The Berlin Wall (1961 - 1989)
For 29 years between the steep construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and its dramatic fall in 1989, the city existed as an urban entity divided Because cities do not grow their infrastructure waiting to be artificially divided, the development of early 20th century Berlin was partially offset by the abrupt divorce without mentioning the First World War bombing When we imagine the strong human turmoil endured by the people of Berlin during the mandate of the wall, we think of families torn human stories , escape attempts that ended tragic and divergent economic paths that led to remarkably different qualities of life.
But the construction of Berlin Wall not only challenged politically, economically and socially; he posed unusual problems for infrastructure once unified Imagine the division of an American city in two completely different countries today consider the impact of a hostile separation would have on public services, transportation and other infrastructure problems for example, how would function if Chicago El train giant barrier was built in the middle of the loop between the North South This is the kind of problem the Berlin light rail U-Bahn and S Bahn experienced when German authorities is built the wall.
Berlin has grown rapidly from the late 1800s at the time of World War II, and in 1920, it engulfs the surrounding suburbs to become Grand Gross-Berlin Like many growing cities during this period, Berlin used a combination of rail options to reduce traffic congestion planning U-Bahn started in the 1890s, with the first opening of the line in 1902, the S-Bahn began operating in 1924 when previously existing trains above ground was converted from steam power in the electric rail transit friendly double punch packaging of this integrated network transit Berlin was prepared to provide a model for other large cities, especially in hosted the 1936 Olympic Games before World War II, Berlin had a population of over 4 million a summit that has not yet returned.
Bombing of the Second World War, and the subsequent fires and floods, destroyed large parts of U-Bahn Berlin and transport systems by S-Bahn After the war, when the city was occupied jointly by the French allied forces, American, British and Soviet, damaged parts of the U-Bahn and S-Bahn was slowly restored to the core functionality of the relationship increasingly frosty between the Soviet led sector and western sectors, however, public transport in Berlin faces barriers to use day to day, although people from all sectors were allowed to move somewhat freely between areas But as Germany 's has emerged as a communist, separatist entity, some S-Bahn trains from East Berlin refused to stop at stations in West Berlin enclave power their way through the allied sectors to reach German territory is outside the Berlin customs controls initiated by the East Germans and other trapping the political division began to hamper the effectiveness of the system.
When the Berlin Wall appeared in 1961, the public transport system, which was functional but charged, would face even more complex operational challenges the East Germans under Soviet tutelage designed the wall, they called antifaschistischer Schutzwall or anti-fascist protective wall to prevent further emigration to the West in particular by scientists and other intellectuals once it became clear that Berlin would remain a city well divided in the future, planners had to deal with S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines that has been cut or who traveled through enemy territory.
The line U2 is the first instance of a fragmented U-Bahn corridor It was used by West Berliners until it reaches Wittenbergplatz its new terminal is West Berlin Berliners East used their U2 side east of Thalmannplatz the rest of the city Communist A section of track between Wittenbergplatz under Western control and Thalmannplatz controlled eastern slept with four stations are no longer used for line U2 two of the four stations, and Nottendorfplatz Gleisdreleck, were used by other U-Bahn lines in West Berlin on the other two, one was completely abandoned by West German territory Burlowstrasse while the other face a similar fate in Germany is Potsdammerplatz.
But these two unused station U-Bahn are not true Geisterbahnhà CFC or ghost stations This label was reserved for an even more bizarre circumstances involving the U6 and U8 lines, both of which began and ended on the West Berlin territory but went through East Berlin the East German authorities allowed the other Western trains from moving in the corridors on the Communist territory; However, all of East Berlin stations were closed and stops have been eliminated to enhance safety, the tunnels were narrowed and trains had to slow down considerably as the West Germans watched their subway cars, they saw the strange sight of closed platforms, dimly lit and guarded by armed police Imagine traveling through hostile territory in a subway car for your daily commute.
The U8 had six of those ghost stations in East Berlin five were totally STOP Bernauerstrasse, Rosenthaler Platz, Weinmeisterstrase, Jannowitzbrà  CKE, and Heinrich-Heine-Strasse A sixth station, Alexanderplatz, was partly a ghost station where access was blocked for Western U8 while the East Germans continued to ride their S-Bahn U5 and U2 lines there.
Riders on the western U6 passed through five ghost stations, four of which have been fully Schwartzkopffstraße closed Nordbahnhof now Zinnowitzerstrasse, Oranienburger and Französisch  sischestrasse The fifth ghost station U6 was Stadtmitte, who was still working for the line East German U2 many East Berliners were quite aware of the U-Bahn ghost stations, since the Communist regime did not create interest in Western trains passing through their territory often unbeknownst to the oppressed residents East Berlin, trains carrying their free counterparts were just on the other side of a wall in the stations as Stadtmitte and Alexanderplatz.
Operating S-Bahn trains after the wall was built as passed by the ghost stations Bahn North-South, for example, began and ended in West Berlin, but crossed five East Berlin stations without stopping several U-Bahn ghost stations were also S- Bahn ghost stations on the North-South Bahn including Nordbahnhof and Potsdammerplatz.
The entire S-Bahn system was actually operated by the East German government until 1984, although much ran through West Berlin to show their disapproval for the wall, many West Berliners boycotted the S-Bahn on their side, which resulted in delapidated stations that have become havens for West Berlin residents criminals were reluctant to pay the price for what was essentially the east German government, they created bus lines that ran along similar paths, because stations have been neglected and roads have been underutilized, most online S-Bahn services was abandoned by the Germans from the east, not to be resumed before reunification scenario was really strange, after all, the reluctant west German S-Bahn employees often worked for the German government.
An anomaly of final transit of years the Berlin Wall was the Friedrichstrasse station Located in East Berlin, but serves as the transfer point between S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines, it was the station on the Communist territory where Berliners West were allowed to land treaties trains as passengers on a stopover in an international airport, West Berliners could linger briefly within the station before their connection and return to their part Berlin Friedrichstrasse received this special status because it was the transfer point between the West U6 discussed above and several Western S-Bahn trains Although the resort also has transmission lines in east Germany, he there was a barrier separating the two sides, which makes the two separate stations only strict control center borders, as Checkpoint Charlie, authorized travel between the parts East German and West German station.
The two sides have expanded their half of the U-Bahn system in the years of wall, causing a curious growth, Congruent of West Berliners lines built some entirely new lines on their exclusive territory, including U9 Once the Germany was reunified, transit officials had to reconstruct the two back together systems, even if they had evolved separately for nearly 30 years.
A number of ghost stations were brought back to life, including Potsdammerplatz stations abandoned U2 have also been reopened, which makes the line Repeat The walls are down to Alexanderplatz and Stadtmitte to reveal the trains on the other side, a surprise to some East Berliners especially the S-bahn stations once-abandoned the former West Berlin have been redesigned the expensive task divergent infrastructures occupied reintegration of transportation planners together for much of the 1990s.
Today, the U-Bahn system has 9 lines, while the S-Bahn system has 17 concert work lines under a single tariff structure, these systems are intertwined arteries transit of the new Berlin, but the heritage of the city is unusual past will always linger.
Berlin UBahn and SBahn History Berlin Wall, berlin wall, the East German government.