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Berlin Stadtbahn
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Berlin Stadtbahn
The Berlin Stadtbahn is a historic elevated railway viaduct in Berlin. It runs from Ostbahnhof in the east to Charlottenburg in the west, connecting several major destinations in central Berlin, including Berlin Central station. The line is a protected heritage structure since 1995. The tracks which connect the viaduct to Ostkreuz and Westkreuz at either end of the line are sometimes considered part of the Stadtbahn, although this is not technically correct.
The line connects the city's Zoo, Bellevue Palace, snakes around the governmental district to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Friedrichstraße, crosses Museum Island, and moves on to Alexanderplatz (Fernsehturm) and beyond.
First completed in 1882, it spans 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) and 11 stations. 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) of its length are elevated on 731 masonry viaduct arches. A further 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of the line is situated on 64 bridges, that cross adjoining streets and (three times) the river Spree. The remaining length of the line is on an embankment.
Today, the Stadtbahn is one of the busiest sections of rail in Germany. The line carries four tracks, operated as two pairs. The northern pair carry four S-Bahn lines, which service all 11 stations, and the southern pair of tracks are used by Regionalbahn, Regional-Express, Intercity, EuroCity and Intercity-Express. Six of the Stadtbahn stations have platforms on the southern tracks, though not all trains serve them.
In 1871, eight main line railways existed in Berlin, with terminal stations at the city's edge or outside the city limits. This was very impractical for many passengers, who were forced to use hackney carriages to transfer from one train to another. Therefore, a railway line was planned to connect these terminuses with each other.
In 1872, the Deutsche Eisenbahnbaugesellschaft (German Railway Construction Company - DEG) filed the planning application for a railway line through the city, connecting the then-Schlesischer Bahnhof (today Berlin Ostbahnhof) to Charlottenburg, and continuing to Potsdam. In December 1873, the state of Prussia as well as the private rail enterprises Berlin-Potsdamer Eisenbahn, Magdeburg-Halberstädter Eisenbahn and Berlin-Hamburger Bahn bought shares in the DEG, and jointly founded the Berliner Stadteisenbahngesellschaft (Berlin City Railway Company). However, things did not go as expected and the DEG went into bankruptcy in 1878, which forced the Prussian state government to take over operations, pay for the construction of the line with state money and to reimburse the former private owners of the DEG. The state's interest in the line was attributed to the military, which after the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War was of the opinion that the railway networks would hinder mobilisation when not properly interconnected.
On 15 July 1878 the Königliche Direktion der Berliner Stadteisenbahn (Royal Directorate of Berlin Urban Railways), under the management of Ernst Dircksen, was commissioned to manage the site. The directorate at first reported to the Prussian Ministry of Transport and later became a subsidiary of the Ministry of Public Operations.
The planned railway had two tracks each for freight and passenger traffic. Having taken similar projects in London and New York City into consideration, passenger traffic received priority over freight trains. Furthermore, the new railway line was not only to serve as a connection between the mainline termini in Berlin, but would also offer connections to the Berlin Ringbahn and the suburban rail lines.
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Berlin Stadtbahn
The Berlin Stadtbahn is a historic elevated railway viaduct in Berlin. It runs from Ostbahnhof in the east to Charlottenburg in the west, connecting several major destinations in central Berlin, including Berlin Central station. The line is a protected heritage structure since 1995. The tracks which connect the viaduct to Ostkreuz and Westkreuz at either end of the line are sometimes considered part of the Stadtbahn, although this is not technically correct.
The line connects the city's Zoo, Bellevue Palace, snakes around the governmental district to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof and Friedrichstraße, crosses Museum Island, and moves on to Alexanderplatz (Fernsehturm) and beyond.
First completed in 1882, it spans 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) and 11 stations. 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) of its length are elevated on 731 masonry viaduct arches. A further 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of the line is situated on 64 bridges, that cross adjoining streets and (three times) the river Spree. The remaining length of the line is on an embankment.
Today, the Stadtbahn is one of the busiest sections of rail in Germany. The line carries four tracks, operated as two pairs. The northern pair carry four S-Bahn lines, which service all 11 stations, and the southern pair of tracks are used by Regionalbahn, Regional-Express, Intercity, EuroCity and Intercity-Express. Six of the Stadtbahn stations have platforms on the southern tracks, though not all trains serve them.
In 1871, eight main line railways existed in Berlin, with terminal stations at the city's edge or outside the city limits. This was very impractical for many passengers, who were forced to use hackney carriages to transfer from one train to another. Therefore, a railway line was planned to connect these terminuses with each other.
In 1872, the Deutsche Eisenbahnbaugesellschaft (German Railway Construction Company - DEG) filed the planning application for a railway line through the city, connecting the then-Schlesischer Bahnhof (today Berlin Ostbahnhof) to Charlottenburg, and continuing to Potsdam. In December 1873, the state of Prussia as well as the private rail enterprises Berlin-Potsdamer Eisenbahn, Magdeburg-Halberstädter Eisenbahn and Berlin-Hamburger Bahn bought shares in the DEG, and jointly founded the Berliner Stadteisenbahngesellschaft (Berlin City Railway Company). However, things did not go as expected and the DEG went into bankruptcy in 1878, which forced the Prussian state government to take over operations, pay for the construction of the line with state money and to reimburse the former private owners of the DEG. The state's interest in the line was attributed to the military, which after the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War was of the opinion that the railway networks would hinder mobilisation when not properly interconnected.
On 15 July 1878 the Königliche Direktion der Berliner Stadteisenbahn (Royal Directorate of Berlin Urban Railways), under the management of Ernst Dircksen, was commissioned to manage the site. The directorate at first reported to the Prussian Ministry of Transport and later became a subsidiary of the Ministry of Public Operations.
The planned railway had two tracks each for freight and passenger traffic. Having taken similar projects in London and New York City into consideration, passenger traffic received priority over freight trains. Furthermore, the new railway line was not only to serve as a connection between the mainline termini in Berlin, but would also offer connections to the Berlin Ringbahn and the suburban rail lines.
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