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The Berlin S-Bahn () is a hybrid rapid transit and suburban rail system in Berlin. The modern incarnation of the system opened in December 1930, succeeding the special fare area Berliner Stadt-, Ring- und Vorortbahnen ('Berlin city, orbital, and suburban railways'). It complements the Berlin U-Bahn and is the primary transport link to many suburban 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 doing so, it lends its name to the pan-European family of S-Bahn urban transit systems.
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 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.
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.
Services on the Berlin S-Bahn have been provided by the Prussian or German national railway company of the respective time, which means the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft after the First World War, the state-owned East German Deutsche Reichsbahn (in both East and West Berlin) until 1993 (except West Berlin from 1984 to 1994, the BVG period) and Deutsche Bahn after its incorporation in 1994.
The Berlin S-Bahn consists today of 16 lines serving 166 stations, and runs over a total route length of . The S-Bahn carried 478.1 million passengers in 2018. It is integrated with the mostly underground Berlin U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system. Unlike the U-Bahn, the S-Bahn crosses Berlin city limits into the surrounding state of Brandenburg, e.g. to Potsdam.
Although the S- and U-Bahn are part of a unified fare system, they have different operators. The S-Bahn is operated by S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, whereas the U-Bahn is run by Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), the main public transit company for the city of Berlin.
Lines S1, S2, S25, and S26 are north–south lines that use the north–south tunnel as their midsection. They were equally distributed into Oranienburg, Bernau, and Hennigsdorf in the north, and Teltow Stadt, Lichtenrade, and Wannsee.
Lines S3, S5, S7, S9, and S75 are east–west lines using the Stadtbahn cross-city railway. The western termini are located at Potsdam and Spandau, although the S5 only runs as far as Westkreuz and the S75 to italic=no. The eastern termini are Erkner, Strausberg Nord, Ahrensfelde, and Wartenberg. The S9 uses a connector curve (Südkurve) at italic=np to switch from the Stadtbahn to the south-eastern leg of the Ringbahn. Another curve, the Nordkurve to the north-eastern Ringbahn, was originally served by the S86 line, but it was demolished in preparation of the rebuilding of Ostkreuz station and was not rebuilt afterwards. Both connector curves were heavily used in the time of the Berlin Wall, as trains coming from the north-eastern routes couldn't use the West Berlin north–south route and the Southern leg of the pre- and post-Berlin Wall Ringbahn was in West Berlin.
Lines S41 and S42 continuously circle around the Ringbahn, the former clockwise, the latter anti-clockwise. Lines S45, S46, and S47 link destinations in the southeast with the southern section of the Ringbahn via the tangential link from the Görlitzer Bahn to the Ring via Köllnische Heide.
Lines S8 and S85 are north–south lines using the eastern section of the Ringbahn between italic=no and Treptower Park via Ostkreuz, using the italic=no in the South.
Formerly, there existed four curves at italic=no and italic=no allowing to go to a northern ring (Nordring) and to a southern ring (Südring) using central tracks of Stadbahn. Nordring and Südring are common terms, but never scheduled routes as separate rings. One curve of Südring at italic=no left over for internal use, the other one is mentioned connector at italic=no.
Since 9 January 1984, all the West Berlin S-Bahn routes are labelled with an "S" followed by a number. This system had been in use with other West German S-Bahn systems (such as Hamburg) for years. On 2 June 1991 this was extended to the East Berlin lines as well. Internally, the Berlin S-Bahn uses Zuggruppen (literally groups of trains) which normally run every twenty minutes (S41/S42 are an exception to this as their Zuggruppen run every 10 minutes). Some lines, e.g. the S85, are made up of only one Zuggruppe, while others, like S5, are actually multiple Zuggruppen combined. Some Zuggruppen do not run the entire line and terminate at intermediate stops. Zuggruppen are called by a Funkname (radio designator), which is derived from the German spelling alphabet. Some Funknamen are not used in regular service, such as Heinrich, Baikal, Jaguar, Gustav, or Saale (being used for special soccer service trains, usually running for fans under the line S3 between italic=no and italic=no).
| P Paula
PI Panther
PII Pastor | Wannsee | Prussian Northern Railway, Berlin-Szczecin railway, Nord-Süd-Tunnel, Wannsee Railway | |
| W Wulff WI Wespe | Blankenfelde | Berlin-Szczecin railway, Nord-Süd-Tunnel, Berlin-Dresden railway | |
| Teltow Stadt | Berlin-Lichterfelde Süd–Teltow Stadt railway, Anhalt Suburban Line, Nord-Süd-Tunnel, Berlin-Szczecin railway, Prussian Northern Railway, Kremmen Railway | ||
| Teltow Stadt | Berlin-Lichterfelde Süd–Teltow Stadt railway, Anhalt Suburban Line, Nord-Süd-Tunnel, Berlin-Szczecin railway, Prussian Northern Railway, Kremmen Railway | ||
| B Berta
BI Bussard
SI Saale (special service) | Erkner | Berlin–Wrocław railway, Berlin Stadtbahn | |
| A Anton AI Adler | Südkreuz (clockwise) | Berlin Ringbahn | |
| R Richard RI Reiher | Südkreuz (counter-clockwise) | Berlin Ringbahn | |
| ✈ Flughafen BER – Terminal 1–2 | Grünauer Kreuz–Berlin Brandenburg Airport railway, Berlin-Görlitz railway, Baumschulenweg–Neukölln link line, Berliner Ringbahn | ||
| Königs Wusterhausen | Berlin-Görlitz railway, Baumschulenweg–Neukölln link line, Berliner Ringbahn | ||
| Spindlersfeld | Schöneweide–Spindlersfeld branch line, Berlin-Görlitz railway, Baumschulenweg–Neukölln link line, Berliner Ringbahn | ||
| E Emil
EI Elster
EII Eiche (defunct) EIII Erna (late night service) | Strausberg Nord | Strausberg–Strausberg Nord railway, Prussian Eastern Railway, Berlin Stadtbahn, Spandau Suburban Line | |
| O Otto OI Olaf | Ahrensfelde | Wriezen Railway, Berlin Outer Ring, Prussian Eastern Railway, Berlin Stadtbahn, Berlin-Blankenheim railway, Berlin-Magdeburg railway | |
| T Theodor TI Tapir | Wartenberg | Berlin Outer Ring, Prussian Eastern Railway | |
| Grünau (↔ Wildau station) | Berlin-Görlitz railway, Berliner Ringbahn, Berlin-Szczecin railway, Berlin Outer Ring, Prussian Northern Railway | ||
| Schöneweide (↔ Grünau) | Berlin-Görlitz railway, Berliner Ringbahn, Prussian Northern Railway | ||
| ✈ Flughafen BER – Terminal 1–2 | Berlin Stadtbahn, Berliner Ringbahn, Berlin-Görlitz railway, Grünauer Kreuz–Berlin Brandenburg Airport railway |
Stations in brackets are serviced at certain times only (Monday through Friday during offpeak in the case of and during peak in the case of and ). only runs Monday through Friday.
Also, not every train reaches the nominal terminus of a line. For example, every other train on runs only to Frohnau, five stops before Oranienburg, and the last stop on towards Erkner which is reached by every train is Friedrichshagen. Similarly, some northbound trains terminate at Gesundbrunnen, and most trains run only to Strausberg or even Mahlsdorf, rendering Strausberg Nord the least served stop on the whole network.
The core of this network, that is the cross-city (Stadtbahn) east–west line and the circular Ringbahn, and several suburban branches were converted from steam operation to a third-rail electric railway in the latter half of the 1920s. The Wannsee railway, the suburban line with the highest number of passengers, was electrified in 1932–33. A number of suburban trains remained steam-hauled, even after the Second World War.
After building the east–west cross-city line connecting western suburban lines, which until then terminated at Charlottenburg station with eastern suburban lines which had terminated at Frankfurter Bahnhof (later Schlesischer Bahnhof), the logical next step was a north–south cross-city line connecting the northern suburban lines terminating at Stettiner Bahnhof with the southern suburban lines terminating at the subsidiary stations of the Berlin Potsdamer Bahnhof. The first ideas for this project emerged only 10 years after the completion of the east–west cross-city line, with several concrete proposals resulting from a 1909 competition held by the Berlin city administration. Another concrete proposal, already very close to the final realisation, was put forward in 1926 by Professor Jenicke of Breslau university.
Many sections of the S-Bahn were closed during the war, both through enemy action and flooding of the Nord–Süd-Bahn tunnel on 2 May 1945 during the final Battle of Berlin. The exact number of casualties is not known, but up to 200 people are presumed to have perished, since the tunnel was used as a public shelter and also served to house military wounded in trains on underground sidings. Service through the tunnel commenced again in 1947.
Before the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the Berlin S-Bahn had grown to about . On the 13 August 1961, it was the biggest turning point in the operation and network for the S-Bahn.
As relations between East and West began to sour with the coming of the Cold War, the S-Bahn had become the victim of the hostilities. Although services continued operating through all occupation sectors, checkpoints were constructed on the borders with East Berlin and on-board "customs checks" were carried out on trains. From 1958 onward, some S-Bahn trains ran non-stop through the western sectors from stations in East Berlin to stations on outlying sections in East Germany so as to avoid the need for such controls. East German government employees were then forbidden to use the S-Bahn since it travelled through West Berlin.
The construction of the Berlin Wall led to West Berlin calling for the unions and politicians to boycott the S-Bahn. Subsequently, passenger numbers fell.
However, the Berlin S-Bahn strike brought the S-Bahn to the attention of the public, and aroused the desire for West Berlin to manage its section of the S-Bahn itself. In 1983 negotiations of representatives of the Senate, the SNB and the italic=no took place. In December 1983, these were concluded with Allied consent to the agreement between the italic=no and the Berlin Senate for the transfer of operating rights of the S-Bahn in the area of West Berlin. The BVG received the oldest carriages from the DR; but the BVG was eager to quickly get to modern standards for a subway. Therefore, soon new S-Bahn trains were purchased on their behalf, which are still in use on the Berlin S-Bahn network as the 480 series.
Even before the Wall fell, there were efforts to substantial re-commissioning of the S-Bahn network in West Berlin.
Technically, a number of projects followed in the steps of re-establishing broken links in order to restore the former S-Bahn network to its 1961 status after 1990, especially the Ringbahn. In December 1997 the connection between italic=no and Treptower Park via italic=no was reopened, enabling S4 trains to run 75% of the whole ring between italic=no and italic=no. On 16 June 2002, the section italic=no – italic=no also reopened, re-establishing the Ringbahn operations.
Ringbahn –
At Grünau, construction began in 1916 and was completed in 1928. They serviced the following routes:
The connection to Spandau West became in the following years the traditional train course, which was maintained after 1945 until the building of the wall. In the 1980s, this depot made 51 daily trains for the connections using Class 485 trains.
Closed depots include:
Otherwise museum and tradition trains were primarily used – Class 165. The Viertel train Class ET/EB 167s were being built in 1938 and was converted in 1991.
With nine lines (four on the Stadtbahn and five on the Ringbahn), italic=no is one of the busiest stations on the network.
With the progress of construction work on 31 August 2009, the southern connection and platform A were decommissioned. This route had to be realigned as a result. The construction plans envisaged that the connection would be restored by 2014. After its completion, traffic will again be able to be run from the southern Ringbahn onto the Stadtbahn.
In October 2009, the new Regionalbahn station on the Ringbahn was sufficiently complete for S-Bahn trains on the Ringbahn to use it temporarily. Demolition of the Ringbahn platform could then start and the new platform, including a concourse, could be built. This was put into operation on 16 April 2012, after a 16-day track closure.
In December 2018 all the S-Bahn tracks at italic=no finished construction and were opened for regular passenger use.
Other major construction projects are planned along the route:
In 2020 the Berlin Brandenburg Airport was opened with a 9-year delay. With the opening of the airport, the S-Bahn service also began operation, which meant that the lines S45 and S9 were extended as was planned more than 10 years ago.
The line will be built in sections. In 2005, the zoning approval for the northern part of the route from the Ringbahn to italic=no was adopted. In October 2009 a loan agreement was entered into between the Senate and italic=no for the first section. This provided for total costs of €226.5 million. On 27 November 2009, the preparatory work for this phase of construction started at the Hauptbahnhof. For the underground excavation in italic=no, diaphragm walls were built into the ground and the trench in between was covered with a reinforced concrete lid.
This stage involves the construction of a curve to the italic=no and an eastern connection to italic=no inside the northern Ringbahn. Structural preparation for these junctions to these lines had already been made during the construction of the North–South mainline in 2006. From there, the existing line will run in a southerly direction (in the tunnel layer) to the italic=no east of the North–South mainline. The realization of an intermediate station under the working name of Perleberger Brücke (as a two-level station in a V-shape) is provided as an option. It was proposed to complete this 1,600-meter-long section by 2016. After construction delays caused by the inflow of groundwater, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the global supply chain crisis, the opening is planned for 2024 at the earliest.
There are currently no dates set for the other phases of construction to the southern Ringbahn. It has so far only been defined in the Berlin land use plan.
Following a decision of the Berlin House of Representatives, the goal is essentially to restore the S-Bahn network to its extent in 1961. This was stated in an agreement between italic=no, the Federal Ministry of Transport and the Senate on 4 November 1993. The network was to be restored by 2002. On this basis, the plans were included in the land use plan of 1995. In a study of the transport development by the then Department for Transport and Commerce in 1995, a plan was published for a network. Only the italic=no, italic=no and italic=no sections, which had existed until 1980, were not incorporated in these plans. This political commitment is now only symbolic as some projects are now aimed at points beyond the original destinations or to miss them entirely. Budgetary difficulties, changing traffic flows and alternative development projects using Regionalbahn trains have led to the cancellation or postponement of projects that had already been developed.
| Lines closed in 1961 | |
| Blankenfelde – Rangsdorf (via Dahlewitz) | In the "hub Berlin – Building for the S-bahn" booklet published by S-Bahn Berlin in 2001, this route was still designated, though little has been said since then. The Rangsdorf community is trying to reconnect the S-Bahn. The mayor of the community has spoken in favor, and has formed a citizens' initiative. In the federal state transport plan Brandenburg 2008–2012 this route was advocated. The Confederation would provide funding to demonstrate the needs of this route. The state of Brandenburg has so far not carried out a planning approval procedure. |
| Spandau – Falkensee (- Finkenkrug) (via Nauener Straße, Hackbuschstraße, Albrechtshof, Seegefeld, and Falkensee Parkstadt) | The benefit of extending the S-Bahn from Spandau to Falkensee or Finkenkrug was substantiated in a profitability study by the Federal Government and the federal states of Berlin and Brandenburg. In March 2008, the project was awarded a cost-benefit ratio of 1: 1.31. With the construction of this route, the populous western part of Spandau would be connected to the rapid transit network. The execution is controversial. The former Berlin Senate from the SPD and Left Party was in favor of the construction, the Greens and the CDU of the Havelland district have opposed it. The city of Falkensee and the communities behind Finkenkrug fear a reduction in the RE and RB connections. If the budget situation of the city of Berlin improves, this route can be considered to be the most feasible – at least in Berlin. An investigation has shown that for the route to Hackbuschstraße a benefit-cost ratio of 2.64 exists. The construction costs for this section were estimated at 37 million euros in 2009. For an extension only within Berlin, however, the federal government rejects a promotion. An alternatively examined extension on the route of the Osthavelländischen railway to the Falkenseer Chaussee yielded a benefit cost factor far over 1, was however rejected by the district office Spandau. |
| Wannsee – Stahnsdorf (via Dreilinden) | The reconstruction of the route is now relatively complicated by the relocation of the Federal Highway 115. The route of the Friedhofsbahn is still dedicated to Berlin and Brandenburg. In particular, the Evangelical Church had an interest in the reopening of this route. It relied on old contracts with the railway and tried to sue the building. In the meantime, the lawsuit was dismissed and in 2014 the real estate company of Deutsche Bahn put the land for sale and allowed the demolition of the dilapidated bridge over the Teltow Canal. |
| Lines closed in 1980 | |
| Jungfernheide – Gartenfield (– Hakenfelde) (via Wernerwerk, Siemensstadt, Haselhorst and Daumstraße) | A reactivation of the Siemens railway, which would only be reasonable to operate with a structurally very expensive extension over the Havel to the water city Spandau (possibly to hook field), is very unlikely. An investigation into the continuation to Hakenfelde, in the planning line S21, has resulted in too high construction costs. The development of Siemensstadt itself has already been covered by the U7 underground line since 1980. While in 2001, the Deutsche Bahn had this route to Gartenfeld still designated as planning, in 2007 it requested the devaluation of this route at the Federal Railway Authority. The Senate is currently holding in the FNP at the connection to Gartenfeld. |
| Zehlendorf – Düppel (- Dreilinden Europarc) (via Zehlendorf Süd and Kleinmachnow Schleusenweg) | After the Second World War, after initial steam operation, 1948, the short section of Zehlendorf to Düppel prepared for the electric suburban railway and used until 1980. A cost-benefit analysis for a regional railway operation of the continuous trunk line from 2008 did not allow the necessary traffic for a reconstruction. Since 2008, there have been discussions to restore the trunk line between Zehlendorf and Griebnitzsee as S-bahn route. On 10 June 2009, the district Steglitz-Zehlendorf, the municipality Kleinmachnow, the Europarc Dreilinden and the Deutsche Bahn International GmbH presented a preliminary study on a possible S-Bahn operation on the eastern part of the route between Zehlendorf and the Europarc Dreilinden the public. This is not yet an official planning. |
| Lines closed in 1983 (Isolated operation after Berlin Wall was built) | |
| Hennigsdorf – Velten (via Hennigsdorf Marwitzer Straße, Hennigsdorf Nord and Hohenschöpping) | The city of Velten has endeavored to reconnect with the S-Bahn network and commissioned a feasibility study in 2008. After the construction of the Wall, until 1983, a line of islands ran from Hennigsdorf to Velten. A cost-usage investigation has meanwhile been approved by Deutsche Bahn. Until 2001, this route was still official planning of the railway. |
| New lines | |
| Wartenberg – Karower Kreuz (via Sellheimbrücke and Parkstadt) Springpfuhl – Grünauer Kreuz(via Biesdorfer Kreuz, Biesdorf Süd, Biesenhorst, Wuhlheide, FEZ, Spindlersfeld and Glienicker Straße) | This is a plan that was developed in the early 1960s in the GDR. In the 1980s, it was taken up again and expanded. Now additional connecting curves from the Berlin outer ring (BAR) to the Szczecin railway in the north (Karower cross) and the Görlitzer railway in the south (Grünauer cross) were provided. Also a connection to the Silesian railway at Wuhlheide station. By the end of the GDR were already provided by the German Reichsbahn some construction work, such. For example, the preparation of the rapid-transit railway route between Adlershof and Köllnische Vorstadt, a three-track S-Bahn route from Altglienicke to the bridge abutment on the north side of the Adlergestell and the route on the section Sellheimbrücke to Wartenberg. As part of these plans, the construction of a depot was also planned. These plans were adopted in the FNP, but not pursued for a long time. In the railway section Wartenberg – Sellheim bridge was still officially planned until 2001. In the spring of 2009, the House of Representatives of Berlin decided that the planning of the Nahverkehrstangente was to be prepared. Thereafter, however, a regional train was provided on the outer ring. At Karower Kreuz a new tower station for the regional train and the S-Bahn (S2) was to be created. However, this depends on the further development of the Szczecin railway in this section, which was not planned for 2015 at the earliest. |
| Teltow Stadt – Stahnsdorf (via Teltow Isarstraße and Stahnsdorf Lindenstraße) | The first considerations for such a rapid-transit railway connection were made already at the end of the 1930s in the context of the Germania plannings. First earthworks were also carried out during World War II. In 1991, this route was still official Senate planning. In later plans, such as the FNP of the community Stahnsdorf, the route is no longer included. In the regional planning Havelland Fläming, the joint state planning Berlin-Brandenburg and the LNVP Brandenburg the route is not included. Likewise, the state government is opposed to the route, as it is feared that the follow-up costs would be at the expense of peripheral parts of the country. To make matters worse, the crossing of newly created residential areas would be added. The ring closure includes the further construction over Dreilinden to Wannsee, as it is sought by local politicians. |
| Karow – Wandlitzsee (via Schönerlinde, Schönwalde, Basdorf and Wandlitz) | In 1976, a planning of this rapid-transit railway route came up in the GDR. This planning was not discussed by the Berlin City Council with any parent. However, it was taken up and persecuted until 1980. The S-Bahn would have replaced an existing suburban connection. The only implemented construction project was the connection of the so-called "Heidekrautbahn" to the S-Bahn station Karow. Officially, the plan was not abandoned until the end of the GDR, only after reunification were the plans rejected. |
| Anhalter Bahnhof – Plänterwald (via Kochstraße, Moritzplatz, Görlitzer Bahnhof, Lohmühlenstraße and Kiefholzstraße) | This route is a plan that was begun in the 1930s in connection with the Germania planning and was finally put on hold in the revision of the FNP of the Senate in 1985 on ice. During the construction of the underground station "Anhalter Bahnhof", overpass structures had already been built. At the Moritzplatz is located under the subway station in the shell of a finished interchange station, which was created in the 1920s for a subway line. As part of these plans he should be used for the S-Bahn. There are no other building services. At times, a direct connection from Kochstraße to Potsdamer Platz was planned. |
| Arkenberge | Berlin Outer Ring | Blankenburg and Mühlenbeck-Mönchmühle | Construction provisions exist - plans abandoned |
| Biesdorfer Kreuz | Ostbahn | Friedrichsfelde Ost and Biesdorf | Access to local ring road |
| Blockdammweg | Schlesische Bahn | Betriebsbahnhof Rummelsburg and Karlshorst | |
| Bohnsdorfer Chaussee | Güteraußenring | Grünbergallee and Flughafen Berlin-Schönefeld | |
| Borsigwalde | Kremmener Bahn | Eichborndamm and Tegel | |
| Buch Süd | Stettiner Bahn | Karow and Buch | |
| Bucher Straße | Berlin Outer Ring | Blankenburg and Mühlenbeck-Mönchmühle | Preliminary work completed |
| Bürknersfelde | Berlin Outer Ring | Gehrenseestraße and Springpfuhl | Interchange with U11 |
| Charlottenburger Chaussee | Spandauer Vorortbahn | Pichelsberg and Stresow | |
| Dudenstraße | Dresdener Bahn | Yorckstraße and Südkreuz | |
| Glasower Damm | Dresdener Bahn | Mahlow and Blankenfelde (Kr. Teltow-Fläming) | |
| Grünauer Kreuz | Görlitzer Bahn | Adlershof and Grünau | Access to bypass road |
| Kamenzer Damm Koalitionsvereinbarung 2011–2016 | Dresdener Bahn | Attilastraße and Marienfelde | |
| Karower Kreuz | Stettiner Bahn | Blankenburg and Karow | In addition to a regional station and access to bypass road |
| Kiefholzstraße | Ringbahn | Treptower Park and Sonnenallee | |
| Komturstraße | Ringbahn | Hermannstraße and Tempelhof | Planned to be "Tempelhofer Feld" |
| Mahlow Nord | Dresdener Bahn | Lichtenrade and Mahlow | |
| Neues Ufer | Ringbahn | Beusselstraße and Jungfernheide | |
| Oderstraße | Ringbahn | Hermannstraße and Tempelhof | |
| Schönerlinder Straße | Berlin Outer Ring | Blankenburg and Mühlenbeck-Mönchmühle | |
| Schorfheidestraße | Nordbahn | Wilhelmsruh and Wittenau | |
| Wuhletalstraße | Wriezener Bahn | Mehrower Allee and Ahrensfelde |
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