The completion of the project is expected in the 2040s.
After decades of waiting, a new transport line S15 has finally been launched in Berlin. The new metro line in Berlin: the project took 26 years to build, and its cost has increased more than threefold over this time.
The new S15 suburban train line was officially opened, and the first trains were greeted with applause by passengers right on the platform. Even the management of S-Bahn Berlin admitted that they had never seen such a reaction before, as reported by berliner-zeitung.
The new line connects Berlin's Central Station with the Gesundbrunnen district. The first official train departed on June 16. This is an important milestone for the Berlin transport system, as the project has been discussed and constructed for more than two decades.
The new S15 is considered the shortest line of the Berlin suburban railway. Its length is only four kilometers. The journey between the Central Station and the Gesundbrunnen station takes about five minutes.
The uniqueness of the project is not only in the construction time. A unique station has been built under the new Invalidenstraße. This is the first facility in the S-Bahn system in Berlin where musical installations and special video projections have been installed.
What is known about the new line:
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route length is four kilometers;
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travel time is about five minutes;
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the only intermediate stop is Wedding;
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daytime service every ten minutes;
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night service on weekends every thirty minutes.
For context: S-Bahn in Germany is a suburban train that connects the city center with the suburbs and often operates as part of the public transport system along with the U-Bahn metro.
The financial aspect of the project has long raised questions. Initially, the first phase of construction was estimated at 227 million euros. Now the cost has risen to approximately 800 million euros. Such a budget increase has been one of the reasons for criticism of the project.
Nevertheless, Deutsche Bahn believes the investments are justified. According to transport specialists, the new line will significantly relieve the existing routes in central Berlin.
This is just the beginning of the large S21 project
The newly opened S15 line is just the first section of the large-scale transport project S21. Upon full completion, the new railway line will connect several major districts of the city, including Potsdamer Platz, Westhafen, the Yorkstraße district, and the Gleisdreieck station.
Engineers estimate that around 180,000 passengers will use the new infrastructure daily. More than 300,000 people live in the future route area.
Despite the ceremonial opening, construction work is far from complete. The next section of the line is planned to open no earlier than the end of 2029. The second phase of the project, which includes a tunnel under the Spree River towards Potsdamer Platz, is expected to be completed in the mid-2030s. The third and final phase of construction is not expected to finish until the 2040s.
What is planned next:
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launch of the western section in 2029;
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construction of the tunnel to Potsdamer Platz;
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creation of the new Gleisdreieck station;
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full completion of the project in the 2040s.
For the residents of Berlin, the launch of S15 has become an important transport event. However, the project has long turned into a symbol of how complex and expensive large infrastructure constructions can be in modern Germany.
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