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| S-Bahn Berlin | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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 Berlin Friedrichstrasse railway station, crossing point for the Stadtbahn and the Nord-Süd-Tunnel routes of the Berlin S-Bahn | |||
| Overview | |||
| Locale | Berlin | ||
| Transit type | Rapid transit | ||
| Number of lines | 16[1] | ||
| Number of stations | 168[1] | ||
| Daily ridership | 1,500,000 (average weekday, December 2018)[2] | ||
| Annual ridership | 478.1 million (2018)[2] | ||
| Website | S-Bahn Berlin GmbH | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | August 8, 1924 | ||
| Operator(s) | S-Bahn Berlin GmbH | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 340 km (211 mi)[1] | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge) | ||
| Electrification | 750 V DC Third rail | ||
| Average speed | 40 km/h (25 mph) | ||
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The Berlin S-Bahn (German: [ˈɛs baːn]) is a rapid transit railway system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It has been in operation under this name since December 1930, having been previously called the special tariff area Berliner Stadt-, Ring- und Vorortbahnen ('Berlin city, orbital, and suburban railways').[1] It complements the Berlin U-Bahn and is the link to many outer-Berlin areas, such as Berlin Brandenburg Airport. As such, the Berlin S-Bahn blends elements of a commuter rail service and a rapid transit system.
In its first decades of operation, the trains were steam-drawn; even after the electrification of large parts of the network, some lines remained under steam. Today, the term S-Bahn is used in Berlin only for those lines and trains with third-rail electrical power transmission and the special Berlin S-Bahn loading gauge. The third unique technical feature of the Berlin S-Bahn, the automated mechanical train control (works very similar to the train stop at New York City Subway), is being phased out and replaced by a communications-based train control system specific to the Berlin S-Bahn.
In other parts of Germany and other German-speaking countries, other trains are designated S-Bahn without those Berlin-specific features. The Hamburg S-Bahn is the only other system using third-rail electrification.
Today, the Berlin S-Bahn is no longer defined as this special tariff area of the national railway company, but is instead just one specific means of transportation, defined by its special technical characteristics, in an area-wide tariff administered by a public transport authority. The Berlin S-Bahn is now an integral part of the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg, the regional tariff zone for all kinds of public transit in and around Berlin and the federal state (Bundesland) of Brandenburg.
- ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference
S-Bahn_Berlinwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b "Auf einen Blick – Zahlen und Fakten" (in German). S-Bahn Berlin. 31 December 2018. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 1 May 2019.