Berlin's oldest rail line, abandoned since World War II, is scheduled for a revival as a regional commuter line over the next few years, adding service for Berlin's southwestern suburbs and freeing up mainline tracks for added service.
The 'Stammbahn,' or trunk line was built in 1838, linking Berlin and Potsdam, and was later extended beyond Potsdam to connect to other cities. After a bridge bombing in 1945 and the division of the city and region among former allies, reconstruction was abandoned. A few stretches of track were in use until 1980.
Local residents have been pushing the project for several years, and it has now been adopted by VBB, the transportation authority of Berlin-Brandenburg, which says the project could be in full operation within fifteen years, including several new stations in areas that were once lightly-populated but now have large populations.
On the map below, the red arrow points to the line now in use between central Berlin and Potsdam, while the blue arrow marks the section (in red) that will be put back into service.
Images: Map by citizen group Bürgerinitiative Stammbahn; below, Abandoned rail line at Zehlendorf Sud (A. Savin/Wikimedia Commons)
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