In front of Gartenfeld it would go underground: the Berlin Senate favors an underground extension of the Siemensbahn – Berlin
The Berlin Senate favors a tunnel solution for a possible extension of the Siemensbahn in the west of the city. “I received the information that an above-ground variant is not up for discussion for the Senate,” said the head of the Siemensbahn project at Deutsche Bahn, Thomas Rüffer, on Friday at an appointment at the Siemens site and the closed line in Siemensstadt. The railways are therefore planning “that we go underground 500 meters in front of Gartenfeld station”.
This means that one of the three variants examined for the future construction of the S-Bahn line, which runs from Jungfernheide to Spandau, to the possible stations of Wasserstadt Oberhavel and Hakenfelde probably no longer has a chance. They planned to remain above ground and to pass north of the water town – and were therefore considered rather unfavorable with regard to the location.
The other two variants run underground under the island of Gartenfeld so that they do not get in the way of existing and planned buildings.
However, the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB) indicated in a feasibility study that these routes would become significantly more expensive if tunnel boring machines were used.
“We want to keep the options for extending the Siemensbahn open,” said Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD). If the underground tour is the prerequisite, then this is “the right way”.
The Berlin representative of Deutsche Bahn, Alexander Kaczmarek, advocates an extension of the route to Wasserstadt and Hakenfelde. “These are places that deserve a rapid transit connection.”
Steel viaduct in Siemensstadt should be blue
First of all, however, it is necessary to reactivate the historical part of the Siemensbahn. The condition of the 800 meter long steel viaduct is currently being examined, said project manager Rüffer. In total, the railways laid ten kilometers of new tracks and renovated 30 bridges.
Kaczmarek explained that it would be particularly complicated when the route was integrated into the S-Bahn ring. “We have to do it in such a way that the ring is not paralyzed for five years.”
[Die Siemensbahn ist immer Top-Thema im Spandau-Newsletter – schließlich entstehen am Ende der Strecke Tausende Wohnungen: Den Spandau-Newsletter gibt es hier leute.tagesspiegel.de]
Order now for free
Construction is scheduled to begin in 2026. On December 17, 2029, the year of the 100th birthday of the route, it should then start operating again, explains the railway representative. There was no more recent data.
However, the color of the steel viaduct is now certain: The construction leading through Siemensstadt should be painted dark blue in the future, said Rüffer.
In addition to the Siemensbahn, Franziska Giffey also visited the site of the Siemens industrial group on Friday. There they were shown digital models of the company’s new building plans on the historic factory premises with Urban Development Senator Andreas Geisel (SPD).