View of an advertisement at a tram stop in Berlin.
© dpa
Tram services in Berlin are starting up again on some lines. However, it remains unclear when the entire network will be operational again.
Following the suspension of all tram services in Berlin on Monday, individual lines have resumed operation.
According to the Berlin Transport Authority (BVG), the M4 between Weißensee and Hackescher Markt is now back in service. The M6 is also running between Riesaer Straße and the Marzahn S-Bahn station. Line 21 is running between Lichtenberg and Holteistraße, and line 68 is running between Wendenschloß and Köpenick Hospital. The M5 has also been back in service since early this morning.
"To stabilise services, BVG is deploying additional replacement buses," the company added. Buses are running on line 62 between the Mahlsdorf and Köpenick S-Bahn stations and on line 50 between Französisch-Buchholz and the Pankow S-Bahn station. BVG suspended all tram services on Monday due to icy overhead lines caused by freezing rain. The overhead lines must be laboriously cleared of ice by hand. For this reason, the lines are only gradually returning to service. The BVG has not yet provided a forecast as to when full service will resume without restrictions.
The BVG emphasised that Berlin had been particularly affected by the weather. The freezing temperatures of up to minus 15 degrees a few days ago had not been a major problem. However, the "atypical weather conditions" with freezing rain were "problematic for safe tram operation". Regionally, Berlin had been particularly hard hit by freezing rain since Sunday evening. Comparisons with other areas, weather conditions and transport systems were therefore not possible.