A100 to S-Bahn: Where Berliners are facing travel disruptions this spring
Amid the hum of activity that tends to kick off in the warmer months, several big construction projects are affecting Berlin transport in almost all corners of the city.
For the coming months - and in some cases even coming years - commuters will have to navigate disruptions on popular roads and transport routes. Here's the lowdown on local disruptions.
A100: Motorway and S-Bahn disruption
Since the middle of March, major renovations on the crumbling A100 bridge in Charlottenburg have been underway after a widening crack was discovered.
The works affect the
Funkturm
motorway junction - one of the busiest stretches of road in the country - that connects the A100 with the A115. The bridge is currently closed to northbound traffic, with an emergency lane set up on the opposite carriageway for people travelling in the direction of Spandau.
Heavy goods vehicles are not allowed to use the emergency lane and must take a wide diversion via Berlin's A10 ring-road or through the streets of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Due to the closed lanes, heavy traffic and long delays are also expected in this area.
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Due to safety concerns, a stretch of S-Bahn track that runs under the bridge has also been cordoned off. S41 and S42 Ringbahn trains run between Tempelhof and Halensee at 10-minute intervals, while a rail replacement bus services will connect Halensee and Westend. For those wanting to transfer to the S3, S5, S7 and S9, a service between Halensee and Charlottenburg runs every 20 minutes.
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The S46 is also affected, with the train from Königs Wursterhausen now terminating at Bundesplatz.
In order to limit disruption for commuters, Berlin mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) is pushing for "round the clock" work on the site, and Transport Minister Volker Wissing has poured €150 million into the repairs. However, it appears the bridge will have to be completely dismantled and rebuilt - which Wegner believes will take at least two years.
Heavy traffic on Berlin's A100 motorway in Charlottenburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Soeren Stache
Diversions on A115 near Potsdam
If you regularly travel by car between Berlin and Potsdam-Babelsberg, be sure to bring some positive mantras with you and a fair bit of patience. On the A115 motorway - which normally has three lanes open in Brandenburg and two in Berlin - a number of lanes are closed between the city limits and Spanische Allee in Zehlendorf, causing traffic to grind to a halt.
Exit and entry lanes here have also been closed for construction. The scale of disruption means that motorists should expect agonising waits in this part of town - and not just during rush hour. If you still have some patience left, you'll need it, as the work isn't due to end until July 2026.
Temporary U12 between East and West
The short-term U12, which recently started running between Ruhleben and Warschauer Straße, looks set to stay in service until June amid disruption on the U1, U2 and U3.
The U12 is a kind of Frankenstein's U-bahn cobbled together out of parts of the U2 (between Ruhleben and Wittenbergplatz) and U1 (between Wittenbergplatz and Warschauer Straße).
A map of the temporary U12 line in Berlin. Source: BVG
The actual U1 is only running on a small part of the track in the West between Uhlandstraße and Wittenbergplatz, meaning commuters must switch to the U12 to continue eastwards. Similarly, the U3 only is only running as far as Nollendorfplatz.
Those hoping to switch onto the U2 will need to do so at Gleisdreieck, where the route splits off from the U2 and takes passengers towards to Pankow. Bülowstraße will be closed for construction, but the M48 and M85 buses will take passengers to U-Kurfürstendamm.
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Construction at Hauptbahnhof
Since the middle of February, just four of the eight platforms on the underground level of Berlin's central station have been useable. This is having a knock-on effect on timetables.
Commuters travelling on regional trains from Hauptbahnhof are advised to check for diversions or other changes to their route before travelling - especially if their train normally leaves from the lower floor.
One major adjustment is that the RB23 between Potsdam and BER airport now runs every two hours rather than hourly, so be sure to check the times if you need to catch a flight.
Work on the lower platforms will run until April 22nd.
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S-Bahn Wollankstraße
In the north of the city, another bridge renovation is causing headaches for local residents. In March, a 3.5-year project to rebuild the Wollankstraße S-Bahn bridge began, kicking off months of travel delays and adjustments.
In the latest phase, which will run until June, the northbound platform at Wollankstraße has been closed, meaning passengers here can only take S-Bahn trains in one direction - toward the city centre.
Workers lay new rails during previous construction on the Berlin S-Bahn near Wollankstraße. The railway overpass here will be rebuilt over the next 3 years, with serious disruptions reported during the month of March, and replacement services to follow. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Max Nikelski
Passengers travelling to Wollankstraße from the city will need to travel further, to the station to S-Schönholz and then take the train back in the opposite direction. Passengers travelling north from Wollankstraße need to travel one station south to S-Bornholmer Straße and then take a northbound train from there.
A number of bus stops around Wollankstraße station - including the M27 and 255 - have also been relocated for the time being.
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U6 rail replacement
Residents of Wedding or Reinickendorf will know the drill by now: the northern stretch of the U6 has been closed since 2022, and there are still no signs of it reopening.
In concrete terms, this means that trains continue to terminate at Kurt-Schumacher-Platz, with a rail replacement bus covering the last six stations to Alt-Tegel.
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In classic Berlin style, the timetable for finishing the work is vague: on the BVG website, it informs passengers that the U6 will be closed "until further notice". The transport operator had previously set its sights on 2026 for a potential reopening.
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