Spittelmarkt is a Berlin U-Bahn station on line U2 , located in Mitte at the eastern end of Leipziger Straße .
67-682: The station was opened on 1 October 1908, and was then the terminus of Berlin's second U-Bahn line, connecting it with Potsdamer Platz on the initial Stammstrecke route. It is named after the Spittelmarkt square, former site of the Saint Gertrude hospital established about 1400. The name Spittelmarkt is formed from a contraction of "hospital" (as also in Spitalfields , London) and the German word for "market". The station, designed by Alfred Grenander ,
134-498: A North-South Link rapid transit rail line from Unter den Linden to Yorckstraße , via Potsdamer Platz and Anhalter Bahnhof, had first been mooted in 1914, but it was not planned in detail until 1928, and then approval had to wait until 1933. Begun in 1934, it was plagued with disasters. Determination to have it finished in time for the Berlin Olympic Games in 1936 meant vital safety measures were ignored: on 20 August 1935,
201-524: A backlit glass screen). During the renovation of Anhalter Bahnhof, the BVG (on behalf of the Senate Construction Administration) attempted to restore the original look of the station and placed enamelled tin plates on the walls. However, in contrast to the original white opaque glass panels, the new ones have completely different light reflections, and instead of white, inconspicuous seams between
268-534: A branch accessed via a triangle of lines ( Gleisdreieck ) between the Möckernbrücke and Bülowstraße stations near the current Gleisdreieck station . The first Potsdamer Platz U-Bahn station saw use for just over five and a half years, until its inconvenient site, and the desire to reach other parts of the city, enabled it to be superseded by a better sited new station on an extension of the line to Spittelmarkt . The new station opened first, on 29 September 1907, and
335-533: A ground-breaking ceremony taking place on 16 June 1983. Construction started in earnest in December 1983 and the first test runs occurred in June 1984. This required a direct link for those people staying in the western part of Potsdamer Platz as there was no rail connection to Gleisdreieck. Five years of intensive testing followed, not without incident. On 18 April 1987 an arson attack at Gleisdreieck destroyed two cars, while
402-522: A more bizarre - though not unique - state of affairs. This line, plus two U-Bahn lines elsewhere in the city, suffered from a quirk of geography in that they briefly passed through East German territory en route from one part of West Berlin to another. This gave rise to the infamous "Geisterbahnhöfe" ( ghost stations ), Potsdamer Platz being the most notorious, which were sealed off from the outside world and trains ran straight through without stopping. They would generally slow down, however, affording passengers
469-470: A more spectacular mishap occurred on 19 December 1988 when a train with badly adjusted brakes ran through the end wall of the Kemperplatz terminus, much to the amusement of the local press. However, with some spare cars pressed into service, the line, just 1.6 km (0.99 mi) in length, was opened to the public on 28 August 1989, although it did not really run from anywhere to anywhere. Nevertheless, it
536-665: A station but just a stop, as it lacks the points required to be classified as a station under German law. Berlin Nord-S%C3%BCd-Tunnel#Flooding The North–South S-Bahn Tunnel ( German : Nord-Süd-Tunnel ) is the central section of the North–South transversal Berlin S-Bahn connection crossing the city centre . It is not to be confused with the Tunnel Nord-Süd-Fernbahn [ de ] ,
603-496: A station that straddled the former "sector boundary" (between East and West Berlin ), reopened on 22 December 1990, and there were no checkpoint and armed guards before then. The eastern part was opened fully in March 1991. The first comprehensive renovation since 1945 started from January 1991 in subsections, but was converted in mid-1991 to a complete closure due to the high levels of dust. The Deutsche Reichsbahn replaced almost all
670-534: A technical point of view, its construction was something of a challenge, as aboveground the Hotel Furstenhof was being rebuilt at the same time. The U-Bahn line extension and new station ran right through the hotel's basement, cutting it in half. Contrary to several sources, the hotel did not however enjoy a separate entrance directly from the station. The enormous Wertheim Department Store in nearby Leipziger Straße did enjoy such an entrance, as in later years did
737-596: A terminus of its own at Kemper Platz , very near the Philharmonie (Philharmonic Hall, home of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra ). As early as the late 1970s the West Berlin government had discussed introducing such a system to the city, particularly a section linking Tegel Airport with the centre. The go-ahead was finally given for the building of a test track at Potsdamer Platz on 2 December 1980, with
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#1732855670260804-684: A tunnel collapse just south of the Brandenburg Gate buried 23 workmen of whom only four survived; then on 28 December 1936, a fire near the Potsdamer Platz station destroyed vital equipment. Needless to say, the line was not ready for the Berlin Olympics; in fact it was another three years before it first saw public use. In spite of all the setbacks, it was opened from Unter den Linden to Potsdamer Platz on 15 April 1939, extended to Anhalter Bahnhof on 9 October, and then to Yorckstraße, to complete
871-459: A very good knowledge of the area and buildings would be required. One theory states that the explosion was undertaken by members of the SS . There are few eyewitnesses who can actually verify this. Rather they report that in the last days of the war the tunnel was already partially flooded with fresh and sewage water that was leaking from damaged pipes. Although the repairs were begun immediately after 1945,
938-537: Is a railway station in Berlin . It is completely underground and situated under Potsdamer Platz in central Berlin. Regional and S-Bahn services call at the station, and it is also served by U-Bahn line U2 . The first station at Potsdamer Platz was the Potsdamer Bahnhof terminus , which was closed on 27 September 1945 due to war damage. In 1939 the S-Bahn, or Stadtbahn (City Railway), arrived. The idea for
1005-589: The Reichshauptstadt the plan for this curve was not realised. Instead, spurs for a junction to Anhalter Bahnhof were built with the plan for a further underground section to Görlitzer Bahnhof and, south of the Landwehr Canal , four tunnel spurs taking the North–South Line to the planned S-Bahn station Hornstraße . But all further construction was halted by the war which Hitler began a few weeks before
1072-799: The Anhalt Suburban Line from Teltow Stadt and the Dresden line from Blankenfelde ) with three northerly suburban lines (the Kremmen Railway from Hennigsdorf , the Northern Railway from Oranienburg and the Stettiner Bahn from Bernau ). The idea of a north–south cross-town railway emerged not long after the completion of the east–west cross-town railway called the Stadtbahn ("City Railway") in 1882. The construction of an elevated line like
1139-608: The Hotel Excelsior from the Anhalter Bahnhof. Until 1923 the station was known as Leipziger Platz. From then the name was Potsdamer Platz. The station was closed from 13 August 1961 to 13 November 1993 when Berlin was separated by Berlin Wall . A border fortification was placed near Potsdamer Platz station. This border fortification was removed in December 1990. It was imagined that trains on either side would simply run as far as
1206-556: The Stadtbahn was ruled out because of extensive building along the route, and a tunnel would have been highly problematic in the steam age. By the end of the 19th century, Siemens proposed an underground line similar to the lines that later became what is today called the U-Bahn , connecting the Wannsee substation of the Potsdamer Bahnhof to the then Stettiner Bahnhof . In 1911, within
1273-468: The fall of the communist government (the Wende) in the light of conservation issues, but important details were not faithfully restored, e.g. the typical station S-Bahn sign outside the station, designed by Richard Brademann, never matched the original. Closest to the original S-Bahn sign are the ones at Anhalter Bahnhof (although instead of the cast iron cutout in the shape of the S-Bahn "S", today they only have
1340-708: The Grand Opening of the complete North-South S-Bahn line. (see also History of the Berlin U-Bahn#World War II ) Shortly before the end of the Second World War on 2 May 1945, there was a detonation of explosives under the Landwehrkanal . As a result, the entire tunnel and (via a connecting tunnel at Friedrichstraße) part of the Berlin U-Bahn, and S-Bahn were inundated. There are few other examples in
1407-540: The Helvetica font which was until recently used by Deutsche Bahn . During construction of the Regional station, the western part of the distribution hall between the surface and platforms has been cut off. More modern fixtures have also destroyed the original spatial effect. Since 8 August 2009, in connection with the opening of the interchange with the new U55 line, Unter den Linden has been renamed Brandenburger Tor, although
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#17328556702601474-510: The Ringbahn branch and the two suburban lines on the Anhalter and Dresden railway lines. Those Ringbahn trains would reverse in a staging area north of the underground Potsdamer Platz station, which was designed as the upper level of the two-floor tunnel underneath the north–south street formerly and later called Ebertstraße but back then Hermann-Göring-Straße . This two-level design was chosen out of
1541-637: The Ringbahn branch by converting the Kolonnenstraße station serving the Ringbahn branch to an interchange station between the Ringbahn branch and the Wannseebahn, and the construction of a new station just south of the Landwehrkanal as a replacement for the Potsdamer Ring- and Vorortbahnhof which moved north into the Potsdamer Platz underground station. Owing to the planning for the transformation of
1608-684: The Tannenberg Fraktur of the originals, and the letters of the platform-side walls are convex rather than sunk into the shallow etched-glass panels. The original pattern can be seen at the Berlin S-Bahn Museum. Another renovation began in February 2002 and ended in October 2002, which removed all the last traces of East Berlin. The building of the new heavy-rail tunnel to the Hauptbahnhof and
1675-503: The Yorckstraße U-Bahn station ( U7 ) running east–west between them. The architect of most of the stations in the North–South tunnel is Richard Brademann , specifically: Bornholmer Straße, Humboldthain, Oranienburger Straße (Brademann's first S-Bahn Underground station), Unter den Linden, Potsdamer Platz and Anhalter Bahnhof. Stettiner S-Bahnhof had Lüttich as its architect; Friedrichstraße had von Hane. Although they were built in
1742-431: The alternative name Hochbahn (literally "high railway"). The first line (now part of line U1 ) ran from Stralauer Tor to Potsdamer Platz. Begun on 10 September 1896 and opened on 18 February 1902, the actual Potsdamer Platz station was rather poorly sited. Though it was reached via an entrance right outside the main-line terminus, people then had to walk about 200 metres (660 ft) along an underground passage beneath
1809-419: The appropriately named Bahnstraße (Railway Street). It was built by Swedish architect Grenander in 1902, and it was supposed to be named Potsdamer Bahnhof, or Potsdamer Ringbahnhof, but after 5 years the station was relocated 180m to the southwest at Leipziger Platz. Later that year, the system was developed into a through line running from Warschauer Brücke to Knie , which actually placed Potsdamer Platz on
1876-495: The central tunnel part of the North–South main line used by intercity and regional trains. The S-Bahn North–South line encompasses the route from Bornholmer Straße and Gesundbrunnen via Friedrichstraße and Anhalter Bahnhof to Papestraße (today Südkreuz ) and Schöneberg . The North–South S-Bahn Tunnel has a limited profile ( loading gauge - G2) with a height of 3.83 metres (12 ft 7 in) above
1943-469: The connected electromagnetic effects of the overhead wiring meant that a new compatible signalling system had to be installed. This work was undertaken between July 2005 and May 2006. The North–South Line was the last section of the Berlin S-Bahn network to have the automatic Block signalling of type AB 37 and Sv-Signals with aperture relay installed. In order for the tunnel to follow the roadway in
2010-670: The construction of the new stations Bornholmer Straße north of the S-Bahn Ring and Humboldthain inside the Ring between Berlin Gesundbrunnen and the then still existing Stettiner Bahnhof . The tunnel section from north of the Stettiner Bahnhof to the new station Unter den Linden was opened on 28 May 1936, just in time for the 1936 Berlin Olympics , despite the collapse of a section of
2077-631: The diversions at the Ringbahn stations of Westhafen and Wedding, the preservation of the route during the building of the Hauptbahnhof and the Tiergartentunnel, along which the new line will run. To the south of the Hauptbahnhof the line will continue easterly of the Reichstag building and then crossing the U55 to the west of Brandenburger Tor where it will join the old North–South Tunnel. South of Potsdamer Platz
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2144-485: The end of 2005, half a year before the planned opening of Berlin Hauptbahnhof. The station was finally opened on May 28, 2006. After upgrades on the Berlin Dresden railway , the airport express (FEX) is to run via Potsdamer Platz. The planned rebuild of the trunk line will reconnect Potsdamer Platz with Potsdam . The station is served by the following services: The long-distance station is, strictly speaking, not
2211-578: The evening of 8 January 1984, operation of the section was handed over to the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). The restoration of traffic through the tunnel restarted in May of that year. No works were allowed to be carried out on the Nord-Süd Tunnel during the division of Berlin. The Berlin Nord-Süd Tunnel had been heavily renovated three times, twice during the time of East German rule, and with
2278-576: The final Battle for Berlin , in late April and early May 1945. On 2 May, the tunnel was flooded as a consequence of the decision of the remaining Nazi leaders to blow up the section of the North-South Tunnel beneath the nearby Landwehrkanal as a desperate measure to slow the Soviet advance. Because of this incident, the North-South Link was unable to be used until 1947 (see below). Shortly after
2345-446: The financial planning for the Land of Berlin, be built by 2030. In July 2007, Deutsche Bahn announced delays in the construction of the first stage. After they had concluded the financial agreement and thereby delayed the under-signing of the project, the building work would start in 2008, rather than at the end of 2007 as planned. Some preparatory work has already been completed, including
2412-693: The following stages: The additional usage of this section is limited as there is already a connection at Potsdamer Platz to the U2 Line and at Gleisdreieck only the U1 would be provided with an additional connection. The building work for the northerly section up to the Hauptbahnhof, which will be funded by the German Federal Government via the Community Transport Financing law, costed 24 million Euro. The remaining section should, as envisaged by
2479-458: The framework of a much broader competition for proposals for the further development of the city of Berlin, several proposals for such a north–south railway interconnection were set forth. The discussion was revived in the 1920s after the First World War . The advent of electrification made a tunnel solution possible. The work was finally begun in 1933 as one of the public works undertaken by
2546-537: The heavily built-up city centre, the tightest curve in the North–South Tunnel is only 150 metres (500'). To operate the trains safely, this required a special profile to be developed for the wheels. The BVG encountered several derailments of its stock, which had only a standard wheel profile. The permissible height in the tunnel is also restricted. Therefore, trains of class ET 169 , which are longer and taller than typical Berlin S-Bahn stock, are also banned from
2613-444: The history of Berlin that have produced so much conflicting information. It is debatable whether people were drowned during the flooding, because it is possible these drownings were confused with the 80 to 130 bodies of victims of the last days of the war, who died before the tunnel was flooded. Also debatable (and to this day also unclear) is who actually demolished the tunnel and who had ordered it. In order to cause such an explosion,
2680-746: The installation of a new signalling system in the later phase. When the Berlin Wall was opened and destroyed in 1990, discussions were ongoing to reopen all the Berlin Nord-Süd Tunnel stations in March 1990 together with the U6 and U8 . However, Oranienburger Straße, Nordbahnhof and Unter den Linden stations began the modernisation programme to remove armed guards and out-of-bounds signage, and to do thorough cleanup work, with Oranienburger Straße reopening on 2 July 1990, while Nordbahnhof, together with Unter den Linden reopened on 1 September 1990. Bornholmer Straße,
2747-628: The last stop before the border and then reverse back. This was partly the case with the U-Bahn line through Potsdamer Platz, as in October 1991, the Mohrenstraße station operationally became a terminus for trains on the eastern side. On the western side however, the entire section all the way back to Wittenbergplatz was closed completely and at least partially dismantled. Indeed, two of the abandoned stations on this section, Bülowstraße and Nollendorfplatz , were converted into markets. The antiques market at
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2814-502: The latter was housed in sixteen old wooden coaches lined up beside the platforms, while another coach even carried passengers back and forth to Bülowstraße where a Turkish bazaar was sited. This station was intended to be an interchange with the future driverless line U3 and U10 , but the plans were scrapped when the U3 gained much of its current route in December 2004. It was partially converted into space for events and exhibitions in 2006. In
2881-584: The latter years of the Wall's existence, part of the abandoned U-Bahn section, the stretch between Gleisdreieck and Potsdamer Platz, was used by the M-Bahn (Magnetic Levitation Railway). Instead of diving underground as before, once it crossed over the Landwehrkanal, it remained above ground on a lengthy elevated structure supported on steel columns which curved across the Potsdamer Bahnhof's former site to end at
2948-479: The link, on 6 November. The Potsdamer Platz S-Bahn station also contained an underground shopping arcade, the largest in Europe . Four platforms were provided at the station, and all were used although just two were planned to suffice: the other two were originally intended to be utilised by another new line, which was to branch off eastwards and run under the city to Görlitzer Bahnhof . A connection from Anhalter Bahnhof
3015-410: The material in the tunnel walls, then cleaned and recoated them. Hence the wartime flood damage to the tunnel was finally removed. This was finally achieved on 1 March 1992 when Potsdamer Platz was reopened. The border controls were abolished on 23 July 1990. During the refurbishment of Potsdamer Platz, opaque glass panels were installed, but other errors have been committed: the station labels differ from
3082-583: The middle of the National Socialist period, the stations have none of the architecture of National Socialism, rather the officially taboo New Objectivity of the earlier Modern style. Except in a few details, e.g. the mosaic of the emblem in the northern distribution area of S-Bahnhof Potsdamer Platz, with its exit to the New Reich Chancellery , the stations do not follow typical National Socialist Architecture . The stations were rehabilitated after
3149-426: The new National Socialist government to put the unemployed to work. The decision was taken in 1933, plans were made, and the first stones were moved in 1934. Because of the number of underground lines to be crossed, the need to pass under rivers and streams meant that tight curves, small-profile tunnels and steeper inclines than normal were incorporated into the planning parameters. Building commenced in 1934 with
3216-580: The north–south line built as part of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof Project, was opened in 2006. This station is on the four-track north–south connection of long-distance and regional traffic between the stations Hauptbahnhof and Südkreuz. The station is 260 meters long, 50 meters wide and (at track level) 20 meters below street level, has two island platforms on the four tracks. Regional Express trains on lines RE 3, RE 4 and RE 5 currently stop at Potsdamer Platz regional station. Traffic forecasts before
3283-405: The opening assumed 80,000 passengers per day, including 50,000 exiting or entering and around 30,000 people transferring to the underground and S-Bahn. Construction work was to begin in 1995. Completion of the shell was planned for spring 1997, and the interior work was to follow between 1997 and 1999. The opening of the station was planned for 2002. By mid-2002 it was planned to open the station at
3350-499: The original name tiles remain on the station walls. In the medium term the north–south connections will be improved with a second north–south tunnel, connecting in a first phase the Hauptbahnhof with Potsdamer Bahnhof. This project is being pursued under the planning name of S21 and should improve the currently poor connection of the new Berlin Hauptbahnhof with the North–South S-Bahn line. This project will proceed in
3417-401: The panels, the seams reveal a black grid. At Potsdamer Platz they have installed opaque glass panels but have committed other errors: the station labels differ from the Tannenberg Fraktur of the originals, and the letters of the platform-side walls are convex rather than stuck in the shallow etched glass panels. The original pattern can be seen at the Berlin S-Bahn-Museum. There are also labels in
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#17328556702603484-445: The rest of the extension to Spittelmarkt on 1 October 1908 (evidence of the original station's site can still be seen in the tunnel, from passing trains). As the new station lay mostly beneath the adjoining Leipziger Platz , this is what the station was initially called, being renamed Potsdamer Platz on 29 January 1923. The station was one of a number designed by the Swedish architect Alfred Frederik Elias Grenander (1863–1931). From
3551-414: The scarcity of space, and in order to allow a later extension to the then Lehrter Bahnhof and its suburban lines to Nauen and Wustermark . This stabling and reversal yard with its inherent possibility of extension north could be used as part of the S21 line to the new Berlin Hauptbahnhof , then on to the northern section of the Ringbahn. The original plan also envisaged uniting the Wannseebahn and
3618-410: The strange sight of dusty, dimly lit platforms patrolled by armed guards, there to prevent any East Berliners from trying to escape to the West by train. At the points where the lines passed directly beneath the actual border, concrete "collars" were constructed within the tunnels with just the minimum clearance for trains, to prevent people from clinging to the sides or roof of the coaches. The station
3685-469: The track and the elevated steel deck between September 1991 and January 1992 to make way for the U2 to be reinstated. Today there is nothing left to show that it ever existed. Similarly it was decided not to proceed with any M-Bahn plans elsewhere in the city. The possibility of going ahead with the line to Tegel Airport resurfaced periodically, but since the airport itself closed in 2020, these plans have been consigned to history. A regional rail station on
3752-421: The trackhead and a width of 3.43 metres (11 ft 3 in). This tunnel originally provided an S-Bahn connection from the former mainline stations of Anhalter Bahnhof and Potsdamer Bahnhof with the interchange for the east–west Stadtbahn at Friedrichstraße and on to the Stettiner Bahnhof (today: Nordbahnhof ). The tunnel connects three southerly suburban lines (the Wannsee Railway from Wannsee ,
3819-557: The tunnel could not be used again until 1947. The S-Bahn lines of the southerly suburban lines first had to be taken back to the overground Potsdamer Bahnhof before, in 1946, it was possible to use the underground line to Anhalter Bahnhof again. With the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 all the stations in East Berlin were shut, except for Friedrichstraße which was used as a border crossing point. Trains that were now only for use in West Berlin travelled between Anhalter Bahnhof via Friedrichstraße to Humboldthain without stopping. On
3886-410: The tunnel divides in two directions for the Wannsee line (line S1 ) and the Anhalt line / Dresden line (lines S2 and S25 ). These two tunnels then surface: The present subsequent stations of ( Yorckstraße and Yorckstraße (Großgörschenstraße) ) exist as two separate stations, a couple of hundred metres apart, with separate entrances, although they are today collectively known as Yorckstraße with
3953-415: The tunnel. The restrictions in carriage height and length continue to limit the trains that can be used, with only rolling stock specially developed for the Berlin S-Bahn (as of November 2024 consist of classes 270/485 , 480 , 481/482 and 483/484 ) allowed to use the tunnel. In particular, trains constructed for other cities cannot be used for the DC S-Bahn system of Berlin. South of the Anhalter Bahnhof
4020-448: The tunnelling work near the Brandenburger Tor (adjacent to the US-American Embassy) on August 20, 1935, killing 19 workers. This stretch was extended to the new underground Potsdamer Platz station in April 1939, and the connection to the Southern suburban lines via Anhalter Bahnhof was opened on 9 October 1939. The construction of the Southern section was marred by a number planning changes. The original plan, as it stood in 1936,
4087-503: The war's end, the Ringbahnhof got a reprieve of sorts, temporarily reopening on 6 August 1945 as the terminus of the Wannseebahn trains, while the Nord-Süd-Tunnel received massive repairs (millions of gallons of water had to be pumped out). The Ringbahnhof closed for good on 27 July 1946 after some fragmentary train workings had resumed along the North-South Link on 2 June. Full services recommenced on 16 November 1947, although repairs were not complete until May 1948. The North-South Link saw
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#17328556702604154-430: Was also to be made. Although construction of some tunnel sections went ahead (and these still exist, though are inaccessible to the public), the line was never opened. During the war, many sections of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn were closed due to enemy action, and the sections through Potsdamer Platz were no exception. The North-South Link, less than six years old, became the setting for one of the most contentious episodes of
4221-408: Was lavishly erected right beneath the banks of the Spree river, with daylight windows above the water's surface. Spittelmarkt became a through station with the extension of the line to Alexanderplatz on 1 July 1913. In 1940 the windows were walled up as an air raid precaution. There was a direct bomb hit on the platform area on 3 February 1945. It was only by chance that the northern station wall
4288-617: Was not destroyed. Since this wall is also the sea wall of the Spree, the inner-city tunnel system would have been flooded and would have disrupted the underground traffic in the long term. In 1990, a major accident occurred when a train crashed into another stopped train. Fourteen people were injured. Spilled oil had covered the tracks, preventing the train from braking. The station did not reopen until extensive reconstruction works started in 2003. [REDACTED] Media related to U-Bahnhof Spittelmarkt (Berlin) at Wikimedia Commons Berlin Potsdamer Platz station Berlin Potsdamer Platz
4355-460: Was regarded as an interesting curiosity and was quite heavily used on that basis, although it was to be short-lived. The station in the western part of Potsdamer Platz was called Kemperplatz. Less than three months later the Wall came down, which afforded the opportunity to restore the U-Bahn and S-Bahn, thus rendering the M-Bahn redundant. It was closed on 18 July 1991; stripping out of the electrical system began on 31 July, followed by dismantling of
4422-554: Was the last to be reopened, with major refurbishment work included to the entire North South line and the station, with re-coating/repainting of the station and huge removal of wartime flood damage, on 3 March 1992. Major refurbishment began to be carried out in January 1991. The U-Bahn , or Untergrundbahn (underground railway), was a major revolution in Berlin's public transport, and the forerunner of similar systems now seen in several German cities. The underground sections alternated with sections elevated above ground on viaducts – hence
4489-424: Was to introduce the Ringbahn , which branched to the Potsdamer Bahnhof (actually the Potsdamer Ring- und Vorortbahn adjacent to the Potsdamer Bahnhof) into the underground Potsdamer Platz station separately from the three southern suburban lines, and into the two centre tracks, after driving the Ringbahn branch into the underground at about the same location of the then Potsdamer Ring- und Vorortbahnhof serving
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