauer Hauptstraße to Schweinau train station and St. Leonhard train station, which, due to its location in the middle of Schweinauer Strasse, is completely elastic so as not to give off the vibrations caused by driving to the surrounding houses. Next is the Rothenburger Straße station under the Frankenschnellweg. The last part of the route runs in a curve under the upper channel road and then leads in a right arc to the station Plärrer, where the U2 meets for the first time on the U1. After the station Plärrer the route runs under the Frauentorgraben to the station opera house. This is open to the moat, which was uncovered in the course of subway construction and designed as a pedestrian area. The route continues to the main train station, where the U2 meets the U1 for the second time, and then heads north to the Wöhrder Wiese station. Due to its location in the Pegnitzgrund, the station had to be lowered and the northern Pegnitzarm had to be incorporated into the station building, which can be seen in the lower ceiling, which extends across the entire station. The following route runs under the Laufertorgraben and rises like this to the station Rathenauplatz strong, which can be observed in the station itself, as the ceiling from the southern to the northern platform has a significant difference in height. After the Rathenauplatz station, the route initially runs under the Bayreuther Straße, turns right to the Rennweg station under the same-named street and continues under Schoppershofstraße to the Schoppershof train station. Between this and the following station Nordostbahnhof under the Leipziger Platz is located next to a track change one of the few sections of the U2, in which the two track rails together in a tunnel. In the further course under the Bessemerstraße is located in a tube together with the city-side track a parking and sweeping system and at the junction with the outer Bayreuther Straße the station Herrnhütte. Then the route leads in a narrow counter arc under housing development to the station brick under the Fritz Munkert place, at whose northern end is another parking and sweeping system. The two railway tracks are then merged and run as a single-track tunnel in a westerly direction to the terminus airport.
As early as the first U-Bahn plans which formed the basis for the decision to build an U-Bahn, an extension towards Stein was proposed. However, the problem with such an extension is the municipal border involved and local politicians in Stein have been reluctant to assume the financial burden of construction and especially the long term burden of maintenance and operation. There are also various plans for branches and an additional station on the last stretch towards the airport.
