The
Berlin is a
rapid transitA rapid transit, metro, subway, underground, or elevated railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with high capacity and frequency, and which is grade separated from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically either in underground tunnels or elevated above street level...
railway in
BerlinBerlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. With a population of 3.4 million within its city limits, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city and the eighth most populous urban area in the European Union...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, and is a major part of the
public transportPublic transport comprises passenger transportation services which are available for use by the general public, as opposed to modes for private use such as automobiles or vehicles for hire.Public transport services are usually funded by fares charged to each passenger, with varying levels of subsidy...
system of the capital. Opened in 1902, the serves
173 stations spread across nine lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground. Trains run every two to five minutes during peak hours, every five minutes for the rest of the day and every ten minutes in the evening and on Sunday. They travel 132 million km (83 million mi), carrying 400 million passengers, over the year. The entire system is maintained and operated by the , commonly known as the BVG.
Designed to alleviate traffic flowing into and out of central Berlin, the U-Bahn rapidly expanded until the city was divided into
EastEast Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a de facto part of West Germany. Despite its status as part of an occupied city,...
and
West BerlinWest Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. It was in many ways integrated with, although legally not a part of, West Germany...
at the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Although the system initially remained open to residents of both sides, the construction of the
Berlin Wall|-||-||-||-||}The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier erected by the German Democratic Republic completely encircling West Berlin, separating it from East Germany, including East Berlin. The longer inner German border demarcated the border between East and West Germany...
and the subsequent restrictions imposed by the East German government limited travel across the border: The
East BerlinEast Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a de facto part of West Germany. Despite its status as part of an occupied city,...
U-Bahn lines were severed from West Berlin; while two
West BerlinWest Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. It was in many ways integrated with, although legally not a part of, West Germany...
lines that ran through East Berlin were allowed to pass through without stopping, although the stations were closed, with the exception of
Friedrichstraße' is a railway station in the German capital Berlin. It is located on the Friedrichstraße, a major north-south street in the Mitte district of Berlin, adjacent to the point where the street crosses the Spree river. Underneath the station is the subway station Friedrichstraße.The station is...
, used as a transfer point and a border crossing into East Berlin. The system was reopened completely following the fall of the Berlin Wall, and
German reunificationGerman reunification is the process in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and Berlin was united into a single city-state. The start of this process is commonly referred to by former citizens of the GDR as die Wende...
.
As of 2007, the Berlin U-Bahn is the most extensive underground network in Germany. True to its original goal, it has been calculated that, in 2006, use of the U-Bahn amounted to the equivalent of 122.2 million km (76 million mi) of car journeys. Together with the
S-BahnThe Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, a subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn. The Berlin S-Bahn consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
, it serves as the main transportation method of the capital.
History
The construction of the Berlin U-Bahn occurred in three major phases:
- Up to 1913 – the construction of the (small profile) network in Berlin, Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, named after Queen consort Sophia Charlotte...
, SchönebergSchöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
, and WilmersdorfWilmersdorf is an inner city locality of Berlin, formerly a borough by itself but since Berlin's 2001 administrative reform a part of the new borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. In the north the Kurfürstendamm runs through the area.-History:...
;
- Up to 1930 – the introduction of the (large profile) network that established the first North-South lines;
- From 1953 on – further development after the Second World War
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Initial construction: 1896–1913
At the end of the 19th century, city planners in Berlin were looking for solutions to the increasing
trafficTraffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
problems facing the city. As potential solutions, industrialist and inventor
Werner von SiemensErnst Werner von Siemens was a German inventor and industrialist. Siemens' name has been adopted as the SI unit of electrical conductance, the siemens.-Early years:...
suggested the construction of elevated railways, while AEG proposed an underground system. Berlin city administrators feared an underground would damage the sewers, favouring an elevated railway following the path of the former city walls; however, the neighbouring city of Charlottenburg did not share Berlin's fears, and disliked the idea of an elevated railway running along Tauentzienstraße. Years of negotiations followed until, on 10 September 1896, work began on a mostly-elevated railway to run between
Stralauer TorStralauer Tor was a Berlin U-Bahn station on the eastern bank of the River Spree between Warschauer Straße and Schlesisches Tor stations on today's U1. Built on the eastern part of the Oberbaumbrücke viaduct, it was completely destroyed in World War II, and not rebuilt...
and Zoologischer Garten, with a short spur to Potsdamer Platz. Known as the "", the route was inaugurated on 15 February, 1902, to immediate popularity. Before the year ended, the railway had been extended: by 17 August, east to Warschauer Brücke (Warschauer Straße); and, by 14 December, west to Knie (
Ernst-Reuter-PlatzErnst-Reuter-Platz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the in Charlottenburg, near the Technical University.The station designed by Alfred Grenander opened on 14 December 1902 as the western terminus of the first Berlin U-Bahn line to Warschauer Brücke...
).
Charlottenburg extended the line further westwards: by 1906, it had reached the town hall at Wilhelmplatz (
Richard-Wagner-PlatzRichard-Wagner-Platz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the in the Charlottenburg district.The original station opened on May 14, 1906 under the name Wilhelmplatz, together with Deutsche Oper the first of several U-Bahn stations designed by Alfred Grenander...
); by 1908, Reichskanzlerplatz (
Theodor-Heuss-PlatzTheodor-Heuss-Platz is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Westend district on the line.When the station first opened on March 29, 1908 it was named Reichskanzlerplatz after the eponymous square laid out between 1904 and 1908, referring to the office of Chancellor of Germany and its...
); and, by 3 November 1912, Sportpark (
Olympia-StadionOlympia-Stadion is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the . It serves Berlin's Olympic Stadium, where football matches and other events are regularly held....
). In Berlin's city centre, Potsdamer Platz was disconnected—to be replaced by Leipziger Platz (Potsdamer Platz)—to allow an extension to the spur. The line underneath Leipziger Straße to Spittelmarkt opened in 1908; it was extended to Alexanderplatz by July 1913, with the Wilhelmplatz–Alexanderplatz route swiftly become the most popular of the Berlin U-Bahn. Three-and-a-half weeks later, on 27 July 1913, the northern extension to the S-bahn station (
Schönhauser AlleeSchönhauser Allee is a railway station in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin. It is located on the Berlin U-Bahn line and also on the Ringbahn ....
) on Nordring was also opened.
In a bid to secure its own improvement, Schöneberg also wanted a connection to Berlin. The elevated railway company did not believe such a line would be profitable, so the city took it upon itself to build the first local underground in Germany. Running as a subsurface railway from Hauptstraße, the 2.9 km (1.8 mi) line needed a second, underground station at its
NollendorfplatzNollendorfplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , the , and the . It opened in 1902 and today is the only station in Berlin that is served by four metro lines....
terminus, since the established station there was part of the elevated railway. The line took two years to construct; it was opened on 1 December 1910.
Just a few months earlier, work began on a fourth line to link Wilmersdorf in the south-west to the growing Berlin U-Bahn. Originally planned as a line from
WittenbergplatzWittenbergplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , and the . The station lies in the northwestern corner of Schöneberg.It is one of the oldest U-Bahn stations in Berlin, opened on March 11, 1902, with a most remarkable entrance hall built according to plans of Alfred Grenander in 1913...
to
BreitenbachplatzBreitenbachplatz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located in the Dahlem district on the .It opened on October 12, 1913. At this occasion the station and the eponymous square were named after Minister of State Paul von Breitenbach....
, Wilmersdorf paid for the line to reach as far as
ThielplatzThielplatz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located in the Dahlem district on the .It was opened on October 12, 1913 and until 1929 was the southwestern terminus of the line. Across the street are the campus of the Free University and the Fritz Haber Institute of the der Max Planck Society....
. As a concession to Charlottenburg for travelling through the city, the construction of a track from Wittenbergplatz, under the
KurfürstendammThe Kurfürstendamm, known locally as the Ku'damm, is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former Kurfürsten of Brandenburg. This very broad, long boulevard can be considered the Champs-Élysées of Berlin — full of shops, houses, hotels and restaurants...
, to
UhlandstraßeThe underground station Uhlandstraße is the western terminus of U1 line, which is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network in Germany.The station opened on October 12, 1913 as the first section of a metro line connecting Wittenbergplatz with Berlin-Halensee railway station which then has never been built...
was also agreed upon. Both lines were opened on 12 October 1913; these were the last to open before the outbreak of
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
—and the subsequent economic difficulties faced by Germany—that prevented any further additions to the Berlin U-Bahn for ten years.
Second construction phase: 1923–1930
The early network ran mostly east to west, connecting the richer areas in and around Berlin, as these routes had been deemed the most profitable. In order to open up the network to more of the workers of Berlin, the city wanted north-south lines to be established. Its wishes were strengthened when, in 1920, the surrounding areas were annexed in the formation of Groß-Berlin (
Greater Berlin), removing the need for many negotiations, and giving the city much greater bargaining power over the private (
elevated railway company). The city also mandated that new lines would use wider carriages—running on the same, standard-gauge track—to provide greater passenger capacity; these became known as the Großprofil (
large profile) network.
Construction of the (
North-South line)—to connect
WeddingWedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
in the north to
TempelhofTempelhof is an area in Berlin within the borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg. It is the location of Tempelhof International Airport. Tempelhof is in the southern part of the city.-History:...
and
NeuköllnNeukölln is the eighth borough of Berlin, located in the southeastern part of the city. It features many Gründerzeit buildings and has one of the highest percentage of immigrants in Berlin....
in the south—had started in December 1912, but halted for the
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. Work resumed in 1919, although the money shortage caused by
hyperinflationIn economics, hyperinflation is inflation that is very high or "out of control", a condition in which prices increase rapidly as a currency loses its value....
slowed progress considerably. On 30 January 1923, the first section—between
Hallesches TorThe underground station Hallesches Tor is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network at the intersection of the east-west bound U1 and the north-south bound U6 in the Kreuzberg district...
and Stettiner Bahnhof (
Zinnowitzer StraßeZinnowitzer Straße is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
)—opened, with the continuation to
SeestraßeSeestraße is a station in the Wedding district of Berlin which serves the and is operated by the BVG. It lies at the busy intersection of Müllerstraße and Seestraße, which are two of Wedding's principle shopping streets and thoroughfares....
following two months later. Desperately underfunded, the new line had to use trains from the old Kleinprofil network; the carriages were widened to reach the platforms with wooden boards that passengers jokingly referred to as
Blumenbretter (
flower boards). The line branched at Belle-Alliance-Straße (
MehringdammMehringdamm is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and the ....
): the continuation south to
TempelhofTempelhof is a railway station in the district of Berlin with the same name. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , and and the U-Bahn line ....
opened on 22 December 1929; the branch to
GrenzalleeGrenzallee is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the U7.- External links :* * * *...
, 21 December 1930.
In 1912, plans were approved for AEG to build its own north-south underground line. Named the after its termini, it would connect Gesundbrunnen and Neukölln, via Alexanderplatz. Financial difficulties stopped the construction in 1919; the liquidation of AEG-Schnellbahn-AG, and Berlin's commitment to the Nord-Süd-Bahn, prevented any further development until 1926. The first section opened on 17 July 1927 between
BoddinstraßeBoddinstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
and
SchönleinstraßeSchönleinstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
, with the intermediate
HermannplatzHermannplatz is a station in the Neukölln district of Berlin which serves as an interchange between the lines and . Operated by the BVG, it is one of the busiest stations on the Berlin U-Bahn system....
becoming the first station at which passengers could transfer between two different Großprofil lines. Sections to the north, which required the relocation of
Kottbusser TorKottbusser Tor is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and . Many Berliners endearingly call it Kotti.It is located in central Kreuzberg. The area has a bad reputation for the relatively high, mainly drug-related crime rate, instances of which have recently become quite rare in most other parts...
, opened in stages. The completed route—from Gesundbrunnen to
LeinestraßeLeinestrasse is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
—opened on 18 April 1930.
Before control of the U-Bahn network was handed over completely to the BVG in 1929, the Hochbahngesellschaft started construction on a final line that, in contrast to its previous lines, was built as part of the Großprofil network. The E line would run under Frankfurter Allee—for which the company had received the concession in 1914—between Alexanderplatz and
FriedrichsfeldeFriedrichsfelde is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
. The construction work proceeded easily and without much expense, and established the first workshop in the east of the city; the line opened on 21 December 1930. The 1920s also saw a few other short extensions to U-Bahn lines, bringing the total track length to .
| 1931 Berlin U-Bahn routes |
| Kleinprofil network |
|
Großprofil network |
| AI |
Pankow (Vinetastraße) Vinetastraße is an Berlin U-Bahn station in the Pankow district, located on the . Likewise the eponymous street it is named after the legendary town of Vineta at the Baltic Sea. The station opened in 1930 and for decades was the northern terminus of the U2, until the line was enlarged toward the...
– RuhlebenRuhleben is an Berlin U-Bahn station in Westend. It is the western terminus of the .The station designed by Alfred Grenander opened on December 22, 1929. Plans to lengthen the U2 toward Spandau had never been carried out and became obsolete after the construction of the in 1984....
|
CI |
Seestraße Seestraße is a station in the Wedding district of Berlin which serves the and is operated by the BVG. It lies at the busy intersection of Müllerstraße and Seestraße, which are two of Wedding's principle shopping streets and thoroughfares....
– GrenzalleeGrenzallee is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the U7.- External links :* * * *...
|
| AII |
Pankow (Vinetastraße) Vinetastraße is an Berlin U-Bahn station in the Pankow district, located on the . Likewise the eponymous street it is named after the legendary town of Vineta at the Baltic Sea. The station opened in 1930 and for decades was the northern terminus of the U2, until the line was enlarged toward the...
– Krumme LankeKrumme Lanke is an Berlin U-Bahn station on the . It is the line's southwestern terminus, located in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin.The station, named after a nearby lake in the Grunewald forest, opened on December 22, 1929...
|
CII |
Seestraße Seestraße is a station in the Wedding district of Berlin which serves the and is operated by the BVG. It lies at the busy intersection of Müllerstraße and Seestraße, which are two of Wedding's principle shopping streets and thoroughfares....
– TempelhofTempelhof is a railway station in the district of Berlin with the same name. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , and and the U-Bahn line ....
|
| AIII |
Städtische Oper Deutsche Oper is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Charlottenburg district on the line. It is named after the Deutsche Oper Berlin....
– WilhelmplatzRichard-Wagner-Platz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the in the Charlottenburg district.The original station opened on May 14, 1906 under the name Wilhelmplatz, together with Deutsche Oper the first of several U-Bahn stations designed by Alfred Grenander...
|
D |
Gesundbrunnen – Leinestraße Leinestrasse is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
|
| BI |
Warschauer Brücke – Hauptstraße |
E |
Alexanderplatz – Friedrichsfelde Friedrichsfelde is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
|
| BII |
Warschauer Brücke – Uhlandstraße The underground station Uhlandstraße is the western terminus of U1 line, which is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network in Germany.The station opened on October 12, 1913 as the first section of a metro line connecting Wittenbergplatz with Berlin-Halensee railway station which then has never been built...
|
|
National Socialism and the Second World War: 1933–1945
The seizure of power by the National Socialists brought many changes that affected Germany, including the U-Bahn. Most remarkably, the national flag was hung in every station, and two of the stations were renamed:
ReichskanzlerplatzTheodor-Heuss-Platz is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Westend district on the line.When the station first opened on March 29, 1908 it was named Reichskanzlerplatz after the eponymous square laid out between 1904 and 1908, referring to the office of Chancellor of Germany and its...
became
Adolf-HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , popularly known as the Nazi Party...
-Platz on 24 April 1933; and
Schönhauser TorRosa-Luxemburg-Platz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the U2. It was formerly called Schönhauser Tor and is located at the foot of Schönhauser Allee, at the corner of Torstraße....
became
Horst-WesselHorst Ludwig Wessel was a German Nazi activist who was made a posthumous hero of the Nazi movement following his violent death in 1930...
-Platz on 1 May 1934. Extensive plans—mostly the work of architect
Albert SpeerAlbert Speer was a German architect who was, for part of World War II, Minister of Armaments and War Production for the Third Reich. Speer was Adolf Hitler's chief architect before assuming ministerial office...
—were drawn up that included the construction of a circular line crossing the established U-Bahn lines, and new lines or extensions to many outlying districts. Despite such grand plans, no U-Bahn development occurred.
During the
Second World WarWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, U-Bahn travel soared as car use fell, and many of the underground stations were used as
air-raid shelterAir-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
s; however,
AlliedThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . The involvement of the Allies in World War II was either natural and inevitable they were invaded or under the direct threat of invasion by the Axis or compelled by concerns that the Axis powers...
bombs damaged or destroyed large parts of the U-Bahn system. Although the damage was usually repaired fairly quickly, the reconstructions became more difficult as the war went on. Eventually, on 25 April 1945, the whole system ground to a halt when the power station supplying the network failed. A week later, the network endured its worst disaster after the North-South S-Bahn tunnel was flooded on Hitler's orders to prevent its use by the Red Army. At
Friedrichstraße' is a railway station in the German capital Berlin. It is located on the Friedrichstraße, a major north-south street in the Mitte district of Berlin, adjacent to the point where the street crosses the Spree river. Underneath the station is the subway station Friedrichstraße.The station is...
, the water poured into the underground tunnels, flooding of the U-Bahn. Countless individuals hiding in the underground shelters were drowned as a result.
East and West: 1945–1989
The war had damaged or destroyed much of the network; however, of track and 93 stations were in use by the end of 1945, and the reconstruction was completed in 1950. Nevertheless, the consequent division of Berlin into
EastEast Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a de facto part of West Germany. Despite its status as part of an occupied city,...
and
WestWest Berlin was the name given to the western part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors established in 1945. It was in many ways integrated with, although legally not a part of, West Germany...
sectors brought further changes to the U-Bahn. Although the network spanned all sectors, and residents had freedom of movement, West Berliners increasingly avoided the Soviet sector and, from 1953, loudspeakers on the trains gave warnings when approaching the border. Passage of East Germans into the Western sectors also became subject to restrictions imposed by their government.
Between 1953 and 1955, the 200-Kilometre-Plan was drawn up, detailing the future development of the U-Bahn, which would ultimately grow to . Extending the C line to run from
TegelAlt-Tegel is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
to
Alt-MariendorfAlt-Mariendorf is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the line. It serves as the current southern terminus of the line. It was opened in 1966....
was considered the highest priority: the northern extension to Tegel was opened on 31 May 1958. In order to circumvent East Berlin, and provide rapid-transport connections to the densely poulated areas in
SteglitzSteglitz is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in the south-west of Berlin, the capital of Germany. The locality also includes the neighbourhood of Südende.-History:...
,
WeddingWedding is a locality in the borough of Mitte, Berlin, Germany and was a separate borough in the north-western inner city until it was fused with Tiergarten and Mitte in Berlin's 2001 administrative reform...
, and
ReinickendorfReinickendorf is the twelfth borough of Berlin. It encompasses the northwest of the city area, including the Berlin-Tegel Airport, Lake Tegel, spacious settlements of detached houses as well as housing estates like Märkisches Viertel.-Subdivision:...
, a third north–south line was needed. The first section of line G was built between
LeopoldplatzLeopoldplatz is a station in the Wedding district of Berlin which serves as an interchange between the lines and . It is operated by the BVG....
and
SpichernstraßeSpichernstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and the in the Wilmersdorf district.It opened on August 28, 1961 as southern terminus of the new U9 line where it crossed the U3 . As there had been no stop of the U3 at this place, the newly built station replaced Nürnberger Platz a few...
, with the intention of extending it at both ends. It had been planned to open the G line on 2 September 1961, but an earlier opening on 28 August was forced by the announcement of the construction of the
Berlin Wall|-||-||-||-||}The Berlin Wall was a physical barrier erected by the German Democratic Republic completely encircling West Berlin, separating it from East Germany, including East Berlin. The longer inner German border demarcated the border between East and West Germany...
.
The physical division of the city cut the A line in half, and shortened the B line by one stop, since the Warschauer Brücke terminal lay in East Berlin, which retained only the eastern half of the A line, and line E. West Berlin paid an annual fee of DM20 million to permit trains on the C and D lines to run through eastern territory, although the trains were not allowed to stop on their way: the former stops became (
ghost stations), patrolled by armed East-German border guards. Only at
Friedrichstraße' is a railway station in the German capital Berlin. It is located on the Friedrichstraße, a major north-south street in the Mitte district of Berlin, adjacent to the point where the street crosses the Spree river. Underneath the station is the subway station Friedrichstraße.The station is...
, a designated border crossing point, were passengers allowed to disembark. A further consequence of the Wall was that West Berliners, unwilling to help fund the Soviet-dominated state, boycotted the East-German-controlled
S-BahnThe Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, a subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn. The Berlin S-Bahn consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
, transferring instead to the U-Bahn.
In West Berlin, housing developments in
BritzBritz is a locality within the Berlin borough of Neukölln. The former village was incorporated by the 1920 Greater Berlin Act. It is known for being the site of the Hufeisensiedlung , part of the UNESCO Berlin Modernism Housing Estates World Heritage Site since 2008.- Sights :*Village church with...
and Rudow demanded an extension to the CI line. The
GrenzalleeGrenzallee is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the U7.- External links :* * * *...
to
Britz-SüdBritz-Süd is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
connection opened on 28 September 1963. Guidelines for underground development stipulated that all lines should be linear, with no branches. Thus the extension in the opposite direction from
MehringdammMehringdamm is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and the ....
to
MöckernbrückeMöckernbrücke is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn network in the western Kreuzberg district, named after a nearby bridge crossing the Landwehrkanal. It is on the and on lines, in the vicinity of Potsdamer Platz....
established a new line: H. "Line H" would never be used, however, as its opening on 28 February 1966 coincided with the redesignation of all lines in West Berlin. The new line was named U7, and the
TempelhofTempelhof is a railway station in the district of Berlin with the same name. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , and and the U-Bahn line ....
to
Alt-MariendorfAlt-Mariendorf is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the line. It serves as the current southern terminus of the line. It was opened in 1966....
section—opened the same day—completed the newly-designated U6.
| 1966 U-Bahn line redesignations |
| Kleinprofil network |
|
Großprofil network |
| BI |
→ |
U1 |
Schlesisches Tor Schlesisches Tor is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .It is located in eastern Kreuzberg, near the Oberbaumbrücke, in the Bohème quarter commonly known as SO 36 . The station is named after one of the southern city gates, the road that ran through it lead to Silesia.The station opened on...
– RuhlebenRuhleben is an Berlin U-Bahn station in Westend. It is the western terminus of the .The station designed by Alfred Grenander opened on December 22, 1929. Plans to lengthen the U2 toward Spandau had never been carried out and became obsolete after the construction of the in 1984....
|
CII |
→ |
U6 |
Tegel Alt-Tegel is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
– Alt-MariendorfAlt-Mariendorf is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the line. It serves as the current southern terminus of the line. It was opened in 1966....
|
| AII |
→ |
U2 |
Gleisdreieck Gleisdreieck is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on a viaduct on the and the .The station's name means "railway triangle" or wye in English and marks the spot of an earlier major train hub, where the three branches of the first Stammstrecke U-Bahn line opened in 1902 met. A major accident at the...
– Krumme LankeKrumme Lanke is an Berlin U-Bahn station on the . It is the line's southwestern terminus, located in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin.The station, named after a nearby lake in the Grunewald forest, opened on December 22, 1929...
|
CI |
→ |
U7 |
Möckernbrücke Möckernbrücke is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn network in the western Kreuzberg district, named after a nearby bridge crossing the Landwehrkanal. It is on the and on lines, in the vicinity of Potsdamer Platz....
– Britz-SüdBritz-Süd is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
|
| BIV |
→ |
U3 |
Wittenbergplatz Wittenbergplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , and the . The station lies in the northwestern corner of Schöneberg.It is one of the oldest U-Bahn stations in Berlin, opened on March 11, 1902, with a most remarkable entrance hall built according to plans of Alfred Grenander in 1913...
– UhlandstraßeThe underground station Uhlandstraße is the western terminus of U1 line, which is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network in Germany.The station opened on October 12, 1913 as the first section of a metro line connecting Wittenbergplatz with Berlin-Halensee railway station which then has never been built...
|
D |
→ |
U8 |
Gesundbrunnen – Leinestraße Leinestrasse is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
|
| BIII |
→ |
U4 |
Nollendorfplatz Nollendorfplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , the , and the . It opened in 1902 and today is the only station in Berlin that is served by four metro lines....
– Innsbrucker Platz |
G |
→ |
U9 |
Leopoldplatz Leopoldplatz is a station in the Wedding district of Berlin which serves as an interchange between the lines and . It is operated by the BVG....
– SpichernstraßeSpichernstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and the in the Wilmersdorf district.It opened on August 28, 1961 as southern terminus of the new U9 line where it crossed the U3 . As there had been no stop of the U3 at this place, the newly built station replaced Nürnberger Platz a few...
|
| AIII |
→ |
U5 |
Deutsche Oper Deutsche Oper is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Charlottenburg district on the line. It is named after the Deutsche Oper Berlin....
– Richard-Wagner-PlatzRichard-Wagner-Platz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the in the Charlottenburg district.The original station opened on May 14, 1906 under the name Wilhelmplatz, together with Deutsche Oper the first of several U-Bahn stations designed by Alfred Grenander...
|
|
Funds from the economically-successful
West-GermanWest Germany is a common English name for the period of the Federal Republic of Germany between its' formation in May 1949 to German reunification in October 1990, when the German Democratic Republic was dissolved and the five states on its territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany,...
capital,
BonnBonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 20 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990...
, to West Berlin were plentiful, allowing major expansions to U-Bahn lines: the U9, from
Rathaus SteglitzBerlin Rathaus Steglitz is a railway station in the district of Steglitz in Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn, Berlin U-Bahn and numerous local bus lines.-External links:*...
to
Osloer StraßeOsloer Straße is an Berlin U-Bahn station in the Gesundbrunnen district, located on the and . Like the eponymous street it is named after the City of Oslo....
was opened on 30 April 1976; the U7 was further extended in six sections until it reached Rathaus Spandau on 1 October 1984; and the U8 was extended north from Gesundbrunnen, through the newly-built Osloer Straße, to
Paracelsus-BadParacelsus-Bad is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
, which opened on 27 April 1987. In contrast, additions to the East Berlin lines were not so forthcoming. In the 1970s, the E line was extended east to
TierparkTierpark is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the . It is named for the Tierpark Berlin, one of the two zoological gardens in Berlin....
, opening on 25 June 1973. East Berliners had to wait 15 years for another extension—first to
Elsterwerdaer PlatzElsterwerdaer Platz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
, then on to
HönowHönow is an Berlin U-Bahn station and the eastern terminal of the line. It borders Hönow, a village of the Hoppegarten municipality in the state of Brandenburg....
by 1 July 1989, just a few months before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Reunification: 1989 onwards
On 9 November 1989, following months of unrest, the travel restrictions placed upon East Germans were lifted. Tens of thousands of East Berliners heard the statement live on television and flooded the border checkpoints, demanding entry into West Berlin.
JannowitzbrückeJannowitzbrücke is a railway station in the Mitte district of Berlin. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , , and and the U-Bahn line .The station named after the adjacent bridge crossing the Spree river opened on February 7, 1882 on the viaduct of the Stadtbahn railway. The hall in its present...
, a former ghost station, was reopened two days later as an additional crossing point. Other stations on the U8 soon followed suit; by 1 July 1990, all border controls were removed.
The newly renamed East Berlin U-Bahn lines—A became U2, E became U5—took more time to reconnect. The U2 between
WittenbergplatzWittenbergplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , and the . The station lies in the northwestern corner of Schöneberg.It is one of the oldest U-Bahn stations in Berlin, opened on March 11, 1902, with a most remarkable entrance hall built according to plans of Alfred Grenander in 1913...
and
MohrenstraßeMohrenstraße is an underground railway station in the German capital city of Berlin. It is part of the Berlin U-Bahn and is located on the line in the district of Mitte....
required extensive work that included removing the
M-BahnThe M-Bahn or Magnetbahn was an elevated Maglev train line operating in Berlin, Germany in 1991.The line was 1.6 km in length, and featured three stations, two of which were newly constructed. At Gleisdreieck station, the M-Bahn used an old U-Bahn platform that had been unused since the...
, rebuilding stations, reopening a tunnel, and reclaiming
NollendorfplatzNollendorfplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , the , and the . It opened in 1902 and today is the only station in Berlin that is served by four metro lines....
and
BülowstraßeBülowstraße is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the in the Schöneberg district. It opened in 1902 at the western branch of the Stammstrecke, Berlin's first U-Bahn line...
stations—which had been repurposed as a flea market, and a Turkish bazaar. The amalgamated line was finally reopened on 13 November 1993, leaving only one connection to reinstate: the U1/U15 line across the
OberbaumbrückeThe Oberbaumbrücke is a double-deck bridge crossing Berlin's River Spree, considered one of the city landmarks. It links Friedrichshain and Kreuzberg, former city districts that were divided by the Berlin Wall, and has become an important symbol of Berlin’s unity.The bridge appears prominently in...
to Warschauer Straße. Though it would take another two years, the connection was eventually re-established, after 34 years of separation, on 14 October 1995.
In the decade following reunification, only three short extensions were made to U-Bahn lines. On the U8, a northern extension from Paracelsus-Bad to
WittenauBerlin-Wittenau is a railway station in the Wittenau district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and numerous local buses...
opened on 24 September 1994 and, in the south, the Leinestraße to
HermannstraßeHermannstrasse is a railway station in the Neukölln district of Berlin. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , , and and the U-Bahn line ....
section opened on 13 July 1996. The U2 was also extended: the Vinetastraße to
PankowPankow is a station at the railway line from Berlin to Szczecin, situated in Berlin's Pankow district. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , and and is the northern terminus of the U-Bahn line ....
connection opened on 16 September 2000.
In the 1990s some stations in the eastern portion of the city still sported bullet-riddled tiles at their entrances, a result of the fighting from WWII.
The latest line to open is U55 from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Brandenburger Tor on 8 August 2009.
U-Bahn network
Routes
The U-Bahn consists of nine lines:
| Line |
Route |
Opened |
Length |
Stations |
| U1 U1 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn, which is 8.8 km long and has 13 stations. Its traditional line designation was BII. It runs east-west and its eastern end is immediately south of the route of the historical Schlesischen Bahn at the Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station and runs...
|
Uhlandstraße The underground station Uhlandstraße is the western terminus of U1 line, which is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network in Germany.The station opened on October 12, 1913 as the first section of a metro line connecting Wittenbergplatz with Berlin-Halensee railway station which then has never been built...
– Warschauer Straße |
1902–1926 |
|
13 |
U2U2 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. The U2 line starts at the Pankow urban rail station, runs through the eastern city centre to Potsdamer Platz, the western city centre and finally to the Ruhleben terminal station.The U2 has 29 stations and a length of 20.7 kilometers...
|
PankowPankow is a station at the railway line from Berlin to Szczecin, situated in Berlin's Pankow district. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , and and is the northern terminus of the U-Bahn line ....
– RuhlebenRuhleben is an Berlin U-Bahn station in Westend. It is the western terminus of the .The station designed by Alfred Grenander opened on December 22, 1929. Plans to lengthen the U2 toward Spandau had never been carried out and became obsolete after the construction of the in 1984....
|
1902–2000 |
|
29 |
| U3 U3 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn created in its current version on 12 December 2004. The routing is the same as the previous U2 until 1993, only run from Krumme Lanke to Wittenbergplatz....
|
Nollendorfplatz Nollendorfplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , the , and the . It opened in 1902 and today is the only station in Berlin that is served by four metro lines....
– Krumme LankeKrumme Lanke is an Berlin U-Bahn station on the . It is the line's southwestern terminus, located in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin.The station, named after a nearby lake in the Grunewald forest, opened on December 22, 1929...
|
1913–1929 |
|
15 |
U4The U4 is the shortest line of the Berlin U-Bahn, with a length of . It serves five stations.-History:In 1903, the then-independent town of Schöneberg, south-west of Berlin, planned to develop an underground railway line to improve public transportation. As the line promised less profit, the...
|
Nollendorfplatz Nollendorfplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , the , and the . It opened in 1902 and today is the only station in Berlin that is served by four metro lines....
– Innsbrucker PlatzInnsbrucker Platz is a railway station in the Schöneberg district of Berlin and located on the square of the same name. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , and and the U-Bahn line ....
|
1910 |
|
5 |
U5U5 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.It runs from Alexanderplatz in Mitte eastwards through Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, surfaces in Biesdorf to pass Kaulsdorf and Hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at Hönow...
|
Alexanderplatz – Hönow Hönow is an Berlin U-Bahn station and the eastern terminal of the line. It borders Hönow, a village of the Hoppegarten municipality in the state of Brandenburg....
|
1930–1989 |
|
20 |
| U55 U55 is the newest Berlin U-Bahn line, officially opened at 11:05 on August 8, 2009 . Currently, it has only three stations and does not connect to any other U-Bahn line. It was constructed as part of an extension of the U5 that was postponed due to financial difficulties...
|
Berlin Hauptbahnhof', or Berlin Central Station, is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany and the largest crossing station in Europe. It began full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is now Europe's largest two-level railway station...
– Brandenburger TorThe Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the main symbols of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city center at the intersection of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which one formerly...
|
2009 |
|
3 |
| U6 U6 is a 19.9 km-long line on the Berlin U-Bahn with 29 stations. It belongs to the Grossprofilnetz, that is larger profile rail vehicles run through its larger tunnels...
|
Alt-Tegel Alt-Tegel is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
– Alt-MariendorfAlt-Mariendorf is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the line. It serves as the current southern terminus of the line. It was opened in 1966....
|
1923–1966 |
|
29 |
U7The U7 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs completely underground for a length of , through 40 stations; and connects Spandau, via Neukölln, to Gropiusstadt and Rudow...
|
Rathaus Spandau – Rudow Rudow is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
|
1924–1984 |
|
40 |
U8U8 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.- References :...
|
WittenauBerlin-Wittenau is a railway station in the Wittenau district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and numerous local buses...
– HermannstraßeHermannstrasse is a railway station in the Neukölln district of Berlin. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , , and and the U-Bahn line ....
|
1927–1996 |
|
24 |
U9U9 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.-References:...
|
Rathaus SteglitzBerlin Rathaus Steglitz is a railway station in the district of Steglitz in Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn, Berlin U-Bahn and numerous local bus lines.-External links:*...
– Osloer StraßeOsloer Straße is an Berlin U-Bahn station in the Gesundbrunnen district, located on the and . Like the eponymous street it is named after the City of Oslo....
|
1961–1976 |
|
18 |
The pre-war U-Bahn line designations consisted of letters, with added Roman numerals in case of line branchings. This system continued to be used into the 1960s on both sides.
After the erection of the wall, East Berlin was left with line E and the eastern half of line A. This oddity and the fact that the two line network was simple to navigate anyway, caused line designations to be gradually abandoned there over the years.
West Berlin abandoned the letter based system in 1966 and replaced it by line numbers 1 through 9, the system still in place today. The shortest line in this system was line 5 which consisted of two stops only (Deutsche Oper - Richard-Wagner-Platz). It was closed in 1970, to be replaced by an extension of line 7 which opened a few years later. This move freed line number 5. West Berlin BVG then decided to reserve this line number for East Berlin's line E in case of reunification - the only line that ran exclusively in East Berlin territory and was therefore not yet covered in the new West Berlin system.
In 1984, BVG became the operator of the
West Berlin S-BahnThe Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, a subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn. The Berlin S-Bahn consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
which until then had been operated
by East Germany's
Deutsche ReichsbahnThe Deutsche Reichsbahn or DR was the operating name of state owned railways in the German Democratic Republic ....
. It incorporated the S-Bahn into its line numbering system by using the method of West German transport systems of giving new line numbers prefixed by "S" to the S-Bahn, and adding the prefix "U" to the existing U-Bahn lines. So "line 1" became "U1" etc.
After Berlin's reunification in 1990, East Berlin's line E was renumbered U5, as had been planned. At the same time, the eastern half of line A became U2 like its western counterpart, even though at the time they were not yet connected. When U2 was actually rejoined in 1993, the western branches of U1 and U2 were swapped, and the U3 disappeared from the map. What had been U3—a short shuttle line between Uhlandstraße and Wittenbergplatz—became part of the new U15, a line that in theory continued past Wittenbergplatz in parallel with U1, to Schlesisches Tor (and, when it was reopened in 1995, Warschauer Straße); in practice, particularly in off-peak hours, U15 was often operated as a shuttle identical to the old U3. In 2004, the full length of U15 was redesignated U1, and a new U3 was created from what had been the U1 west of Nollendorfplatz to Krumme Lanke. (This was the same route as the U2 until 1993, extended one station further east to Nollendorfplatz to enable trains to be reversed and to allow one-stop transfer to the U4).
Stations
Among Berlin's 173 U-Bahn stations there are many with especially striking architecture or unusual design characteristics:
HermannplatzHermannplatz is a station in the Neukölln district of Berlin which serves as an interchange between the lines and . Operated by the BVG, it is one of the busiest stations on the Berlin U-Bahn system....
station resembles something of a U-Bahn cathedral. The platform area is 7 metres high, 132 metres long and 22 metres wide. It was built in connection with the construction of the first North-South Line (
Nord-Süd-Bahn), now the U8. The architecturally important department store
KarstadtKarstädt is a municipality in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany....
adjacent to the station, was being constructed at the same time. Karstadt contributed a large sum of money towards the decoration of the station and was in return rewarded with direct access from the station to the store. Hermannplatz was also the first U-Bahn station in Berlin to be equipped with escalators. Today, Hermannplatz is a busy interchange between the U7 and U8.
Alexanderplatz station is another of the more notable U-Bahn stations in Berlin, as well as being an important interchange between three lines (U2, U5 and U8). The first part of the station was opened in 1913 along with an extension of today's U2 line. In the 1920s
Alexanderplatz' is a large public square and transport hub in the Mitte district of Berlin, near the river Spree and the Berliner Dom. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the...
itself was completely redesigned, both above and below ground. The U-Bahn station was expanded to provide access to the new D (today's U8) and E (today's U5) lines, then under construction. The result was a station with a restrained blue-grey tiled colour-scheme and Berlin's first underground shopping facilities, designed by
Alfred GrenanderAlfred Frederik Elias Grenander, , was one of the most prominent architects during the first building period of the Berlin U-Bahn in the first half of the twentieth century....
. Over the last few years Alexanderplatz station has, in stages, been restored to its former glory; the work is due to finish in 2007.
WittenbergplatzWittenbergplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , and the . The station lies in the northwestern corner of Schöneberg.It is one of the oldest U-Bahn stations in Berlin, opened on March 11, 1902, with a most remarkable entrance hall built according to plans of Alfred Grenander in 1913...
station is also very interesting. It opened in 1902 as a simple station with two side platforms, designed to plans created by Paul Wittig. The station was completely redesigned by
Alfred GrenanderAlfred Frederik Elias Grenander, , was one of the most prominent architects during the first building period of the Berlin U-Bahn in the first half of the twentieth century....
in 1912, with five platform faces, accommodating two new lines, one to
DahlemDahlem can refer to:*Dahlem , a district of Berlin, part of the borough Steglitz-Zehlendorf.*Dahlem, North Rhine-Westphalia, a municipality in western Germany.*Dahlem, Rhineland-Palatinate, a municipality in south-western Germany....
on today's (U3), and the other to Kurfürstendamm, today's
Uhlandstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)The underground station Uhlandstraße is the western terminus of U1 line, which is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network in Germany.The station opened on October 12, 1913 as the first section of a metro line connecting Wittenbergplatz with Berlin-Halensee railway station which then has never been built...
on the (U1). A provision for a sixth platform was included but has never been completed. The redesign also featured a new entrance building, which blended into the grand architectural styles of Wittenbergplatz and the nearby KaDeWe department store. The interior of the entrance building was again rebuilt after considerable war damage during World War II, this time in a contemporary 1950s' style. This lasted until the early 1980s when the interior was retro-renovated back into its original style. Wittenbergplatz station was presented with a London style "Roundel type" station sign in 1952, the 50th Anniversary of the Berlin U-Bahn. Today's station is an interchange station between the U1, U2 and U3 lines.
The name of the
GleisdreieckGleisdreieck is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on a viaduct on the and the .The station's name means "railway triangle" or wye in English and marks the spot of an earlier major train hub, where the three branches of the first Stammstrecke U-Bahn line opened in 1902 met. A major accident at the...
(rail triangle) station is still reminiscent of a construction which can only be imagined today. The wye itself was built in the opening year 1902. Plans for a redesign were made soon after, because the wye was already obsolete. An accident on September 26, 1908 which claimed 18 to 21 lives was the final straw. The redesign and expansion of the Turmbahnhof, during which the station was still used, took until 1912. After
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the station was put back into service on October 21 (lower platform), and November 18 (upper platform), 1945. However, service was interrupted again by the construction of the Berlin Wall. From 1972 onwards no trains were running on the lower platform, because servicing the U2 was no longer profitable due to the parallel traffic on the U1. The lower platform was reactivated in 1983, when the test line of the
M-BahnThe M-Bahn or Magnetbahn was an elevated Maglev train line operating in Berlin, Germany in 1991.The line was 1.6 km in length, and featured three stations, two of which were newly constructed. At Gleisdreieck station, the M-Bahn used an old U-Bahn platform that had been unused since the...
was built from the Gleisdreieck to the Kemperplatz station. It was broken down again after the fall of the Berlin Wall, since it obstructed parts of the reopened U2. Since 1993 the U1 and U2 trains both service the station once more.
Tickets
Fares Overview, from BVG.de. Current Prices and Descriptions of all ride-pass fare types.
, Berlin public transit passes are available from many places, automated and non-automated, BVG, Bahn, and third-party authorized. The Ring-Bahn Line and the other
S-BahnThe Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, a subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn. The Berlin S-Bahn consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
lines are included, as are buses, Metro-Tram and Ferries: the single ride-pass is inclusive for all transportation considered part of the Berlin-Regional public transit system.
Ride-passes (tickets) are available in fare classes: Adult and Reduced. Children between the ages of six and 14, and large dogs, qualify for the reduced fare. Children below the age of six, and small dogs, travel free. There are
no 'Senior Discounts'. Residents who have applied for and received a German Disability Identification card, showing 80% or more disability (ID's available from the Versorgungsamt, German Disability Office
http://www.google.com/search?q=versorgungsamt), can ride without a pass, including an additional person (as a helper). The disability identification card must be in the owner's possession.
Residents: With unemployment in the east averaging 15%, another common fare class in Berlin is the S(ozial)-Class. These identification cards are cleared through the normal government offices, then fulfilled at a BVG ride-pass non-automated location. Provided either the Job Center (Arbeitsamt) for the resident who is out-of-work, or for people who cannot work/partially disabled, by the Sozialamt, the S-Class ride-passes normally restrict travel to the AB zones, and must be renewed (a new pass purchased at a non-automated location) on the 1st of the month.
Additional passes are available for those which want to bring their
bicycle on the public transit. As of this writing, 4.70€ is the price of a bicycle day-pass,
this is additional to the normal ride-pass. A bicycle-pass is included in the Student-class ride-pass, which is provided through the Universities.
For small dogs, ones which can be carried in hand, there is no additional fare requirement. For each
large dog, a Reduced fare ride-pass must be purchased. Tourist Ride-passes, All-day, group passes, and season passes include a dog-fare.
BVG ride-passes are issued for specific periods of time, and most require validation with a stamping machine before they are valid for use. The validation shows the date and time of the first use, and from where the ticket was validated (in code), and therefore when the ticket expires. For example, once validated, an All-Day Pass allows unlimited use, but then expires at 3AM the following day. Unlike most other metro systems, tickets in Berlin are not checked before entering Tram-Metros, U-Bahn or S-Bahn stations. They are checked by the bus drivers upon entering. On the Metro, S-Bahn and U-Bahn, there are random spot checks inside by
plainclothes traffic officers who have the right to demand to see each passengers ticket. Passengers found without a ticket or an expired/invalid ticket are fined: 40 euro per incident. The passenger may be required to pay on the spot, and is required on the spot to give a valid address to mail the relevant fine notice to (it does not have to be in Germany). On the third incident, the BVG calls the offender to Court, as there is now a history of 'riding without paying'.
Fare zones
- Berlin is a part of the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg
The Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg is a transport association run by public transport providers in the German states of Berlin and Brandenburg. It is a private limited company owned jointly by the states of Berlin and Brandenburg and the 18 counties and cities of Brandenburg with 1.85% each...
(Berlin-Brandenburg Transit Authority, VBB), which means ticketing and fare systems are unified with that of the surrounding BrandenburgBrandenburg is one of the sixteen states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
. Berlin is divided into three fare zones, known as A, B, and C. Zone A is the area in the centre of Berlin and is demarcated by the S-Bahn urban rail ring line. Zone B covers the rest of the area within the city borders, and Zone C is the surrounding Berlin. Zone C is divided into eight parts, each belonging to an administrative district. The Potsdam-Mittelmark area is included in the city district of PotsdamPotsdam is the capital city of the German federal state of Brandenburg and is part of the Metropolitan area of Berlin/Brandenburg. It is situated on the River Havel, some 25 kilometres southwest of the centre of Berlin....
.
- Tickets can be bought for specific fare zones, or multiple zones. Most passengers who live in Berlin buy AB farezone tickets, while commuters coming in from the suburbs need ABC farezone tickets. If a ticket not valid for travel in a tariff zone is checked by a ticket inspector, the passenger is subject to a fine.
Short-term tickets
- Single-journey tickets (Einzeltickets) are issued for use within specific fare zones, namely AB, BC, and ABC. They are only valid for two hours after validation, and cannot be extended. The BVG also offers single-day tickets (Tageskarte), which are valid for the entire day when first validated until 3 a.m. the next morning.
Long-term tickets
- Long-term paper tickets are issued with validity periods of seven days (7-Tage-Karte) or one month (Monatskarten). The BVG is in the process of introducing the plastic
Plastic is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic organic amorphous solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products...
MetroCard as a yearly ticket that also has additional features. The Metrocard also permits passengers to make reservations for hire cars at specific times, for example on weekends. It is expected that plastic Metrocards without such features will be made available they are more durable and ecofriendly than the paper tickets.
Tourist passes
- The BVG offers tickets directed specifically for non-resident tourists of Berlin called the WelcomeCard and CityTourCard http://www.bvg.de/index.php/en/Bvg/Index/folder/710/name/For+Visitors. WelcomeCards are valid for either 48 or 72 hours, and can be used by one adult and up to three children between the ages of six and 14. WelcomeCards are valid in farezones ABC, and have the additional benefit of a reduction on entry fees to many museums and tourist attractions. See the Current Prices and Descriptions link for more information.
Underground facilities
A full
GSMGSM is the most popular standard for mobile phones in the world. Its promoter, the GSM Association, estimates that 80% of the global mobile market uses the standard...
(
GSM-900GSM frequency bands or frequency ranges are the cellular frequencies designated by the ITU for the operation of the GSM for mobile phones.- GSM frequency bands :There are fourteen bands defined in 3GPP TS 45.005, which succeeded 3GPP TS 05.05:...
and
GSM-1800GSM frequency bands or frequency ranges are the cellular frequencies designated by the ITU for the operation of the GSM for mobile phones.- GSM frequency bands :There are fourteen bands defined in 3GPP TS 45.005, which succeeded 3GPP TS 05.05:...
) mobile phone network for Germany's four carriers is in place throughout the U-Bahn system of stations and tunnels. This system was in place by 1995 for the
E-PlusE-Plus is a mobile telecommunications operator in Germany. With 18.0 million subscribers, E-Plus is the third largest mobile operator in Germany, after T-Mobile and Vodafone ....
network, and was one of the first metro systems to allow mobile telephone use; by the late 1990s the other networks could be used as well.
Many of the cars on the U-Bahn feature small flat screen
displaysA display device is an output device for presentation of information for visual, tactile or auditive reception, acquired, stored, or transmitted in various forms. When the input information is supplied as an electrical signal, the display is called electronic display...
that feature news headlines from
BZ, weekly weather forecasts, and ads for local businesses.
Most major interchange stations have large shopping concourses with banks, supermarkets, and fast food outlets.
Unused stations and tunnels
There are several stations, platforms and tunnels that were built in preparation for future U-Bahn extensions, as well as those that have been abandoned following planning changes. For example, platforms have already been provided for the planned "U3" at Potsdamer Platz on the planned line to Weißensee. It is unlikely that this line, which had the working title "U3" will ever be built, so the platforms have been partially converted into a location for events and exhibitions. The Line number "U3" has been subsequently used to re-number the branch to
Krumme LankeKrumme Lanke is an Berlin U-Bahn station on the . It is the line's southwestern terminus, located in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin.The station, named after a nearby lake in the Grunewald forest, opened on December 22, 1929...
, which was previously part of "U1".
Line D, today's
U8U8 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.- References :...
, was originally intended to run directly under Dresdner Straße via Oranienplatz to
Kottbusser TorKottbusser Tor is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and . Many Berliners endearingly call it Kotti.It is located in central Kreuzberg. The area has a bad reputation for the relatively high, mainly drug-related crime rate, instances of which have recently become quite rare in most other parts...
. This segment of tunnel was abandoned in favour of a slightly less direct route in order to provide the former
WertheimWertheim was one of the largest department store chains in Germany. It was founded by Georg Wertheim.The chain's most famous store, on Leipziger Platz in Berlin, was constructed in 1896. It featured 83 elevators and a glass-roofed atrium, and was one of the three largest department stores in...
department storeA department store is a retail establishment which specializes in satisfying a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
at
MoritzplatzMoritzplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
with a direct connection. This involved the construction of a 90 degree curve of the line between Moritzplatz and
Kottbusser TorKottbusser Tor is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and . Many Berliners endearingly call it Kotti.It is located in central Kreuzberg. The area has a bad reputation for the relatively high, mainly drug-related crime rate, instances of which have recently become quite rare in most other parts...
stations. The construction of the tunnel under Dresdner Straße had only been partially completed before abandonment, leaving it with only one track. This tunnel is currently separated into three parts, as it was blocked by a concrete wall where it crossed the border between East and West Berlin. Another concrete wall separates this tunnel, which now houses a
transformerA transformer is a device that transfers electrical energy from one circuit to another through inductively coupled conductors—the transformer's coils. A varying current in the first or primary winding creates a varying magnetic flux in the transformer's core, and thus a varying magnetic field...
for an electricity supplier, from the never-completed Oranienplatz Station which is located partially under the square of the same name.
Stralauer TorStralauer Tor was a Berlin U-Bahn station on the eastern bank of the River Spree between Warschauer Straße and Schlesisches Tor stations on today's U1. Built on the eastern part of the Oberbaumbrücke viaduct, it was completely destroyed in World War II, and not rebuilt...
was a station on the eastern bank of the
SpreeThe Spree is a river in Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin, Germany and in Ústí nad Labem Region, Czech Republic. It is a left tributary of the Havel river and is approximately in length....
between Warschauer Straße and
Schlesisches TorSchlesisches Tor is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .It is located in eastern Kreuzberg, near the Oberbaumbrücke, in the Bohème quarter commonly known as SO 36 . The station is named after one of the southern city gates, the road that ran through it lead to Silesia.The station opened on...
stations. It was completely destroyed in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. It had been opened in 1902 and was renamed
Osthafen in 1924. Today, only struts on the viaduct remain to indicate its location. In the post second World War period it was not thought necessary to rebuild the station, due its close proximity to Warschauer Straße station. Also its location was directly on the border between the Soviet and American sectors. Although a Berlin map dated 1946 does show the station renamed as Bersarinstraße after the Soviet General responsible for restoring civil administration of the city, this name was used later at another location.
Nürnberger Platz station was closed on July 1, 1959. It was replaced by two new stations on either side, Augsburger Straße and an interchange station to the U9 at Spichernstraße. Today, nothing remains of the station as a third track siding was constructed in its place.
Another tunnel, which once connected the U4 to its original depot and workshop at Otzenstraße (
SchönebergSchöneberg is a locality of Berlin, Germany. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a separate borough including the locality of Friedenau. Together with the former borough of Tempelhof it is now part of the new borough of Tempelhof-Schöneberg....
), is still in existence. The connection from Innsbrucker Platz station to the depot was severed when a deep level motorway underpass was constructed in the early 1970s; however, the continuation of the tunnel at Eisackstraße is still in existence for a distance of 270 metres and now ends at the former junction to the workshop of the Schöneberg line.
Platforms at five stations,
Rathaus SteglitzBerlin Rathaus Steglitz is a railway station in the district of Steglitz in Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn, Berlin U-Bahn and numerous local bus lines.-External links:*...
,
SchloßstraßeSchloßstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .With its visible concrete walls partially covered by dark blue, orange and yellow plastic panels, this station is a brilliant example of the 1970's pop-art design....
,
Walther-Schreiber-PlatzWalther-Schreiber-Platz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
, Innsbrucker Platz, and
KleistparkKleistpark is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the ....
, were provided for the planned but never constructed U10. The U10 platform at Kleistpark has been converted into office space for the BVG. At Schloßstraße, U9 and U10 were planned to share two directional platforms at different levels; currently the would-be U10 tracks are abandoned, leaving both platforms used by U9 trains only. The other U10 platforms remain unused and are not generally open to the public.
During the construction of Adenauerplatz (U7) station, which was built in conjunction with an underpass, platforms were also provided for a planned U1 extension from
UhlandstraßeThe underground station Uhlandstraße is the western terminus of U1 line, which is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network in Germany.The station opened on October 12, 1913 as the first section of a metro line connecting Wittenbergplatz with Berlin-Halensee railway station which then has never been built...
to
Theodor-Heuss-PlatzTheodor-Heuss-Platz is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Westend district on the line.When the station first opened on March 29, 1908 it was named Reichskanzlerplatz after the eponymous square laid out between 1904 and 1908, referring to the office of Chancellor of Germany and its...
. A short tunnel section was also constructed in front of the Internationale Congress Centrum (ICC), beneath the Messedamm/Neue Kantstraße junction. This tunnel was built concurrently with a pedestrian subway and was also intended for the planned extension of the U1. The tunnel section, approximately 60 metres long, ends at the location of the planned
Messe station adjacent to Berlins central bus station (ZOB). Currently, the tunnel is used as a storage area for theater props.
At Jungfernheide station, double U-Bahn platforms similar to those at Schloßstraße were built for the planned extension of the U5. The unused platform sides are fenced off. The finished (U5) tunnel section which leads off towards
TegelTegel is a locality in the Berlin borough of Reinickendorf at the shore of the Lake Tegel. The Tegel locality also includes the neighbourhood of Saatwinkel.-Historical notes:...
airport is now used for firefighting exercises.
Future development
Berlin's chronic financial problems make any expansion not mandated by the
Hauptstadtvertrag—the document that regulates the necessary changes to the city as the capital of Germany—unlikely. Furthermore, there is still great rivalry for construction money between the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. After the construction boom that followed the reunification of the city, enthusiasm for further growth has cooled off; many people feel that Berlin's needs are adequately met by the present U- and S-Bahn. As of 2007, the only proposals receiving serious consideration aim to facilitate travel around the existing system, such as moving Warschauer Straße's U-Bahn station closer to its S-Bahn station.
There are several long-term plans for the U-Bahn that have no estimated time of completion, most of which involve closing short gaps between stations, enabling them to connect to other lines. The segment between
UhlandstraßeThe underground station Uhlandstraße is the western terminus of U1 line, which is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network in Germany.The station opened on October 12, 1913 as the first section of a metro line connecting Wittenbergplatz with Berlin-Halensee railway station which then has never been built...
and
WittenbergplatzWittenbergplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station located on the , the , and the . The station lies in the northwestern corner of Schöneberg.It is one of the oldest U-Bahn stations in Berlin, opened on March 11, 1902, with a most remarkable entrance hall built according to plans of Alfred Grenander in 1913...
might be built further along the
KurfürstendammThe Kurfürstendamm, known locally as the Ku'damm, is one of the most famous avenues in Berlin. The street takes its name from the former Kurfürsten of Brandenburg. This very broad, long boulevard can be considered the Champs-Élysées of Berlin — full of shops, houses, hotels and restaurants...
to connect to the
U7The U7 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs completely underground for a length of , through 40 stations; and connects Spandau, via Neukölln, to Gropiusstadt and Rudow...
at
AdenauerplatzAdenauerplatz is an Berlin U-Bahn station on the line. It opened on April 28, 1978 with the line's extension to Richard-Wagner-Platz. The eponymous street is named after politician Konrad Adenauer....
; more ambitious plans call for this segment to be separated and expanded into its own line, running from
Theodor-Heuss-PlatzTheodor-Heuss-Platz is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Westend district on the line.When the station first opened on March 29, 1908 it was named Reichskanzlerplatz after the eponymous square laid out between 1904 and 1908, referring to the office of Chancellor of Germany and its...
on the
U2U2 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. The U2 line starts at the Pankow urban rail station, runs through the eastern city centre to Potsdamer Platz, the western city centre and finally to the Ruhleben terminal station.The U2 has 29 stations and a length of 20.7 kilometers...
, through Potsdamer Platz and Alexanderplatz, before connecting with the
S-BahnS-Bahn refers to suburban metro railways in Austria, Germany and Switzerland, and also in the Danish capital Copenhagen . The name is an abbreviation for the German 'Stadtschnellbahn' and was introduced in December 1930 in Berlin, after 'SS-Bahn' had been unofficially in use already...
at Greifswalder Straße, and ending at Weißensee. This new line was tentatively designated the U3 until December 2004.
In summary, the plans for the Berlin U-Bahn are:
U1U1 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn, which is 8.8 km long and has 13 stations. Its traditional line designation was BII. It runs east-west and its eastern end is immediately south of the route of the historical Schlesischen Bahn at the Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station and runs...
- The U1
U1 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn, which is 8.8 km long and has 13 stations. Its traditional line designation was BII. It runs east-west and its eastern end is immediately south of the route of the historical Schlesischen Bahn at the Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station and runs...
will be extended from its eastern terminus of Warschauer Straße to Frankfurter TorThe Frankfurter Tor is a grand square at Karl-Marx-Allee in Berlin. It was built in the post-war years. The two towers are in a Stalinist architectural style. The main architect was Hermann Henselmann....
on the U5U5 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.It runs from Alexanderplatz in Mitte eastwards through Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, surfaces in Biesdorf to pass Kaulsdorf and Hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at Hönow...
.
U2U2 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. The U2 line starts at the Pankow urban rail station, runs through the eastern city centre to Potsdamer Platz, the western city centre and finally to the Ruhleben terminal station.The U2 has 29 stations and a length of 20.7 kilometers...
- Following the extension of the U2
U2 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. The U2 line starts at the Pankow urban rail station, runs through the eastern city centre to Potsdamer Platz, the western city centre and finally to the Ruhleben terminal station.The U2 has 29 stations and a length of 20.7 kilometers...
to PankowPankow is a station at the railway line from Berlin to Szczecin, situated in Berlin's Pankow district. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , and and is the northern terminus of the U-Bahn line ....
in 2000, there are plans to continue on to Ossietzkyplatz. In the west, an extension is planned from RuhlebenThe Ruhleben barracks is part of the German Naval establishment located in Plön, Holstein, Germany.From 1940 to 1945 it was home to the III U-Boat Training Division . On April 22, 1945 Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz moved the headquarters of the Naval High Command there...
to the U7The U7 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs completely underground for a length of , through 40 stations; and connects Spandau, via Neukölln, to Gropiusstadt and Rudow...
terminus, Rathaus Spandau—which already has platforms for the U2.
U3U3 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn created in its current version on 12 December 2004. The routing is the same as the previous U2 until 1993, only run from Krumme Lanke to Wittenbergplatz....
- There are plans to eventually connect the U3
U3 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn created in its current version on 12 December 2004. The routing is the same as the previous U2 until 1993, only run from Krumme Lanke to Wittenbergplatz....
with the S1 S-Bahn line at MexikoplatzBerlin Mexikoplatz is a railway station in the Zehlendorf district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn line S1 and several local bus lines....
in the south-west. This is one of the most likely extensions if Berlin is ever able to solve its financial problems.
U4The U4 is the shortest line of the Berlin U-Bahn, with a length of . It serves five stations.-History:In 1903, the then-independent town of Schöneberg, south-west of Berlin, planned to develop an underground railway line to improve public transportation. As the line promised less profit, the...
- An autobahn
Autobahn is the German word for a major high-speed road restricted to motor vehicles capable of driving at least 60 km/h and having full control of access, similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries.In most countries, it usually refers to the German autobahn specifically...
underpass makes a southern extension of the U4The U4 is the shortest line of the Berlin U-Bahn, with a length of . It serves five stations.-History:In 1903, the then-independent town of Schöneberg, south-west of Berlin, planned to develop an underground railway line to improve public transportation. As the line promised less profit, the...
unfeasible; however, a possible northern extension would reach Magdeburger Platz, where it would connect with the future line from Potsdamer Platz to the Kurfürstendamm.
U5U5 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.It runs from Alexanderplatz in Mitte eastwards through Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, surfaces in Biesdorf to pass Kaulsdorf and Hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at Hönow...
and
U55U55 is the newest Berlin U-Bahn line, officially opened at 11:05 on August 8, 2009 . Currently, it has only three stations and does not connect to any other U-Bahn line. It was constructed as part of an extension of the U5 that was postponed due to financial difficulties...
- On 8 August 2009, the U55
U55 is the newest Berlin U-Bahn line, officially opened at 11:05 on August 8, 2009 . Currently, it has only three stations and does not connect to any other U-Bahn line. It was constructed as part of an extension of the U5 that was postponed due to financial difficulties...
opened, running from Berlin Hauptbahnhof', or Berlin Central Station, is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany and the largest crossing station in Europe. It began full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is now Europe's largest two-level railway station...
to Brandenburger Tor - currently known as Unter den LindenUnter den Linden is a boulevard in the center of Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is named for its linden trees that line the grassed pedestrian mall between two carriageways...
. It is a provisional line; part of a long-planned extension of the U5U5 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.It runs from Alexanderplatz in Mitte eastwards through Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, surfaces in Biesdorf to pass Kaulsdorf and Hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at Hönow...
from Alexanderplatz to the new central station. Its construction is mandated by the Hauptstadtvertrag, requiring all construction mentioned in it to be completed by 2020. The BVG expects 100,000 passengers to take the U5 extension daily.
- The U5 extension—known as the Kanzlerlinie (chancellor's line), as it will run through the government quarter—is planned to go through Berliner Rathaus, along Unter den Linden
Unter den Linden is a boulevard in the center of Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is named for its linden trees that line the grassed pedestrian mall between two carriageways...
and the Pariser Platz, terminating at Berlin Hauptbahnhof', or Berlin Central Station, is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany and the largest crossing station in Europe. It began full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is now Europe's largest two-level railway station...
. Plans to extend the U5 to TurmstraßeTurmstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the . Turmstraße features no elevator only escalator making it tricky to use for disabled people. The station is located in Tarifbereiche A....
on the U9U9 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.-References:...
, and to Jungfernheide on the U7The U7 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs completely underground for a length of , through 40 stations; and connects Spandau, via Neukölln, to Gropiusstadt and Rudow...
are considered urgent by the city government, but the extension is unlikely unless Tegel Airport is also expanded.
U6U6 is a 19.9 km-long line on the Berlin U-Bahn with 29 stations. It belongs to the Grossprofilnetz, that is larger profile rail vehicles run through its larger tunnels...
- This line is considered complete.
U7The U7 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs completely underground for a length of , through 40 stations; and connects Spandau, via Neukölln, to Gropiusstadt and Rudow...
- An extension of the U7
The U7 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs completely underground for a length of , through 40 stations; and connects Spandau, via Neukölln, to Gropiusstadt and Rudow...
to Schönefeld International Airport was long planned in conjunction with the renovation and expansion of the airport, but the line is no longer included in cost projections for the airport's enlargement, as the BVG concluded projected passenger numbers did not justify the expense. Plans see the U7 running in the north-west to Staaken.
U8U8 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.- References :...
- The U8
U8 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.- References :...
was extended in 1996 as far as HermannstraßeHermannstrasse is a railway station in the Neukölln district of Berlin. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , , and and the U-Bahn line ....
; further extensions to the south are not planned. In the north, extending to the crowded Märkisches Viertel has long been planned: construction of the station underneath the sports centre on the Senftenberger Ring has already been started. In addition, a station between Rathaus Reinickendorf and Wittenau has been structurally prepared. Named Alt-Wittenau, this station can be completed, should the need arise.
U9U9 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.-References:...
- Local residents have been waiting for an extension of the U9
U9 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn.-References:...
to Lankwitz station for years, but there are no current plans to extend the line. A northern extension of the U9 to the future Pankow Kirche U2 station has been abandoned in favour of a tramThe Berlin Straßenbahn is one of the oldest tram networks in the world and continues, to this day, to be one of the largest. It is operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe which was founded in 1929...
line.
Trains
The Berlin U-Bahn uses 750-Volt
DCDirect current is the undirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also be through...
electric trains that run on
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used rail gauge. Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
(1435 mm) tracks. The first trains were based on
tramA tram, tramcar, trolley, trolleycar, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a conventional train, designed for the transport of passengers within, close to, or between villages, towns and/or cities, on tracks running primarily on streets...
s; they have a width of , and take their power from an upward facing
third railA third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost fully...
. To accommodate greater passenger numbers without lengthening the trains—which would require costly extended platforms—trains that ran on lines built after
World War IWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
were required to be wider. The original trains and lines, which continued to operate, were designated
Kleinprofil (
small profile), and the newer, wider trains and lines were designated
Großprofil (
large profile). Großprofil trains are wide, and take their power from a downward facing
third railA third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost fully...
.
Although the two profiles are generally incompatible, Kleinprofil trains have been modified to run on Großprofil lines during two periods of economic difficulty. Between 1923 and 1927 on the Nord-Süd-Bahn, and between 1961 and 1978 on the E line, adapted Kleinprofil trains were used to compensate for the lack of new Großprofil trains: they were widened with wooden boards to reach the platforms; and had their power pickups adapted to accept power from the negatively-charged downward-facing third rail, instead of positively-charged upward-facing third rail.
As of 2007, Kleinprofil trains run on the U1, U2, U3, and U4 lines; and Großprofil trains operate on the U5, U55, U6, U7, U8, and U9 routes.
Kleinprofil (small profile)
Kleinprofil trains are wide, and high. When the U-Bahn opened in 1902, forty-two
multiple unitThe term multiple unit or MU is used to describe a self-propelling train unit capable of coupling with other units of the same or similar type and still being controlled from one cab...
s, and twenty-one
railroad carA railroad car or railway carriage is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
s, with a top speed of , had been built at the Warschauer Brücke workshop. In contrast to the earlier test vehicles, seating was placed along the walls, facing inward, which was considered more comfortable. Until 1927, U-Bahn trains had smoking compartments and third-class carriages. The trains were first updated in 1928; A-II carriages were distinguished by only having three windows, and two sliding doors.
After the division of the city, West Berlin upgraded its U-Bahn trains more rapidly than did East Berlin. The A3 type, introduced in 1960, was modelled on the Großprofil D type, and received regular modifications every few years. Meanwhile, A-I and A-II trains operated exclusively in East Berlin until 1975, when G-I trains, which had a top speed of , started to travel the Thälmannplatz–Pankow route. These were superseded in 1988 by the G-I/1 type, which used couplings that were incompatible with the older G-I carriages.
Following reunification, the A3 type was again upgraded as the A3L92, the first Kleinprofil type to use
three-phase electric powerThree-phase electric power is a common method of alternating-current electric power transmission. It is a type of polyphase system, and is the most common method used by electric power distribution grids worldwide to distribute power. It is also used to power large motors and other large loads...
. In 2000, prototypes for a Kleinprofil variant of the H series were built; the HK differs from its Großprofil counterpart by not being fully interconnected—carriages are only interconnected within each of the two half-trains.
As of 2005, only trains of the HK, G-I/1 and A3(U/L) types are in active service.
| Kleinprofil train types |
| 1901–1945 |
|
West Berlin 1945–1990 |
|
East Berlin 1945–1990 |
|
1990— |
| 1901–1904 |
A-I |
1960–1961 |
A3-60 |
1974 |
G |
1993–1995 |
A3L92 |
| 1906–1913 |
1964 |
A3-64 |
1978–1983 |
G-I |
2000— |
HK |
| 1924–1926 |
1966 |
A3-66 |
1983 |
G-II |
|
|
| 1928–1929 |
A-II |
1966 |
A3L66 |
1986–1989 |
G-I/1 |
|
|
| |
|
1967–1968 |
A3L67 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
1972–1973 |
A3L71 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
1982–1983 |
A3L82 |
|
|
|
|
Großprofil (large profile)
Großprofil trains are wide, and high. The first sixteen multiple units and eight ordinary carriages entered active service on the Nord-Süd-Bahn in 1924, after a year of using modified Kleinprofil trains. Designated B-I, the cars were long and each had three sliding doors; the large elliptical windows at the front of the train earned them the nickname,
Tunneleulen (
tunnel owls). Upgraded B-II trains were introduced in 1927, and continued to be used until 1969. The first 18-metre-long (59 ft) C-I trains were trialled in 1926, and two upgrades were produced before the end of the decade. The first U-Bahn trains to use aluminium in their construction, the C-IV types, were introduced in 1930. Many C-type trains were seized by Soviet forces in 1945, to be used in the
Moscow MetroThe Moscow Metro , which spans almost the entire Russian capital, is the world's second most heavily used rapid-transit system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations, which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art.-Description of the Metro:In...
.
The first D-type trains, manufactured in 1957, were built from steel, making them very heavy and less efficient; however, the DL type that followed from 1965 used metals that were less dense, allowing a 26% reduction in weight. In East Berlin, D-type trains bought from the BVG were designated D-I. Difficulties there in trying to develop an E series of trains led, in 1962, to the conversion of S-Bahn type 168 trains for use on the E line. These E-III trains were desperately needed at the time to allow modified Kleinprofil trains to return to the increasingly-busy A line but, following reunification, high running costs led to their retirement in 1994.
In West Berlin, the successor to the D-type was the F-type, which debuted in 1973. They varied from other models in having seats that were perpendicular to the sides of the train; from 1980, they also became the first U-Bahn trains to use three-phase electricity. In 1995, the original seating arrangement returned as the H series took up service. H-type trains are characterised by the interconnection of carriages throughout the length of the train; and they can only be removed from the tracks at main service depots.
As of 2005, only F and H-type trains are in active service.
| Großprofil train types |
| 1901–1945 |
|
West Berlin 1945–1990 |
|
East Berlin 1945–1990 |
|
1990— |
| 1923–1927 |
A-IK |
1955–1965 |
D |
1956–1957 |
E-I |
1990–1991 |
F90 |
| 1945–1968 |
1965–1966 |
DL65 |
1962–1990 |
E-III |
1992–1993 |
F92 |
| 1924–1928 |
B-I |
1968–1970 |
DL68 |
|
|
1994–1995 |
H95 |
| 1926–1927 |
C-I |
1970–1973 |
DL70 |
|
|
1998–1999 |
H98 |
| 1927–1929 |
B-II |
1973–1975 |
F74 |
|
|
2000–2002 |
H01 |
| 1929 |
C-II |
1976–1978 |
F76 |
|
|
|
|
| 1930 |
C-III |
1979–1981 |
F79 |
|
|
|
|
| 1930–1931 |
C-IV |
1984–1985 |
F84 |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
1987–1988 |
F87 |
|
|
|
|
Depots
Depots of the Berlin U-Bahn fall into one of two classes: main workshops ; and service workshops . The main workshops are the only places where trains can be lifted from the tracks; they are used for the full inspections required every few years, and for any major work on trains. The service workshops only handle minor repairs and maintenance, such as replacing windows, or removing
graffitiGraffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
.
As of 2005, the only dedicated Kleinprofil depot is at Grunewald (Hw Gru/Bw Gru), which opened on 21 January 1913. The first Großprofil depot opened at Seestraße (Hw See/Bw See) in 1923, to service the Nord-Süd-Bahn. It has 17 tracks—2 for the main workshop, and 15 for the service workshop—but its inner-city location prevents any further expansion. Due to BVG budget cuts, the Seestraße depot also services Kleinprofil trains. Two further Großprofil service workshops are located at Friedrichsfelde (Bw Fri), and Britz-Süd (Bw Britz).
In the past, there were other workshops. The first opened in 1901 at Warschauer Brücke, and was the construction site for most of the early U-Bahn trains. The division of the U-Bahn network on 13 August 1961 forced its closure, although it was reopened in 1995 as a storage depot. A small depot operated at Krumme Lanke between 22 December 1929 and 1 May 1968; and, while the network was split, East Berlin's U-Bahn used the S-Bahn depot at Schöneweide, along with a small service workshop at Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, which was closed following reunification.
Accidents
The Berlin ranks among the safest modes of transportation: its history features few accidents.
The most severe accident occurred at the original
(rail triangle), where the main and branch lines were connected by switches that allowed the tracks to cross. On 26 September, 1908, a train driver missed a stop signal. As a result, two trains collided at the junction, and one fell off the viaduct. The accident killed eighteen people, and severely injured another twenty-one. 's triangular layout had already been deemed unsuitable for future developments; this incident—and a later, less-serious one—triggered its reconstruction as a multi-level station, starting in 1912.
On 30 June 1965, a train with brake failure stopped on the G line—today's U9—between and . Unaware of the faulty train, a mechanic working at the signal tower noticed that the leaving signal had been set to 'Stop' for a long time. Thinking it should be set to 'Go', after several attempts, he manually changed the signal, in defiance of regulations that strictly prohibited such actions. The following train, which had been waiting at , then left the station on the same track. With emergency brakes unable to prevent the accident, the two trains collided. One passenger was killed in the crash, and 97 were injured. The mechanic was fined 600,000 DM.
Fires can be particularly dangerous and damaging within an underground system. In October 1972, two trains and a 200 m length of tunnel were completely destroyed when the trains caught fire; the reconstructed tunnel is clearly differentiated from the old one. Another train burned out in the connecting tunnel between Klosterstraße and Alexanderplatz in 1987. On 8 July 2000, the last car of a GI/I train suffered a short circuit, burning out at the rear of the
Deutsche Oper stationDeutsche Oper is a station of the Berlin U-Bahn located in the Charlottenburg district on the line. It is named after the Deutsche Oper Berlin....
. The single exit of the station was unreachable, forcing the passengers to run through the tunnel to reach the next emergency exit. The fire also damaged the station, which remained closed until September. The
PortuguesePortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
Ambassador, João Diogo Nunes Barata, presented the BVG with (tiled paintings), specially designed for the station, by the artist
José de GuimarãesJosé Maria Fernandes Marques, known by the pseudonym José de Guimarães is a Portuguese artist.He graduated in Engineering in 1965....
. Installation of Portugal's gift to the city was completed on 30 October 2002.
As a consequence of the Deutsche Oper incident, BVG decided to post an employee at every station with only one exit until a second exit could be built. Over the following few years, many of those stations—including Britz-Süd, Schillingstraße, Viktoria-Luise-Platz, Uhlandstraße, and Theo. Heuss Platz—were refitted with additional exits. By June 2008, the only remaining stations with no second exit, Konstanzer Straße and Rudow, had been fitted with second exits. Despite these changes, several passenger organisations—such as Pro Bahn, and IGEB—demand that stations with exits in the middle of the platform are also fitted with additional emergency exits. Many stations are built this way; meeting those demands would place a heavy financial burden on both the BVG and the city.
The U6 saw a particularly costly, though casualty-free, incident on 25 March 2003. Scheduled repair work on the line limited the normal service to between Alt-Mariendorf and
Kurt-Schumacher-PlatzKurt-Schumacher-Platz is a station on the line of the Berlin U-Bahn.There is a bus link outside the station connecting Berlin's Tegel International Airport to the U-Bahn network....
; one train then shuttled back and forth between Kurt-Schumacher-Platz and Holzhauser Straße, sharing a platform at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz with the normal-service trains departing for their return journey to Alt-Mariendorf. Needing to pass several stop signals on the shuttle service, the driver had been given special instructions how to proceed. Unfortunately, he ignored the signal at the entry to Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, and ploughed into the side of a train heading back to Alt-Mariendorf. The impact wrecked both trains, and caused considerable damage to the tracks. Normal service did not resume for two days, and the removal of the two wrecked trains—which, surprisingly, could still roll along the tracks—also took nearly 48 hours.
Films, music and merchandising
The Berlin U-Bahn has appeared in numerous
filmFilm encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. Films are produced by recording images from the world with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects....
s and
music videoA music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
s. Offering access to stations, tunnels, and trains, the BVG cooperates with film-makers, although a permit is required.
Whether set in Berlin or elsewhere, the U-Bahn has had at least a minor role in a large number of movies and television programmes, including
Emil und die Detektive (2001),
Otto – Der Film (1985),
Peng! Du bist tot (1987) featuring
Ingolf LückIngolf Lück is a German actor, comedian and television host.He hosted several sketch comedy shows from which the most known is Die Wochenshow, aired on Sat.1 between 1996 and 2002.Lück had a little role in Das Boot....
,
Run Lola RunRun Lola Run is a 1998 German thriller film written and directed by Tom Tykwer, and starring Franka Potente as Lola and Moritz Bleibtreu as Manni. The story follows a woman who needs to obtain 100,000 Deutsche Mark in 20 minutes to save her boyfriend's life.-Plot:The film begins with Lola...
(1998), and several
TatortTatort is a long-running German/Austrian, former Swiss, crime television series set in various parts of Germany and Austria. The show is broadcast on ARD in Germany and ORF in Austria. The first episode was broadcast on November 29, 1970...
episodes. The previously-unused Reichstag station was used to shoot scenes of the movies
Resident EvilResident Evil is a 2002 science fiction horror film based on the same titled series of Survival horror games developed by Capcom. Borrowing elements from the Resident Evil 1 and 2 video games, the film follows an amnesiac heroine Alice, and a band of Umbrella Corporation commandos, as they attempt...
and
Equilibrium.
Möbius 17, by Frank Esher Lämmer and Jo Preussler from Berlin, tells the story of an U-Bahn train that, caught in a
Möbius stripThe Möbius strip or Möbius band is a surface with only one side and only one boundary component. The Möbius strip has the mathematical property of being non-orientable. It is also a ruled surface...
, travels through
alternate universeParallel universe or alternative reality is a self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a multiverse, although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute physical reality...
s after a new line is built. Alexanderplatz station plays an essential role in
Berlin Alexanderplatz—a film of thirteen hour-long chapters and one epilogue—produced in 1980 by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, based on the book by Döblin. The film's scenes feature a recreation of the station as it was in 1928—rather darker and dirtier than in the 21st century. In the surrealistic two-hour epilogue, Fassbinder transforms parts of the station into a slaughterhouse where people are killed and dissected.
Since 2001, the Berlin U-bahn has hosted the annual short-film festival
Going Underground. Short films (up to 90 seconds long) are shown on the monitors found in many of the U-Bahn trains. Passengers onboard vote for the festival winner.
Sandy MöllingSandy Mölling , known professionally as Sandy, is a German singer-songwriter, dancer, television presenter and occasional actress, who rose to fame as one of the founding members of the successful all-female pop band No Angels, the "biggest-selling German girlband to date," according to the German...
, former singer of the pop band
No AngelsThe No Angels are an all-female pop group from Germany, consisting of members Nadja Benaissa, Lucy Diakovska, Sandy Mölling, and Jessica Wahls...
, shot the video for her single "Unnatural Blonde" in the U-Bahn station Deutsche Oper.
Kate RyanKate Ryan is a Belgian World Music Award winner. She began her singing career in 2001 and represented Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with "Je t'adore" coming in 12th place in the semi-final....
,
OvergroundOverground, a boy group from Germany, was the result of the third season of the international television sensation Popstars - Das Duell, a precursor to the Idol shows.- Formation :...
,
Böhse OnkelzThe Böhse Onkelz were a German rock group.-Founding in the punk scene:Böhse Onkelz started out in November 1980 in Hösbach as a punk rock band heavily inspired by bands such as Sex Pistols and the Ramones by Stephan "Der W" Weidner, Kevin Russell and Peter "Pe" Schorowsky.The name is an...
,
Xavier NaidooXavier Kurt Naidoo is a German singer and songwriter of mixed Tamil Indian South African descent, who sings in German and occasionally in English. He is known for his soulful voice and has collaborated with several famous artists such as the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, Deborah Cox and 3-P's Sabrina...
,
Die Fantastischen VierDie Fantastischen Vier , also known as Fanta 4, is a German hip hop group from Stuttgart, Germany. The members are Michael Bernd Schmidt alias Smudo, Andreas Rieke alias And.Ypsilon, Thomas Dürr alias Hausmeister Thomas D and Michael 'Michi' Beck alias Dee Jot Hausmarke. They were among the first...
, and the DJ duo
Blank & JonesBlank & Jones is a Cologne, Germany based Trance duo, consisting of the members Jan Pieter Blank , known as Piet Blank; René Runge , better known as DJ Jaspa Jones; and the producer Andy Kaufhold...
have all used the U-Bahn and its stations for their videos as well.
"Linie 1", a musical performed by Berlin's
Grips-TheaterThe Grips-Theater in Berlin, Germany is a well-known and well-respected theater for children and youth located at the Hansaplatz. There originated the popular "Linie 1" musical, the title referring to a subway line running through Berlin.-External links:...
, is set completely in stations and trains of the Berlin U-Bahn; a movie version has also been produced.
In 2002, the BVG cooperated with design students in a project to create underwear with an U-Bahn theme, which, in English, they named "Underwear". They used the names of real stations that, in the context of underwear, appeared to be mild sexual
double entendreA double entendre or adianoeta is a figure of speech in which a spoken phrase is devised to be understood in either of two ways. Often the first meaning is straightforward, while the second meaning is less so; often risqué, inappropriate, or ironic....
s: men's underpants bore labels with
Rohrdamm (pipe dam),
Onkel Toms Hütte (Uncle Tom's Cabin), and
Krumme Lanke (crooked lake); the women's had
Gleisdreieck (triangle track), and
Jungfernheide (virgin heath). After the first series sold out quickly, several others were commissioned, such as
Nothammer (
emergency hammerAn emergency hammer is a safety device used in vehicles to break through window glass in an emergency.It is a simple tool with a plastic handles and steel tip. Its primary use is for breaking through vehicle windows, which are often tempered, in the event of a crash which prevents exit through the...
), and
Pendelverkehr (shuttle service; though
Verkehr also means "intercourse" and
Pendel also means "pendulum"). They were retired from sale in 2004.
See also
- Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, a subsidiary of the Deutsche Bahn. The Berlin S-Bahn consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
- Berlin Straßenbahn
The Berlin Straßenbahn is one of the oldest tram networks in the world and continues, to this day, to be one of the largest. It is operated by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe which was founded in 1929...
- M-Bahn
The M-Bahn or Magnetbahn was an elevated Maglev train line operating in Berlin, Germany in 1991.The line was 1.6 km in length, and featured three stations, two of which were newly constructed. At Gleisdreieck station, the M-Bahn used an old U-Bahn platform that had been unused since the...
- Ghost station
Ghost stations is the usual English translation for the German word Geisterbahnhöfe. This term was used to describe certain stations on Berlin's U-Bahn and S-Bahn metro networks that were closed during the period of Berlin's division during the Cold War...
- List of rapid transit systems
External links