© dpa
Berlin's Stadtbahn light rail system will be closed to regional and long-distance traffic for five weeks this year for renovations.
Travelers will have to adjust to longer travel times and different origin and destination stations. According to Deutsche Bahn, the S-Bahn is not affected. The Stadtbahn is one of the busiest train routes in Germany.
Specifically, the closure concerns the section between Berlin Central Station (Hauptbahnhof) and Ostbahnhof. According to Deutsche Bahn, this section will be repaired from May 11 to May 25 and from June 9 to July 1. According to a spokesman, numerous trains will not be able to stop at Hauptbahnhof during this time. There will also be cancellations.
"In order to ensure the stability of the systems on the Berlin urban railroad, the rails of the mainline railroad are being renewed," Monday's Deutsche Bahn statement said. It also said there was damage to about 1,000 fastening points on the fixed guideway. "These points are now being stabilized as a first step." Ballastless tracks, known as the fixed guideway, have been installed on the light rail system since the general renovation in the 1990s.
Overall, Deutsche Bahn plans to carry out more refurbishment in Berlin and Brandenburg this year than ever before. "Our aim is to strengthen climate-friendly rail in the region and make our network significantly more efficient. Extensive maintenance work is required to achieve this," said Group Representative Alexander Kaczmarek. "Temporary closures and major restrictions can therefore unfortunately not be avoided." Construction measures would be bundled to limit restrictions for travelers and freight trains.