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U8 (Berlin U-Bahn)
Encyclopedia
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| Length | 18 km (11.2 mi) |
| Stations served | 24 |
| Profile | Großprofil (large profile) |
| Line opened | 17 July 1927 |
| Line completed | 13 July 1996 |
| U8 designation | 28 February 1966 |
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U8 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn
Berlin U-Bahn
The Berlin is a rapid transit railway in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, and is a major part of the public transport system of that city. Opened in 1902, the serves 173 stations spread across ten lines, with a total track length of , about 80% of which is underground...
. It has 24 stations and is 18.1 km long. The U8 is one of two north–south Berlin U-Bahn lines, and runs from Wittenau
Wittenau
Wittenau is a German locality within the borough of Reinickendorf, Berlin.-History:Originally named Dalldorf it was first mentioned in 1332...
to Neukölln via Gesundbrunnen
Gesundbrunnen
Gesundbrunnen is a locality of Berlin in the borough of Mitte. It was created as a separate entity by the 2001 administrative reform, formerly the eastern half of the former Wedding district and locality...
. The original proposal was for a suspended monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
like the Wuppertal Schwebebahn.
Colouring and Naming
The U8 line has had dark blue as its distinguishing colour since it first opened in 1927. It initially ran between Gesundbrunnen and Neukölln and was therefore known as the GN-Bahn. Until 1966 it was designated the D line; when the U-Bahn then changed to a numeric designation system, it was renamed Line 8. In 1984, the letter U was added as part of efforts to better distinguish the S-Bahn from the U-Bahn.Gesundbrunnen to Neukölln: the GN-Bahn
In 1902, a NurembergNuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
company, the Continentale Gesellschaft für elektrische Unternehmungen, approached Berlin's executive council, the Magistrat, about building a monorail
Monorail
A monorail is a rail-based transportation system based on a single rail, which acts as its sole support and its guideway. The term is also used variously to describe the beam of the system, or the vehicles traveling on such a beam or track...
like the one that had already been built in Elberfeld-Barmen (now part of Wuppertal)
Wuppertal
Wuppertal is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in and around the Wupper river valley, and is situated east of the city of Düsseldorf and south of the Ruhr area. With a population of approximately 350,000, it is the largest city in the Bergisches Land...
. Their preferred route ran from Gesundbrunnen to Rixdorf (later renamed Neukölln). However, the Magistrat and city council were sceptical about the project, above all fearing accidents.
In 1907, AEG
AEG
Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau....
made a competing proposal for almost the same route, in the form of an underground line within the city and an elevated railway in the suburban districts. After lengthy negotiations, in March 1912 the City of Berlin and AEG finally agreed upon a contract for the construction and operation of the line. Agreement was ultimately reached under considerable time pressure, because planning authority in matters of transport was to pass in April 1912 to the Greater Berlin Association and their position on this project was undetermined.
The line was to begin as elevated track on Schwedenstraße and then continue to Humboldthain via Badstraße. From there it would run underground to Hermannplatz via Brunnenstraße, Rosenthaler Straße, Weinmeisterstraße, Münzstraße, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Straße, Neue Friedrichstraße, Brückenstraße, Neanderstraße, Dresdener Straße, Luisenufer, Reichenberger Straße, Kottbusser Straße and Kottbusser Damm. AEG intended to build the line for the wider of the two train formats, known as Großprofil (large profile), like the first north-south line.
Construction began in 1912. Like Siemens
Siemens
Siemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
, AEG had formed a subsidiary elevated railway company, AEG-Schnellbahn-AG. However, in the short period before and during the First World War, only a few tunnel sections were completed, among them the tunnel under the River Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
, between the Waisenbrücke and the Jannowitzbrücke. Finally, AEG's financial situation became so difficult that they ceased all construction work in October 1919. Thereupon the City of Berlin brought a successful legal action against AEG, as a result of which AEG-Schnellbahn-AG was liquidated. The city then received all the tunnel sections which had been built and planned to complete the line itself, but was at the time still in the process of constructing the first north-south U-Bahn.
At that time plans were considered for eventually extending the line, some of them adventurous, for example a connection to the Heidekrautbahn railway to the north and another to the Neukölln-Mittenwald Railway to the south, so that theoretically a mass transit line would have been created extending from Groß Schönebeck in Schorfheide through Berlin to Mittenwalde
Mittenwalde
Mittenwalde is a town in the Dahme-Spreewald district, in Brandenburg, Germany. It is situated 30 km southeast of Berlin ....
.
Work did not resume on the GN-Bahn until 1926. The change of oversight had advantages for Berlin, because it made it possible to correct some sections of the route, for example, the northern elevated section, which was entirely eliminated, and the location of the tunnel at the Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
.
The first work was on the southern portion of the GN-Bahn, so that service began on 17 July 1927 between Boddinstraße and Schönleinstraße. Between these stations was the Hermannplatz station
Hermannplatz (Berlin U-Bahn)
Hermannplatz is a station in the Neukölln district of Berlin which serves as an interchange between the lines and . Operated by the BVG, it is one of the busiest stations on the Berlin U-Bahn system.-History:...
, which had been built as part of the simultaneous construction of the first north-south U-Bahn, finished 4 years earlier; here passengers were now for the first time able to transfer from one "large profile" (wide-body) line to another. A switching track was built between the two.
Construction then progressed north. At the Kottbusser Tor station
Kottbusser Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
Kottbusser Tor is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the and . Many Berliners use the affectionate term Kotti.It is located in central Kreuzberg. The area has a bad reputation for the relatively high, mainly drug-related crime rate, instances of which have recently become quite rare in most other...
, the existing elevated station was relocated to make changing trains easier. Operation of the trunk line continued on wooden trestles.
It now seemed natural to continue the line via Dresdener Straße and the Oranienplatz to Neanderstraße (now Heinrich-Heine-Straße
Heinrich-Heine-Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Heinrich-Heine-Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn station on the , located under the street of the same name in Mitte, and protected as an architectural landmark...
) - perhaps too natural: the stretch to Kottbusser Tor would have been very short. In addition, noting the Karstadt
Karstädt
Karstädt is a municipality in the Prignitz district, in Brandenburg, Germany....
store at Hermannplatz, the Wertheim
Wertheim (department store)
Wertheim was a large department store chain in pre-WWII Germany. It was founded by Georg Wertheim and operated four stores in Berlin, one in Rostock, one in Stralsund , and one in Breslau....
department store had realised the advantages of a connection to the U-Bahn and reputedly paid 5 million Reichsmarks for a change in the plans. The GN-Bahn would now be diverted to Moritzplatz
Moritzplatz (Berlin U-Bahn)
Moritzplatz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Peter Behrens constructed this unusual subway station in Berlin in 1928. It was closed shortly in 1945 and from 1961 it was last station in West Berlin from whom the train had to pass eastern territory until Gesundbrunnen.-Overview:It is...
and then round a sharp curve to Neanderstraße. So Wertheim in Moritzplatz also acquired an entrance from the U-Bahn. The shell of a station at Oranienplatz, which had already been constructed by AEG, remains unused to the present day.
After Moritzplatz, the route follows the Neanderstraße and provisionally terminated at the station of that name (renamed Heinrich-Heine-Straße
Heinrich-Heine-Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Heinrich-Heine-Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn station on the , located under the street of the same name in Mitte, and protected as an architectural landmark...
in 1960). The segment between Schönleinstraße
Schönleinstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Schönleinstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Opened in 1928 and designed by Grenander it was shortly closed in 1945 and renamed in 1951 to Kottbusser Damm. In 1992 the station was named Schönleinstrasse again.-References:...
and Neanderstraße was opened on 12 February 1928 as far as Kottbusser Tor and on 6 April of the same year to Neanderstraße. A year later, an additional station opened south of Boddinstraße, Leinestraße
Leinestraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Leinestraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .The station was built by Alfred Grenander and A.Fehse in 1929. In the 30s the southern tunnel was elongated and it served as air raid protection....
(in August 1929).
Beyond the Neanderstraße station was the previously constructed tunnel under the Spree. However, since this needed to be altered and the Jannowitzbrücke was in bad condition, a completely new bridge was constructed with a new U-Bahn crossing beneath it. The old tunnel was later put to use for a service connection between the U5 and U8 (sometimes called the "orphan tunnel").
The U-Bahn construction at Alexanderplatz took a long time, because the opportunity was taken to completely re-design the square. Some adjustments were also made to the line of the route, and the GN-Bahn thus appreciably better integrated into the remainder of the public transport system.
At Alexanderplatz, a large transfer terminal was created for the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, trams and buses. At that time also, the so-called "mother of all underground shopping concourses" was created. Today, in contrast, it seems rather small in comparison to, for example, the arcade at the Hauptwache station
Frankfurt (Main) Hauptwache station
Hauptwache station is a major station in Frankfurt am Main with 181,000 passengers per day, making it the second busiest rapid transit station in the city and a major hub for rail transport in the Frankfurt/Rhine-Main region. It is served by eight S-Bahn lines—S1–S6 and S8/S9—and 6 U-Bahn...
in Frankfurt.
Alexanderplatz station now has the form of an 'H'. The eastern leg of the 'H' is the U-Bahn station already opened in 1913 for what is today the U2. The western leg is the GN-Bahn station (today the U8). The crosspiece is the U-Bahn under the Frankfurter Allee
Frankfurter Allee
The Frankfurter Allee is one of the oldest roads of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It extends the Karl-Marx-Allee from Frankfurter Tor in the direction of the city of Frankfurt . It is part of Bundesstraße 1 and has a length of ....
, then under construction. Two platforms were built, used by what is today the U5 and projected to be used by a planned line from Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz
Potsdamer Platz is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin, Germany, lying about one kilometre south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag , and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park...
to Weissensee.
There were no further major problems; for the most part, AEG tunnels already existed. The section from Neanderstraße to Gesundbrunnen opened on 18 April 1930.
As with the other wide-format line, operation was transferred to the elevated railway company.
An ill-fated line
After the building of the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
in 1961, Line U8 was not in a good situation. It began with 6 stations in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
, followed by an equally long section under the territory of East Berlin
East Berlin
East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. It consisted of the Soviet sector of Berlin that was established in 1945. The American, British and French sectors became West Berlin, a part strongly associated with West Germany but a free city...
('ghost stations') and ended at Gesundbrunnen station after 2 more stations in the western sector. As a result, the line was of little use for public transport, and in addition was always potentially open to disruption by the GDR.
In 1962, plans crystallised for a new residential district in West Berlin, the Märkisches Viertel
Märkisches Viertel
Märkisches Viertel is a German locality in the borough of Reinickendorf in Berlin.-Overview:It consists of a large housing estate of about 17,000 apartments with chains of high-rises up to 16 floors that were built from 1964 to 1974 by the GeSoBau Gesellschaft für sozialen Wohnungsbau...
. Like Gropiusstadt
Gropiusstadt
Gropiusstadt is a locality within the Berlin borough of Neukölln. It was named after the architect who projected the complex: Walter Gropius.-History:...
, this ought naturally to have U-Bahn service. The S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
to Frohnau
Frohnau
Frohnau is a locality in the Reinickendorf borough of Berlin, Germany. It lies in the extreme northern part of the city.- History :Founded in 1910, Frohnau was created whole as a planned community, corresponding to the early twentieth century idea of a Garden City...
, which passed nearby, was ignored; West Berliners boycotted it because it was operated by the Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
, an arm of the GDR government, plus the East Germans did not have money to spend building a new station. After extensive deliberation, it was decided to extend Line 8.
When Line 9 was extended to Osloer Straße
Osloer Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Osloer Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn station in the Gesundbrunnen district, located on the and . Like the eponymous street it is named after the City of Oslo....
, a lower-level platform for the U8 was constructed at the same time. Work on that extension began in 1973, and the 1.4 km extension was opened on 5 October 1977.
Beyond the Gesundbrunnen station, the line continues under Badstraße. At the junction with Pankstraße a station was built also called Pankstraße. The Pankstraße U-Bahn station
Pankstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Pankstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the U8. It was opened on October 5, 1977 with the line's extension from Gesundbrunnen to Osloer Straße. The station's name derives from its location: It sits under the intersection of Pankstraße and Badstraße.The actual spelling of the station's...
was constructed to also be usable as a shelter, for example in case of war. So the station has sanitary facilities, an emergency kitchen, a filtered ventilation system, etc. In an emergency it can shelter exactly 3,339 people. The additional costs were paid by the Federal Ministry of Finance. The walls were tiled in brown and the columns clad in aluminium sheeting. One curiosity remains at Pankstraße station: the silver letters affixed to the walls spell the name "Pankstrasse", not according to the correct German spelling, "Pankstraße".
The line then continues along Schwedenstraße to the previously prepared Osloer Straße station
Osloer Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Osloer Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn station in the Gesundbrunnen district, located on the and . Like the eponymous street it is named after the City of Oslo....
. A service track was added here so that now trains can also be transferred from the U8 to the U9.
Not until 10 years later, on 27 April 1987, was it possible to open the next section of the line, to Paracelsus-Bad
Paracelsus-Bad (Berlin U-Bahn)
Paracelsus-Bad is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Designed by R.G.Rümmler and opened in 1987 it was named after the philosopher Paracelsus and the nearby bath....
(construction had begun in 1980). The extensions on the other lines had proceeded significantly faster; here work lasted an unusually long time.
After Osloer Straße station, the line continues along Schwedenstraße, which changes its name to Residenzstraße shortly before it intersects Reginardstraße. A station was built near the Schäfersee lake. There were many disputes over what to name it; the name finally agreed upon is Franz-Neumann-Platz (Am Schäfersee)
Franz-Neumann-Platz (Berlin U-Bahn)
Franz-Neumann-Platz is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Opened in 1987 and build by R.G.Rümmler this station should originally be named Schäfersee. However politicians convinced the BVG to put the name of a famous SPD chairman inside....
(Franz-Neumann-Platz (at the Schäfersee). Like the following stations on the line, this station bears the unmistakable stamp of station architect Rainer Rümmler. On its walls are trees, intended to symbolise the parkland surrounding the lake.
To better integrate the line into the district of Reinickendorf
Reinickendorf (locality)
Reinickendorf is a locality of Berlin in the borough of Reinickendorf. It had a population of 72,859 in 2008.-Geography:...
, it then detours slightly, not continuing beneath the industrial area to the Wilhelmsruh S-Bahn station
Berlin-Wilhelmsruh railway station
Berlin-Wilhelmsruh is a railway station in the neighbourhood of Wilhelmsruh, in the city of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and a local bus.-External links:*...
, but instead taking a route via the Karl Bonhoeffer Neuropsychiatric Clinic and the Reinickendorf town hall. It then continues under Residenzstraße, where again a station of that name was built, makes a wide curve under the junction of Residenzstraße and Lindauer Allee, and a few hundred metres later comes to the Paracelsus-Bad station
Paracelsus-Bad (Berlin U-Bahn)
Paracelsus-Bad is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Designed by R.G.Rümmler and opened in 1987 it was named after the philosopher Paracelsus and the nearby bath....
.
Residenzstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Residenzstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Opened in 1987 this station should resemble a residence, the Berliner Stadtschloss. With ornaments on the floor, pompous columns, mirrors and golden capitals this was accomplished . The motifs on the walls show plans of Berlin, the old...
, intended to be reminiscent of the Berlin Imperial palace, is decorated with plans of the now destroyed Stadtschloß. The supporting pillars are decorated in very bright colours and probably intended to evoke the rich carpets of the residence. Paracelsus-Bad station was designed to evoke associations with the nearby swimming baths. In addition there are pictures on the wall, one of which shows the doctor and philosopher Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
(Theophrastus Bombastus von Hohenheim).
This new section of the line was actually intended to be inaugurated on the precise 750th anniversary of the city of Berlin, 30 April 1987. However, since the festivities that day were to begin with a celebration at the ICC
Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin
The Internationales Congress Centrum Berlin , located in the Westend locality of the Berlin borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, is one of the largest conference centres in the world...
, the then Executive Mayor, Eberhard Diepgen
Eberhard Diepgen
Eberhard Diepgen is a German politician of the CDU. He studied law at the Free University of Berlin. He was mayor of West Berlin from 1984 to 1989 and a reunited Berlin from 1991 to 2001.-References:...
, would not be able to attend and hence the opening was brought forward by 3 days. Once more, a long time passed before the next extension of the line towards Märkisches Viertel. It was 1994 before it was possible to take the U8 to the Wittenau S-Bahn station.
Completion of the U8
Märkisches Viertel
Märkisches Viertel is a German locality in the borough of Reinickendorf in Berlin.-Overview:It consists of a large housing estate of about 17,000 apartments with chains of high-rises up to 16 floors that were built from 1964 to 1974 by the GeSoBau Gesellschaft für sozialen Wohnungsbau...
had been promised a U-Bahn connection ever since the late 1960s. After examination of several options, the decision was to extend the U8. By 1987, two stages in this extension had been completed: Gesundbrunnen – Osloer Straße
Osloer Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Osloer Straße is a Berlin U-Bahn station in the Gesundbrunnen district, located on the and . Like the eponymous street it is named after the City of Oslo....
and Osloer Straße – Paracelsus-Bad
Paracelsus-Bad (Berlin U-Bahn)
Paracelsus-Bad is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .Designed by R.G.Rümmler and opened in 1987 it was named after the philosopher Paracelsus and the nearby bath....
. The third stage still remained to be built. After the Berlin Transport Company, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe
The is the main public transport company of Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It manages the city's U-Bahn underground railway, tram, bus and ferry networks, but not the S-Bahn urban rail system....
, took over operation of the S-Bahn
Berlin S-Bahn
The Berlin S-Bahn is a rapid transit system in and around Berlin, the capital city of Germany. It consists of 15 lines and is integrated with the mostly underground U-Bahn to form the backbone of Berlin's rapid transport system...
in West Berlin and the Frohnau section of line was reopened on 1 October 1984, there was increasing criticism of the U8 extension, which would run almost parallel to the S-Bahn. However, the Senate of West Berlin
Senate of Berlin
The Senate of Berlin is the executive body governing the city of Berlin, which at the same time is a state of Germany. According to the Constitution of Berlin the Senate consists of the Governing Mayor of Berlin and up to eight Senators appointed by the Governing Mayor, two of whom are appointed ...
was not to be dissuaded and resumed construction on the U-Bahn. Even a directive from the government of the Federal Republic
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
in Bonn to instead invest in badly needed renovations of the S-Bahn, coupled with a warning that subsidies to Berlin would be reduced, was dismissed with the argument that cessation of the U-Bahn construction would cause severe economic harm to the city.
Ground was broken on 27 February 1985, while the preceding segment of the U8 was also still under construction. The intended terminus of the third stage of the line extension was Wilhelmsruher Damm, near the Wittenau S-Bahn station. This was apparently to distinguish the U-Bahn from the S-Bahn. Only shortly before dedication of the new segment did the Senate correct the name of the station, which has since been called Wittenau (Wilhelmsruher Damm)
Wittenau (Berlin U-Bahn)
Berlin-Wittenau is a railway station in the Wittenau district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn and numerous local buses...
, but is commonly known simply as Wittenau.
After Paracelsus-Bad, the line continues under Lindauer Allee to Lindauer Allee station
Lindauer Allee (Berlin U-Bahn)
Lindauer Allee is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the in Berlin, Germany.In 1994 opened by R.G.Rümmler designed. The stations color in green with trees on the walls as a reference to Lindau . Mentionable is the gallery with the balustrade which you can only find in Berlin at the station Rathaus...
, the only one on the U8 to have outside platforms. After a long curve, the U8 is running under the S-Bahn. The location of the next station requires a long walk to transfer between the two. There was also disagreement concerning the name of this station: the S-Bahn station at this point was called Wittenau (Kremmener Bahn), to distinguish it from Wittenau (Nordbahn) (which is now Wittenau (Wilhelmsruher Damm) to match the U-Bahn station). The U-Bahn station was to be called Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik
Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik (Berlin U-Bahn)
Berlin Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik is a railway station in the Wittenau district of Berlin, Germany. It is served by the Berlin S-Bahn, the line of the Berlin U-Bahn and named after the adjacent psychiatric hospital...
after the psychiatric clinic. This was a mouthful that was only slowly accepted. On the S-Bahn, to this day "Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik" is announced but the shorter "Karl-Bonhoeffer-Klinik" appears on signs. The subway line then continues under the clinic. To minimise disturbance, this stretch of tunnel was excavated using a shield
Tunnelling shield
A tunnelling shield is a protective structure used in the excavation of tunnels through soil that is too soft or fluid to remain stable during the time it takes to line the tunnel with a support structure of concrete, cast iron or steel...
, and rubber sound baffling was also needed. This attracted repeated criticism from those who would have preferred open tunnelling with shoring up of buildings. Other problems also arose during construction of this stretch of line: the Brandenburg sand made work particularly difficult and numerous oversized boulders (glacial erratic
Glacial erratic
A glacial erratic is a piece of rock that differs from the size and type of rock native to the area in which it rests. "Erratics" take their name from the Latin word errare, and are carried by glacial ice, often over distances of hundreds of kilometres...
s) caused delays.
After Karl-Bonhoeffer-Nervenklinik the U8 turns onto Eichborndamm, where the Rathaus Reinickendorf station
Rathaus Reinickendorf (Berlin U-Bahn)
Rathaus Reinickendorf is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .It was designed in 1994 by architect R.G.Rümmler.-References:...
was built. 1,101 m further, it reaches its current and probably ultimate terminus, Wittenau. The intention still remains today to extend this line to Märkisches Viertel. However, as with other U-Bahn construction projects, the extreme budgetary crisis in the state of Berlin is preventing further construction.
The completed extension, which is 3.6 km long and comprises 4 new stations, was opened on 24 September 1994. Construction cost 600 million DM. As with other newly built sections of the U-Bahn in this period, Rainer Rümmler was responsible for the design of the stations. Critics say that this section would represent his peak, but that Rümmler had a tendency to excess. This is particularly evident in the Lindauer Allee station
Lindauer Allee (Berlin U-Bahn)
Lindauer Allee is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the in Berlin, Germany.In 1994 opened by R.G.Rümmler designed. The stations color in green with trees on the walls as a reference to Lindau . Mentionable is the gallery with the balustrade which you can only find in Berlin at the station Rathaus...
, where he primarily made use of the symbol on the coat of arms of the city of Lindau
Lindau
Lindau is a Bavarian town and an island on the eastern side of Lake Constance, the Bodensee. It is the capital of the Landkreis or rural district of Lindau. The historic city of Lindau is located on an island which is connected with the mainland by bridge and railway.- History :The name Lindau was...
, the linden tree. At the Wittenau U-Bahn station, the colours green and yellow were supposed to radiate a certain peace, which he associated with the intended station name Wilhelmsruher Damm.
Plans for a U-Bahn to the Hermannstraße S-Bahn station had existed since 1910. When the so-called GN-Bahn was opening in stages between 1927 and 1930, plans to extend it were not abandoned. The first work on a southwards extension began in 1929; but the economic crisis prevented its continuation. Ultimately, the City of Berlin cancelled the project in 1931. At that point, the tunnel from the Leinestraße station
Leinestraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Leinestraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station located on the .The station was built by Alfred Grenander and A.Fehse in 1929. In the 30s the southern tunnel was elongated and it served as air raid protection....
and approximately one third of the future platform for the Hermannstraße station
Hermannstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)
Berlin Hermannstraße is a railway station in the Neukölln district of Berlin. It is served by the S-Bahn lines , , , and and the U-Bahn line , of which it is the southern terminus...
had been completed.
In 1940 the station, still only a shell, was converted into an air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelter
Air-raid shelters, also known as bomb shelters, are structures for the protection of the civil population as well as military personnel against enemy attacks from the air...
, since it was located very deep underground because the line crossed under the Ringbahn, which at this point runs in a cutting. To this day, relics in the station recall that time.
After 1961, the extension plans were no longer pursued, since there was no demand for transfer capability to the S-Bahn, operated by the GDR's Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn
Deutsche Reichsbahn was the name of the following two companies:* Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German Imperial Railways during the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich and the immediate aftermath...
. Berlin Transport used the stubs of tunnel which had already been built to park surplus trains.
After reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990, many things seemed possible. The S-Bahn Ringbahn, shut down by the Reichsbahn after a 1980 strike, was to be re-opened. The re-opening was scheduled for 17 December 1993, which meant that the Senate and Berlin Transport had to work very fast, because construction had to begin on the U-Bahn before the Ringbahn re-opened. During work on the station, the trains which had been parked there in the 1960s were discovered. Many U-Bahn fans were delighted that one of the discoveries was an antique BI train.
The work included renovation of the old tunnel and existing platform section as well as construction of the remainder of the platform and a 320-meter turnaround beyond it to the south. In addition, transfer access to the S-Bahn platform above and possible stairways to a planned regional station had to be accommodated.
Finally, on 13 July 1996, the 168th Berlin U-Bahn station opened. Here too, Rainer Rümmler was responsible for the design of the station, incidentally for the last time. He referred very strongly to the stations on the preceding stretch of line and designed a very sparse station lined with turquoise tiles. So that the historic shelter signs would remain visible, glass was substituted for the tiles in some places.
With the commissioning of this station, the U8 reached what is up to now its final form. Even though an extension to Märkisches Viertel is planned, it is unlikely that it will become a reality for decades. The previously planned extension towards Britz was cancelled because the U7 follows a parallel route.
External links
- Die Bahnhöfe der U8 at untergrundbahn.de