© dpa
Workers profile the track bed behind a tamping machine, which compacts the ballast, during a site inspection of the north-south Berlin S-Bahn tunnel between Oranienburger Strasse and Friedrichstrasse stations. They are spreading the ballast evenly - a task that would normally be done by another machine, but which cannot be used in the tunnel because it creates too much dust.
© dpa
A measuring team measures the track position during a construction site inspection of the north-south tunnel of the Berlin S-Bahn between the Oranienburger Straße and Friedrichstraße S-Bahn stations.
© dpa
A tamping machine compacts the ballast in the track bed during a site inspection of the north-south tunnel of the Berlin S-Bahn between the Oranienburger Straße and Friedrichstraße S-Bahn stations.
© dpa
Excavators stand in the track of Friedrichstraße station during a site inspection of the north-south tunnel of the Berlin S-Bahn between Oranienburger Straße and Friedrichstraße S-Bahn stations.
Half-time for the construction work on the north-south tunnel of the Berlin S-Bahn: this Friday, work began on the second construction section, as announced by Deutsche Bahn. For passengers, this means that another station will be omitted for the next three weeks.
The trains of the S-Bahn lines S1, S2, S25 and S26 now also no longer stop at Nordbahnhof. Until 17 February, there will therefore be no S-Bahn service between Yorckstraße and Gesundbrunnen stations.
Railway project manager Ulrich Burkhardt said during a tour of the site on Friday that the work was progressing on schedule. The line is scheduled to reopen on February 17 at 10 pm. The north-south link is the most important suburban railway line in the capital after the Ringbahn and the Stadtbahn. Currently, more than nine kilometres of track are being renewed and more than 18 kilometres of track is being abraded. Points and sleepers are also being repaired or replaced.