GERMANY: A north-south S-Bahn service through Berlin Hauptbahnhof should be in place by 2016, under plans agreed by the Berlin Senate's Office for Urban Development.
With work expected to start within the next year, the project would see a new Line S21 running off the orbital ring onto the north-south line to Hauptbahnhof from 2015, and onto a southerly extension towards Potsdamer Platz by 2018. A triangular junction would be created between Westhafen and Wedding stations to permit access to Hauptbahnhof from both the northwest and northeast.
The southern extension would run underground alongside the Reichstag, where a dedicated station may be built, to a junction with the existing S-Bahn line from Friedrichstraße towards Potsdamer Platz. A budget of €317m has been set for the project, rising to €330m if the station by the parliament building is included. The federal government has indicated that it would be prepared to fund up to 60% of the project.
