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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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TRAVEL NEWS

Budget airline Ryanair to cut flights from Berlin

Blaming high fees and taxes, Ryanair has announced plans to cut flights to six destinations from Berlin's Brandenburg airport from next summer.

Published: 28 August 2024 12:25 CEST
Budget airline Ryanair to cut flights from Berlin

Budget airline Ryanair has announced plans to reduce its fleet at the Berlin Brandenburg (BER) airport by about a fifth in summer 2025. 

The airline explained that particularly high access costs, “which could not be reduced by the German government and airport management” were the reason for the reduction of its services from Berlin.

The number of Ryanair aircraft stationed in Berlin would drop from nine to seven, and six destinations would no longer be served from the German capital, including: Brussels, Kaunas in Lithuania, Krakow, Luxembourg and Riga. 

According to DPA, Ryanair did not initially give a specific date for the fleet reduction, and did not clarify how many employees would be affected. But a manager responsible for Ryanair’s core business, suggested that there are around 30 jobs for each aircraft.

According to the Brandenburg airport, Ryanair is currently the largest flight provider at the capital’s airport. Just ahead of the summer, Ryanair had expanded its offer in the German capital. It currently flies from Berlin to more than 50 destinations in Europe. 

But according to the airline, federal taxes as well as fees to fly from and dock planes in Berlin, have increased too much.

Ryanair makes record profits

“The government has to do something,” Ryanair core business manager Eddie Wilson told DPA about what he sees as burdensome taxes. 

At Berlin’s airport, the number of passengers last year was reportedly about 70 percent of the pre-Covid level. This drop could be due in part by an increase in the cost of flights, which is related to taxes and fees.

Earlier this year EasyJet told The Local, “Berlin is among the most expensive airports we operate from. Airport costs represent about 20 percent of EasyJet’s operating costs and are the second largest cost after fuel.”

READ ALSO: ‘Germany lacks a sensible airline policy’ – Is budget air travel on the decline?

The Berlin Brandenburg Airport is known for having particularly high access costs, but increasing fees and taxes are an issue for airlines across Germany.

“We very much regret that Ryanair has announced that it will reduce its offer at BER Airport,” the Berlin-Brandenburg airport company told DPA, but also suggested that the airport cannot simply waive fees to reduce airlines’ operating costs.

“The state aviation tax alone has more than doubled since 2019,” the airport added. “This affects not only BER, but all German air traffic.” 

The airport association ADV had also spoken out about rising costs: “While locations in other European countries are prospering, the high regulatory burdens are strangling the expansion of airlines in Germany,” said ADV Managing Director Ralph Beisel. “The victims are the passengers. Many connections are no longer available from German airports.” 

However, critics contend that the aviation industry is among the most undertaxed and overly subsidised sectors of the economy. 

Airlines aren’t charged VAT or a kerosene tax when they fly between many European destinations today whereas rail companies are charged for both. That’s why flights are often comparably cheaper than international train journeys.

Additionally, a glance at Ryanair’s profits suggests that current taxes and fees aren’t diminishing the company’s profit margins.

According to data published by Statista, Ryanair’s net profit for the 2023/24 period was €1.9 billion – 46 percent more than the previous year and a record for the company.

Better international connections from Frankfurt and Munich

The Berlin tourism industry has long called for better international connections. 

But given BER’s high fees and relatively limited capacity, it’s unlikely that the airport will operate on the level of Germany’s largest airports in Frankfurt or Munich any time soon.

For those flying from Berlin, this amounts to flights with stopovers (or starting the journey with a train across Germany). 

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