Berlin’s local public transport has been suffering from serious restrictions for weeks and months. In particular, the closure of the north-south tunnel and the shuttle service due to the collapsed tunnel tube of the underground line 2 are causing detours and delays for passengers. Another construction site has been added since Monday, this time on a central connection between East and West: The eastern part of the elevated railway line between U1 and U3 between Kottbusser Tor and Warschauer Straße is expected to be closed until March 5th.
A replacement bus service runs parallel to the closed stations Görlitzer Bahnhof, Schlesisches Tor and Warschauer Straße on Skalitzer Straße to over the Oberbaum Bridge. During rush hour, a few illegal parkers had to be moved on Monday morning, but according to the BVG, traffic is stable. There were no major delays thanks to the bus lane.
Construction work on the Kreuzberger Hochbahn – that sounds familiar to many passengers. Only two years ago, the transport company “fundamentally renovated” this section, as they say. To relieve the steel viaduct, the old gravel track was replaced in sections by a so-called “slab track” in which the tracks are in concrete. The work lasted around a year.
Replacement buses run every five minutes
During rush-hour traffic, the buses often got stuck in traffic jams on the busy Skalitzer Straße and also impeded cyclists. The replacement buses are currently running every five minutes and should cover the distance in ten minutes. As a bypass, the BVG recommends the U8 (Kottbusser Tor – Jannowitzbrücke) and the S-Bahn lines S3, S5, S7 and S9 between Jannowitzbrücke and Warschauer Straße.
But why is construction work necessary again so soon after the last thorough renovation? According to the BVG, there are complaints from local residents about the acoustic results of this work. Apparently, instead of being quieter, it got louder: The renovation had “changed the driving noise in places”, as the transport company puts it. In the area, this was sometimes perceived as unpleasant. This should now be remedied with new gravel and additional soundproofing elements.
“How would you feel when you are 120 years old?” – Jens Wieseke, spokesman for the passenger association Igeb, sees age-related weaknesses that Berlin’s oldest subway line is unlikely to get rid of even with further renovations. From today’s perspective, the route should never have been built above ground, where the elevated tracks are fully exposed to the weather.
Leaves and dirt easily clog the water drains of the bulging metal sheets under the ballast bed, says Wieseke, explaining a basic problem with the viaduct. But around the turn of the century, the city administration had reservations about building a tunnel for the new means of transport. After all, part of the route could offer space for cyclists and a roof over their heads in the future, should that happen cycle track project prevail under the line.
Anyone who has known the route for a long time knows about its pitfalls. Again and again, trains had to crawl in sections to protect the tracks and prevent further renovations. A legendary detour near the Hallesches Tor caused unsuspecting people to stumble through the train for years, it squeaked and rumbled.
With a track superstructure without sleepers and ballast, the acoustics should also improve in some sections because elastic pads were installed underneath. Apparently it didn’t work as expected.
Jens Wieseke remembers that the BVG was already experimenting with slab tracks on the route 15 years ago in the Prinzenstrasse area. The construction method was also recommended because the weight of the heavy tracks could be better distributed. The passenger representative is surprised why complaints about the acoustics have only become known since the last renovation.
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