Berlin is set to open a new S-Bahn connection.
The long‑awaited S15, connecting the Gesundbrunnen and Wedding S-Bahn stations with Berlin’s main station (Hauptbahnhof) through a newly built underground platform beneath Invalidenstraße, is scheduled to begin regular service on March 30th.
For some Berliners, the city's newest and shortest S-Bahn line will open up a useful new connection, for others it might be seen as an expensive reminder that the city continues to build solutions for tomorrow on decisions made decades ago.
Who benefits from the new line?
For some residents in west Berlin, the opening of the S15 will be immediately useful as it opens up a direct connection from Hauptbahnhof to Gesundbrunnen and Wedding, something the central station has lacked since it opened.
This also helps people in the northwest of the city get to the airport. Since December last year, the FEX airport express has no longer stopped at Gesundbrunnen. With the S15, passengers coming from Gesundbrunnen can directly connect to airport connections from the central station.
READ ALSO: 'Dresdner Bahn' opening improves railway connections to Berlin airport
The S15 will terminate at track 22 of a newly built underground platform at Berlin's main station. A larger, more central S‑Bahn station is planned further south under Europaplatz, but for now passengers will be using an interim platform.
The S15 is scheduled to run every 10 minutes during the day, using four‑car trains.
Will the new line open on time?
The connection is planned to open on March 30th.
The timetable has already appeared in journey planners, trial operations are scheduled and a historic museum train is due to carry passengers along the route on March 29th – the day before the regular service is set to begin.
Deutsche Bahn won't officially confirm the start date until final technical approval is granted, in a decision expected around March 16th.
The S15's opening had previously been postponed on multiple occasions. Earlier delays were attributed to issues ranging from emergency power supplies and smoke extraction systems to changing safety standards.
From S15 to S21
The S15 is designed to form part of a larger north–south S‑Bahn corridor.
Known as the S21, the ultimate plan is to connect the north and south of Berlin with a direct line between Wedding and Yorckstrasse via Hauptbahnhof, Potsdamer Platz and Gleisdreieck, as well as a new station in Mitte (Perlerberger Brücke).
The next construction phase will extend the line from the main station to Potsdamer Platz. Deutsche Bahn is currently aiming to have the line operational in 2036.
In the third construction phase, the plan is to continue from Potsdamer Platz via Gleisdreieck to the Yorckstraße and Yorckstraße Großgörschenstraße stations - potentially by 2037.
READ ALSO: 12 Berlin travel hacks to make your trip unforgettable
Decades in the making
A north–south S‑Bahn project for Berlin has been under discussion since 1992. Construction on this initial section began in 2010 and was originally meant to be completed by 2017.
The reasons given for the delays were manifold: approval issues, changes to safety standards, problems with emergency power supplies, additional technical requirements, shortages of skilled labour and the need to redo work.
Comments