Ok, I have a question about the Berlin subway map and let%26#39;s try to keep it peaceful this time, because I really think it%26#39;s an important question.
I%26#39;ve never had any problems with subways or reading maps, but the official BVG map was always very confusing to me. Here it is:
www.bvg.de/index.php/de/Bvg/Index/folder/547
Let me give you an example: if you look at the Friedrichstr. station, it seems to be connected to several lines; it is, however, connected only to the Al Tegel-Alt Mariendorf line.
What%26#39;s happening here? What am I doing wrong?
Thank you for your time. Peace and love everyone.
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Forgetting about S Bahn perhaps?
Berlin has several different systems of public transportation, but all are available with the same BVG ticket: U Bahn (underground) is one, but there is also S Bahn. The two are practically the same for the customer (the difference is administrative - U Bahn belongs to the BVG and the S Bahn belongs to the German Railways, DB comapny).
In Friedrichstrasse, there is not only one line (U6 between Tegel and Mariendorf), but also several underground S Bahn lines (S1; S2; S25) and four overground S Bahn lines (S5, S7, S75 and S9).
You can change with the regular BVG ticket to any of them (provided that you travel within the regions in your ticket of course - AB or ABC if you travel to Oranienburg for example).
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Forgetting about S Bahn perhaps?
Berlin has several different systems of public transportation, but all are available with the same BVG ticket: U Bahn (underground) is one, but there is also S Bahn. The two are practically the same for the customer (the difference is administrative - U Bahn belongs to the BVG and the S Bahn belongs to the German Railways, DB comapny).
In Friedrichstrasse, there is not only one line (U6 between Tegel and Mariendorf), but also several underground S Bahn lines (S1; S2; S25) and four overground S Bahn lines (S5, S7, S75 and S9).
You can change with the regular BVG ticket to any of them (provided that you travel within the regions in your ticket of course - AB or ABC if you travel to Oranienburg for example).
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«Forgetting about S Bahn perhaps?»
Hmmm... yes, possibly. I still think the map is a bit confusing, though. I mean, the BVG website should have a U-Bahn only map; and on this map, some of the S-Bahn and U-Bahn lines have exactly the same colour - even though they are identified on the map, it still is a bit confusing.
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I think that the BVG site is geared mostly at customers, and not at people researching their business structure. As such, customers normally don%26#39;t really care who runs their trains, as long as they run and as long as the customer can use them with the same ticket.
The BVG also publishes a booklet with Berlin map and ALL lines (including buses, ferries, non-Metro trams). However, this booklet is about 150 page long, which gives you the proportion of how much territory the system covers...
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%26gt;I mean, the BVG website should have a U-Bahn only map;
But WHY? Why should anybody avoid using the S-Bahn? There is no big difference between U- and S-Bahn in the city, neither in comfort nor in distance between stations, nor in frequency or ticketing; why should there be a distinct U-Bahn only map which would only inconvenience it´s users?
You seem to cling to the London system where (as in many German city too) the %26quot;overground%26quot; trains mainly connect the city with the suburbs why the %26quot;underground%26quot; provides connections within the city. It is the case in most other big cities in Germany too - but not in Berlin or Hamburg where the difference is minimal.
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«But WHY? Why should anybody avoid using the S-Bahn? [...]»
Well, I have nothing against the S-Bahn, I%26#39;m just more used to the U-Bahn, that%26#39;s all.
I guess I never paid much attention to the S-Bahn (I only used it three or four times, when I went to Potsdam) because I always thought of it as a strictly suburban train - which is not the case, as you%26#39;ve mentioned.
So, thanks for the tip, it was helpful.
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In Berlin and Hamburg, the S-Bahn system was conceived from the beginning as a in-city transportation system, and only later extended to the suburbs. So you can just think of S-Bahn as U-Bahn in a different paint if it helps :-)
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:) I am definitely going to pay more attention to the S-Bahn next time I go to Berlin (in April 2009).
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Thank you all for posting, guys!
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To add to the confusion parts of the %26quot;underground%26quot; system run overground and as already mentioned some S-Bahn lines run underground in the centre.
S-Bahn tends to be quicker as there is generally more distance between stations. Depending on where you are heading think about using the S-Bahn Ring(circle line); it%26#39;s much quicker than crossing the city with U-Bahn. I use it to get to Tegel TXL bus (connect at Beusselstrasse) and it%26#39;s also the quickest way to Charlottenburg palace or Brücke-Musum from Prenzlauer Berg.
Incidentally, seeing as you mention Friedrichstrasse specifically , it also has 2 tram routes stopping outside the station, heading up to Prenzlauer Berg.
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