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Restrictions for weeks: Berlin’s central S-Bahn lines close for construction

Commuters in Berlin will need to navigate around the city's most popular S-Bahn lines for weeks. Visitors stopping by the capital on their summer vacation will also be affected.

Published: 17 July 2024 10:02 CEST
Berlin stadtbahn
An S-bahn train on the city's central Stadtbahn line is seen leaving from Hauptbahnhof. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Soeren Stache

A section of Berlin’s S-Bahn – the city’s busiest central train line – closed on Wednesday for construction works expected to last two weeks.

This initial closure is scheduled to last until July 29th, with no above-ground S-Bahn trains running between Alexanderplatz and Tiergarten during this time.

A handful of the capital’s main lines are affected: S3, S5, S7, S75, S9.

The same routes will remain closed between Friedrichstraße and Tiergarten until August 7th.

Then between August 7th and September 4th, the section between Friedrichstraße and Zoologischer Garten will remain partially closed, with just one train passing through this section of track every 20 minutes.

The closure will have significant impacts on daily commuters and visiting tourists alike, as the repairs are set to last through Germany’s summer vacation period.

Replacement services

A rail replacement bus service will be running – first from Alexanderplatz and Zoologischer Garten, and then from Friedrichstraße and Zoologischer Garten – during the closures.

But you can also try switching to a regional train on the same section.

The regional lines are not affected by the construction work. Options include: RE1, RE2, RE7, RE8 and RB 23.

Keep in mind that regional trains don’t stop at every station that S-bahn trains stop at. On the affected section, regional trains only stop at the larger stations of Alexanderplatz, Friedrichstraße, Hauptbahnhof and Zoologischer Garten.

READ ALSO: How travelling on German trains has become a nightmare for foreigners

Between Alexanderplatz and Hauptbahnhof, passengers can also take the underground U5 line. Or between Alexanderplatz and Zoologischer Garten, you can take the U2. 

For those crossing the city centre completely – from Ostkreuz and Westkreuz – you’d be best served sticking to the Ringbahn lines S41 and S42.

What’s happening on the tracks?

Being one of the busiest railway lines in the capital, Berlin’s S-Bahn requires renovation work regularly, much of which is carried out during school holidays. 

Long-distance and regional trains were paused on the same section of track this past spring. Now Deutsche Bahn needs to repair parts of the S-Bahn line.

DB is renewing fastening points on the line, and replacing some sound absorbers and joint transitions on the bridges near the main station.

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TRAIN TRAVEL

Which German train routes are affected by France arson attacks?

A series of coordinated arson attacks have paralysed the French rail network on the opening day of the Olympics. Here's how passengers in Germany are affected.

Published: 26 July 2024 13:19 CEST
Which German train routes are affected by France arson attacks?

France’s high-speed rail network was hit by a series of “connected” arson attacks on Friday that severely disrupted the transport system hours before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.

Some 800,000 passengers have been affected, train operator SNCF revealed.

“This is a massive attack on a large scale to paralyse the TGV network,” SNCF told AFP, adding that many routes would have to be cancelled and the situation would last, “at least all weekend while repairs are conducted”.

The attacks not only affect those travelling to Paris for the Olympics, but also Parisian holidaymakers trying to leave the city on one of the busiest summer weekends. 

In Germany, the impact has also been felt on cross-border routes in the southwestern states of Rhineland Palatinate and Baden-Württemberg. 

READ ALSO: What are my rights if a train is delayed or cancelled in Germany?

Speaking to SWR on Friday, a Deutsche Bahn spokesperson revealed that all express train connections from Germany to France had also been badly affected.

DB is in “close dialogue” with their French colleagues at SNCF, they added. 

Here are the lines affected as of early afternoon on Friday: 

Stuttgart – Karlsruhe – Paris: The ICE and TGV connections between Stuttgart and Paris via Karlsruhe are severely delayed. Travellers can currently expect delays of up to one hour. According to Deutsche Bahn’s traffic information, at least two connections between Stuttgart and Paris are cancelled.
Mannheim – Karlsruhe – Paris: The connections here are significantly delayed.
Mannheim – Kaiserslautern – Paris: According to Deutsche Bahn, this TGV and ICE connection will be completely cancelled on Friday.

According to Deutsche Bahn, there are delays and cancellations on these western routes because the trains in France will have to be rerouted large distances. However, the rail operator doesn’t expect there to be a major impact on other domestic routes in Germany.

Passengers affected can stay updated by keeping an eye on the Deutsche Bahn website and anyone with a ticket between Germany and France due to travel today can rebook free of charge. 

Could similar attacks happen in Germany?

That’s the opinion of Germany’s leading intelligence agency, the Bundesamt für Verfassungsschutz (BV), who released a statement on Friday warning of heightened threats.

According to the BV, there is a “serious risk” of attacks on critical infrastructure in Germany at present, both from hostile states and from terrorist groups.

READ ALSO: How prepared is Germany in the event of a military attack?

Recent threat analyses have shown that there are numerous vulnerabilities that could serve as gateways for attacks, BV warned. Foreign intelligence services would be well-placed to exploit these in order to carry out acts of sabotage in Germany.

While threats from hostile actors are nothing new, the risk level has increased in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine back in 2022.

Since then, there has been a significant uptick in the number of attacks – and attempted attacks – carried out in Europe and on German soil. 

For more information and the latest on the France attacks, check out our coverage on The Local France:

READ ALSO: Which services are affected by arson attacks on France’s train network?

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