© dpa
Longer trains, additional journeys during peak hours and longer lines - the Berlin S-Bahn is expanding its services in the coming year.
At peak times, "up to 6,700 more seats per hour will be available", the operator of the S-Bahn, Deutsche Bahn, announced on Tuesday. The fleet has grown considerably thanks to the acquisition of new vehicles, said S-Bahn Managing Director Peter Buchner. "This will allow us to put more and longer trains on the rails for our passengers in Berlin and Brandenburg in the 2024 timetable." Commuters will benefit from more space and shorter intervals.
On the S1 and S2 lines, trains will gradually run with eight instead of six carriages, providing around 300 more seats per train. From next year, the S1 and S5 will run every five minutes between Zehlendorf and Potsdamer Platz and between Mahlsdorf and Warschauer Straße during rush hour. The S3 will run every ten minutes between Erkner and Charlottenburg during rush hour. The S26 will run from Teltow Stadt to Blankenburg from Monday to Friday, creating an additional connection between Pankow and Blankenburg. In future, the S85 will run from Grünau to Waidmannslust during the week. After the closure of the north-south tunnel in January and February, there will also be an additional service on the section between Waidmannslust and Frohnau.
Construction work is also currently underway at the stops Gehrenseestraße, Buckower Chaussee (until December 8) and Grunewald (until December 18). Train services are therefore restricted on the S2 and S7 lines. Due to a tight staffing situation in workshops close to operations, the longer trains will not yet be in service on all connections at the start of the new timetable, it was reported.