From Hildburg Bruns
Dispute over the important new city S-Bahn, which is supposed to cross Berlin from north to south (S21). The second construction stage between the main station and Potsdamer Platz cannot only be drilled underground. But there is a celebrity uprising against the open construction pit near the Brandenburg Gate.
The route is tricky, there are many hurdles above and below ground and the Reichstag right in the middle.
Since 2015, 15 (!) variants have been tested, and the favorite is now the “12h” variant. It requires a 2000 m² construction site between Ebertstrasse, Scheidemannstrasse and Simsonweg.
This means: The forest area east of the Sinti and Roma monument is affected. According to BZ information, the railway wants to dig up and move a handful of trees (including yews) in the area and later complete the zoo again.
After an on-site appointment with, among others, Senator for Culture Joe Chialo (53, CDU) and a meeting with Senator for Transport Manja Schreiner (45, CDU), some of the victim organizations involved wrote a protest letter and received it from celebrities such as actress Iris Berben (73), star conductor Daniel Barenboim (80) and filmmaker Wim Wenders (78) signed.
Signed the protest: actress Iris Berben (73), who is also strongly committed to fighting anti-Semitism Photo: Getty Images
The main criticism: “Without these trees, the unique atmosphere and peace of the memorial would be permanently destroyed.” In contrast, the Central Council of Sinti and Roma is initially only demanding access to reports on construction noise and possible vibrations.
A railway spokesman for the BZ “The maximum protection of the monument plays a key role. A final vote for a preferred variant is currently still pending.”
The second construction phase of the S21 in numbers
Route: North-south, main station to Potsdamer Platz
Length: 1.9km
Preparatory work: 0.6 km from Potsdamer Platz to the level of the US Embassy, built in the 1930s (so-called “hayloft”). AND: U5 tunnel at the Brandenburg Gate laid so that the S21 tunnel can cross
Lines: three S-Bahn lines with 177 trains in each direction and track
Tempo: Design speed 80 km/h
Discharge: Friedrichstrasse S-Bahn station
Goals: Parliamentary and government quarters
Planning approval: 2023 to 2026 for testing until building permit
First construction phase: Nordring to main station completed in 2024 (2.4 km)
Third construction phase: Potsdamer Platz via Gleisdreieck to Yorckstraße