U5 (Berlin U-Bahn)

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Berlin U5.svg
300px
Overview
System Berlin U-Bahn
Locale Berlin
Stations 20 (current)
33 (future)
Operation
Opened 21 December 1930
Depot(s) Hönow
Events
Tierpark extension 6 June 1973
Hönow extension 1 July 1989
Extension to Berlin Hauptbahnhof 2019 (expected)
Technical
Track gauge
Route map
Berlin Tegel Airport
Berlin-Spandau Ship Canal
Heckerdamm
Westhafen Canal
Berlin U7.svg
Jungfernheide
Ringbahn Berlin S41.svg Berlin S42.svg VBB Bahn-Regionalverkehr.svg
Berlin U7.svg
Charlottenburg Canal
Wiebestraße
Beusselstraße
Turmstraße
Berlin U9.svg
Fritz-Schloß-Park
North–South tunnel
Berlin HauptbahnhofVBB Bahn-Regionalverkehr.svg Berlin U55.svg
Stadtbahn Berlin S5.svg Berlin S7.svg Berlin S75.svg
North–South tunnel
Bundestag
Brandenburger Tor Berlin U55.svg
Unter den Linden
Berlin U6.svg
Kupfergraben
Spreeinsel
Spree
Berliner Rathaus
Alexanderplatz Berlin U5.svg
Stadtbahn Berlin S5.svg Berlin S7.svg Berlin S75.svg VBB Bahn-Regionalverkehr.svg
Berlin U2.svg
Berlin U8.svg
Schillingstraße
Strausberger Platz
Weberwiese
Frankfurter Tor
Samariterstraße
Frankfurter Allee
Ringbahn Berlin S41.svgBerlin S42.svg Berlin S8.svg Berlin S85.svg Berlin S9.svg
Magdalenenstraße
Lichtenberg
Eastern Railway
Wriezen Railway
Berlin S5.svg Berlin S7.svg Berlin S75.svg VBB Bahn-Regionalverkehr.svg
Friedrichsfelde
Tierpark
Biesdorf-Süd
Elsterwerdaer Platz
Berlin S5.svg
Wuhletal
Berlin S5.svg
Kaulsdorf-Nord
Neue Grottkauer Straße
Cottbusser Platz
Hellersdorf
Louis-Lewin-Straße
Hönow

U5 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn. It runs from Alexanderplatz in Mitte eastwards through Friedrichshain, Lichtenberg and Friedrichsfelde, surfaces in Biesdorf-Süd to pass Kaulsdorf and Hellersdorf above ground and finally reaches city limits at Hönow.

U5 at present only connects to other U-bahn lines at its Alexanderplatz terminus, although work is ongoing to extend it across central Berlin to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, providing further U-Bahn and S-Bahn interchanges.

History

Only in 1927 did construction start on Pre WWI era for a rapid transit line underneath Große Frankfurter Straße (the present-day Karl-Marx-Allee). The design was planned and led by Johannes Bousset.[1] The first section between Alexanderplatz and Friedrichsfelde, then named line E, was inaugurated on 21 December 1930 (However, it is not shown on the Pharus-Plan 1930 map).

During the time when Berlin was divided, the U5 was the only line to fall entirely within East Berlin, and the only line to be actively extended by the East German authorities. Work on this extension was started in September 1969. On 6 June 1973, the first extension was opened, to Tierpark station, serving the Tierpark zoo.

The final extension, partly over the route of an abandoned section of the VnK Railway, to the developing areas in the boroughs of Marzahn and Hellersdorf, went into service on 1 July 1988 (Elsterwerdaer Platz) and 1 July 1989 (Hönow). Most of the stations that were built are those from the developers of Docklands Light Railway, Neuperlach Süd station of the Munich U-Bahn and the Konstablerwache station of the Frankfurt U-Bahn.

For the remaining section, starting from Wuhletal where it connects to the S-Bahn, then Kaulsdorf-Nord, Neue Grottkauer Straße, Cottbusser Platz, Hellersdorf, Louis-Lewin-Straße and Hönow. The last two stations, Louis-Lewin-Straße and Hönow were originally in the Frankfurt (Oder) territory. It was subsumed into the Berlin territory since 3 October 1990.

After the unification of East and West Berlin on 1 July 1990 the line was renumbered as U5. Between January 2003 and December 2004, reconstruction was conducted between Alexanderplatz and Friedrichsfelde in order to repair damage dating back to WWII.

Plans

There have long been plans to extend the U5 westward. The short U55 line opened in August 2009, and runs from Berlin Hauptbahnhof via the Bundestag U-Bahn station to Brandenburger Tor station. The designation of the line as U55 indicates that it is ultimately intended to become part of the U5 line.

Construction of the link to enable this commenced in April 2010 and is expected to be completed by 2019.[2] The link will be 2.2 kilometres (1.4 mi) in length, and connect the Brandenburger Tor terminus of the current U55 to the Alexanderplatz terminus of the current U5. Along its route it will serve new U-bahn stations at Berliner Rathaus, Museumsinsel and Unter den Linden, with the latter providing an interchange with line U6.[3][4]

Further planning

In the long term, there are plans to extend from the line from Berlin Hauptbahnhof, via Turmstraße and Jungfernheide to Flughafen Tegel. This plan was postponed due to the route being too long, the pending closure of Tegel Airport and the poor fiscal position of Berlin. An addition to the plan is extension towards Rathaus Reinickendorf via Scharnweberstraße.

At Jungfernheide, two island platforms were constructed for the planned interchange station between U7 and U5. The finished section is used for firefighting exercises in conjunction with airport security and the BVG. Trains that are used include 2712/2713 ('9 Zoolog. Garten') and 2714/2715 (Jakob-Kaiser-Platz), of which they were vandalised with legal spray painting. During the opening of 1980, Jungfernheide was in a deadlock because of the Berlin Wall, that prevented U5 from extending towards the west.

References

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  2. Berliner Woche (2012/04/25) "Baubeginn fuer U5-Tunnel"
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External links

Media related to U5 (Berlin U-Bahn) at Wikimedia Commons