Monday, July 2, 2007

Train travellers beware: Germany's national rail system, Deutsche Bahn, is suffering from industrial action by train drivers. While Berlin itself is not directly affected, regional strikes in Rostock, Magdeburg, Frankfurt and southwestern Germany may cause delays on regional and intercity trains to and from the capital.

Berlin's S-Bahn is not part of this action. However, it is suffering from personnell problems of its own, with drivers and other staff orchestrating an unofficial "go-slow" campaign in protest at detoriating working conditions. This is resulting in fewer trains running, and of those trains which are running, many are reduced in length.

Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Berlin is to get two new international destinations: from November LTU will start flying three times a week to the Thai capital Bangkok. Fares are expected to be around €700 (economy / coach) and €1600 (business). LTU will also fly once a week to Melbourne in Florida.

LTU was recently taken over by Germany's second largest carrier, Air Berlin, which operates an extensive network of domestic and European flights from Tegel Airport. It's thought this is part of a move by Air Berlin to build up an international air network based at Tegel, and later at the newBerlin Brandenburg International airport.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

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Berlin might be getting a brand new airport - the BBI - in a few years time, which will replace the city's exisiting airports, but that hasn't stopped construction work at the city's mainTegel Airport, which is bursting at the seams.

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Monday, May 21, 2007

It's been a long time in planning, but it looks like construction on the new S-Bahn station Julius-Leber-Brücke on lineS1 will finally get underway in June.

The station, which will be located beneath the Julius-Leber-Bridge on the Kolonnenstraße in Schöneberg, should open in 2008 at a cost of around €6.4 million. The station has been in planning since the late 1980s, but reunification put other priorities on the S-Bahn's repair and expansion plans.

Sunday, May 13, 2007

It seems like it's vintage transport season: after the buses last Saturday, this time it's trams, up in Pankow where the Denkmalpflege-Verein Nahverkehr Berlin is having an open day at the Straßenbahnhof Niederschönhausen.

Thursday, May 10, 2007

The section of U-Bahn line U2 between Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and Schönhauser Allee will be closed from May 14 until June 14 for much-needed maintenance work.

Replacement buses (Schienenersatzverkehr) will be running along the closed section of line, calling atRosa-Luxemburg-Platz,Senefelderplatz, Eberswalder Straße and Schönhauser Allee. Bicycles cannot be carried.

Wednesday, May 9, 2007

One for transport fans and afficionados of vintage buses: on May 12th (Saturday) theBVG is running old-timers on the M45 route betweenZoo Station and Spandau. Around a dozen historical omnibuses will be running between 9am and 6pm - the normal BVG fares are valid, no extra payment required. (This is an annual event, which takes place on the Saturday before Muttertag (Mothers' Day).

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

The delays on Berlin's U-Bahn system caused by problems with the newest "H-Series" trains have now been lifted, and as of today services have been restored to the normal timetable.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Berlin's new airport, BBI (Berlin Brandenburg International, being constructed on the site ofSchönefeld Airport) is gearing up to be one of the city's mega building projects. And what's a huge building site without some kind of viewing tower? The BBI site will be getting a futuristic "Infotower" (pictured) and visitor centre this summer. The tower will be 32m tall and have two viewing platforms, one on the top and one lower down inside.

Official fact sheet is here.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

It looks like the BVG is having problems with its newest trains, the so-called "H-Series" (recognisable by their bright yellow livery and the connections between each carriage). Problems with the wheel bearings, which are wearing out much earlier than expected, mean 20 of these trains have been taken out of service for emergency repairs.

This has resulted in a reduction in services on lines U5, U6, U7, U8 and U9, with service intervals being extended from the usual 4 or 5 minutes to between 7 and 8 minutes. Repairs should be completed by the second week of May, when the normal timetable will be resumed.