New Berlin U-Bahn line
 

Despite all the turmoil concerning the S-Bahn problems, there IS some good news for tourists in Berlin's transit system this summer.

A new U-Bahn (subway, Underground) line is to officially open on August 8th: the U55 from Hauptbahnhof to Brandenburg Gate, with a stop at a new station: Bundestag. This is the first part of a planned extension of the U5 from Alexanderplatz to Hauptbahnhof.

The U55 will be quite handy for tourists: a quick way of getting from the Hauptbahnhof to the government quarter and Brandenburg Gate and a good connection from Hauptbahnhof to the north-south S-Bahn lines at Brandenburger Tor (new name for both the U-Bahn station and the S-Bahn station formerly called Unter den Linden).

The grand opening on August 8th is expected to attract tens of thousands of people. There's going to be a big public opening party from 11:00 to 21:00 in the U-Bahn stations Bundestag and Hauptbahnhof, a stage with music and dance performances in Bundestag station, and clowns for the kiddies. Rides on the new U-Bahn will be free on opening day, and souvenir tickets are to be issued.

Thanks for the information which is exactly to the point.

However, from a Berliner's perspective this is currently the most useless subway we have. It is not linked at all to the subway network and will not be for the next few years (maybe for ever). To get from Berlin Hauptbahnhof to Brandenburg Gate I do not need to undertake the hazzle of a subway trip but simply jump on a TXL bus which does the same trick overground an might take two minutes more of travel time (but which is easier to navigate and does not force me underground). If you want to go further than Brandenburg Gate you need to do this anyway.

As you said, they plan to connect this U55 to the U5 from Alexanderplatz to Hörnow (a route most tourists would never use). However, we still cannot be certain when or even whether this will happen at all.

This route seems to be equally useless for a tourist: Why go underground from Hauptbahnhof to Bundestag/Brandenburg Gate when it's just a 10-15 minute walk across the river, through the park and past the Kanzleramt (things a tourist might enjoy seeing)?

Wouldn't the state have to pay a lot of money it doesn't have back to the Feds if it doesn't start work on the extension to the Alexanderplatz by next year?

Agree, it would make much more sense to continue building on the other end, and connect the Hbf/U55 to the heavily-used U9 at Turmstrasse (where the 'U5' station is partly built already). And I'm sure that they will do something with the area TXL occupies once the airport closes that may merit a subway connection...

I fully agree with you guys that this track is totally useless. It was extreamly expensive and a waste of tax money IMHO.

Back in 2004 I visited the construction site and by that time I thought that they'll finish it rather soon. Unbelievable that it took them another 5 years to get things done.

BTW: If you don't have any luggage the Brandenburger Tor is within walking distance to the Bundestag and Hauptbahnhof anyway.

And if you have luggage you can use the TXL bus - one of the few locations you would go to with luggage appears to be the Adlon. I wonder whether Adlon's customers would take either the sub or the bus :D

"From well informed quarters" one could hear, that due to some changes in the construction plans, that this will never (be possible to) happen.

Pls. no. ;) I own a bunch of appartments along the U5 and we are desperately waiting for the connect....

I was in Berlin earlier this week and rode the U55 on the first (free) day of service, when there were huge crowds of joy-riders. On Monday, the first day of normal weekday service, the trains were well patronized, with what appeared to be many tourists (with luggage) and office workers (with briefcases). I also can't see much purpose in the line right now, but as one poster noted, the city of Berlin would have to repay federal construction funds if it hadn't started in service. The same applies to the "Stammbahn," where federal funds were used to build a connection to the north-south mainline leading to the new Hauptbahnhof. The impoverished city/state now doesn't want to rebuild the "Stammbahn" (a line through south Berlin from Potsdam to the main station), and the federal government is asking for its money back.

The U55 likely will be beneficial for tourists as the rail network is somewhat easier to focus on and understand than other concepts, like walking distance or bus options. Thus, someone at the Hauptbahnhof could easily see the rail option if desiring to go to the Brandenburg Gate, while figuring out where and how the buses might run is a bit more complicated.

This doesn't mean that the other options aren't good ones.