Berlin Stadtbahn

This article is about the historic railway line. For the city's rapid transit system, see Berlin S-Bahn. For the light-rail system in general, see Stadtbahn.

Berlin Stadtbahn
Hackescher Markt station, with RE and S-Bahn trains
Overview
Line number6003, 6024 (DB)
LocaleBerlin
Technical
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification
Route map

Legend
from Lichtenberg / Karlshorst
0.0
 Ostbahnhof
1.1
 Jannowitzbrücke
U8
2.2
 Alexanderplatz
U2U5U8
2.9
 Hackescher Markt
Spree
Kupfergraben
4.0
 Friedrichstraße
Nord-Süd-Tunnel S1S2S25 U6
Spree
former Inner German border
5.4
 Hauptbahnhof
North–South mainline U5
Spree
7.1
 Bellevue
8.2
 Tiergarten
Landwehrkanal
9.0
 Zoologischer Garten
U2U9
10.0
 Savignyplatz
11.2
 Charlottenburg
U7
North/south curve to Ring line
to Westkreuz
Source: German railway atlas[1]

The Berlin Stadtbahn is the historic east-west elevated railway of Berlin. It runs from Ostbahnhof in the east to Charlottenburg in the west, connecting several of the most major sights of the German capital. The line is protected cultural heritage since 1995.[2] It is often defined more simply as the slightly longer route between Ostkreuz and Westkreuz, although this is not technically correct.

The line connects the city's Zoo, Bellevue Palace, snakes around the governmental district to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Friedrichstraße, crosses Museum Island[a], and moves on to Alexanderplatz (Fernsehturm) and beyond.

First completed in 1882, it spans 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) and 11 stations. 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) of its length are elevated on 731 masonry viaduct arches. A further 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of the line is situated on 64 bridges, that cross adjoining streets and (three times) the river Spree. The remaining length of the line is on an embankment.

Today it is one of the busiest tracks of railway in Germany,[3] The line carries four tracks, in two pairs. On the northern track run 4 lines of the S-Bahn, which service all 11 stations, and the southern pair of tracks are used by Regionalbahn, Regional-Express, Intercity, EuroCity and Intercity-Express. Six of the Stadtbahn stations have platforms on these tracks, although not all trains stop at all stations, depending on the class and route of the train.[1]

  1. ^ a b Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas). Schweers + Wall. 2009. pp. 128–9. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
  2. ^ Hubert Staroste. "DIE SANIERUNG DER BERLINER STADTBAHN AUS SICHT DER DENKMALPFLEGE". Heidelberg University.
  3. ^ "Drei Kilometer neue Schienen: Berliner Stadtbahn bleibt auf Jahre eine Baustelle". Der Tagesspiegel Online.


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