TRANSPORT IN BERLIN
Berlin was restored as the German capital right after the unification of the two German states in 1990. The city has approximately 3.5 million inhabitants. Public transport in Berlin is well developed. There are nine underground lines, 15 suburban train lines and about 150 bus lines. 28 tram lines operate in the eastern part of Berlin. Many buses and some subways and city-trains run a night service. The double-decker buses serve a citywide network of 1,917km. The local public transport network is supplemented by 371km of tram lines, 151km of underground railways (U-Bahn) and 321km of suburban train services. The rapid transit network actually consists of two independent systems, the U-Bahn and the S-Bahn. In 1996, the Verkehrsgemeinschaft Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) was set up to organize all public transport, both in Berlin and the surrounding State of Brandenburg. The overall transport policy objectives of the cities are to reduce car use and related pollution and to widen the choice of modes available.
BERLIN S-BAHN
The Berlin S-Bahn could be considered a metro in its own right; it is mainly an urban means of transport (total length 327km, of which 250km are within the city of Berlin), it is totally independent from other rail traffic (third rail power supply) and it operates at quite dense intervals (every 3 or 4 minutes) along the central routes.
The network can be classified into three groups of lines:
* Stadtbahn: S3, S5, S7, S75, S9 lines serving the east-west route through the city centre, all at ground or elevated level
* Nordsüdbahn: S1, S2, S25, S26 lines operating north-south through the city tunnel
* Ringbahn: S41 (clockwise), S42 (anti-clockwise), S45, S46, S47, S8, S9 lines running on the circular route and the southeastern branch.
BERLIN U-BAHN
The first U-Bahn line opened in 1902. This first line was mainly elevated. In the following years the network grew steadily towards the west (U2 west) and branches were built to the south (U1 south, U15 and U4). The original line was also extended into the city centre (U2). The network grew rapidly after the First World War, running alongside the S-Bahn until the Wall was built in 1961, when the service was partially suspended. After the Berlin Wall was torn down, it again returned to full service. In October 1998, a new station, Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park, was added to line U2 to improve access to the new Potsdamer Platz area. After some years of construction a short extension from Vinetastraße to Pankow was eventually opened in September 2000. The new terminus station is situated right under the S-Bahn station. Currently, Berlin's U-Bahn network is about 146km long; U7 is the longest line at 32km and U4 the shortest at just 3km.
U-BAHN AND S-BAHN EXPANSION PROJECTS
Currently all U-Bahn expansion projects have been suspended because of lack of funds. In fact, in September 2003 it was announced that Berlin's public transport network would need to cut its workforce by a third, or 4,500, by 2007. Although new projects are not being pursued, some expansion projects were already advanced when the suspension decision was made. In the city centre, around the Reichstag, new governmental buildings and a major railway station at Lehrter Stadtbahnhof are being constructed. Therefore construction work for an U5 extension westbound (Alexanderplatz - Rathaus - Schlossplatz - Unteren Linden Brandenburger Tor - Reichstag - Hauptbahnhof) has been started, although it's not sure whether the line will definitely be built in the near future. In the long run this line might reach Tegel Airport. At Potsdamer Platz a future station for a planned line U3 is also incorporated into the new station complex for regional trains on the new north-south tunnel. This new line would run along Kurfürstendamm (now U15) via Potsdamer Platz and Alexanderplatz to Weißensee in the northeast. After having reached Pankow, line U2 might eventually be extended by one more station to Pankow-Kirche and U7 might be extended from its southern terminus Rudow to Flughafen Schönefeld, which is now projected as Berlin's major airport. The S-Bahn is being extended from Lichterfelde Süd to Teltow Stadt (S25, 2.5km). There are also plans to lay new tracks from Spandau to Falkensee. Ostkreuz station is one of the most highly frequented interchanges in Berlin's public transport network. Around 140,000 people depart, arrive and change here every day. It is now undergoing renovation and redesigning.
BERLIN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT CENTRE
Early in 2003, the Berlin Traffic Management Centre (known as VMZ Berlin in Germany) was opened to record and evaluate the traffic situation in Berlin. Specifically, the aim is to produce the integration of all Berlin transport into an efficient city traffic management system. This includes individual and public passenger transportation as well as commercial transportation. The data gathered is used to generate comprehensive traffic information and also aid in the informed management decisions for better public transport in Berlin. The creation and operation of the Traffic Management Centre cost €16 million. Over 50 webcams and over 200 infrared sensors are installed in locations around the city. These feed into the central Traffic Management Centre computer which controls 22 outdoor electronic display units and a network of existing data centres. The Traffic Management Centre infrastructure is the property of the City-State of Berlin but a joint venture between DaimlerChrysler Services AG and Siemens AG (VMZ Berlin GmbH) will operate the VMZ Berlin for ten years. VMZ Berlin will operate in partnership with Berlin transport companies, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) and S-Bahn Berlin GmbH. DaimlerChrysler Services are supplying the webcams.
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