Berlin Schoenefeld – In another, better world, it would be nice if BER Airport also had a subway connection. Nice to have, says the Englishman. Yes indeed: It would indeed be nice to have them, the U7 to BER.
Although: would it really be the first preference for people from Charlottenburg, Wilmersdorf and Schöneberger, for example, who want to go to the airport? Are they really going to rush into the U7 with their trolleys and pilot cases to embark on a long, long journey across the city and through the Neukölln district on what is now Berlin’s longest subway line?
Four times an hour a regional train, six times an S-Bahn, ten times a bus
Contrary to an ineradicable legend, the airport is well connected to the local transport network. Six S-Bahn trains and four regional trains already go there every hour. With the opening of the new Dresden railway in 2025, the offer will be even greater. Let’s not even talk about the BVG buses, which alone connect Rudow with BER up to ten times an hour.
In another, better world, there would be enough planners ready to plan the U7 to BER. Because there would be plenty of money, the one billion euros for construction would not be a problem. Unfortunately, we live in a world where good engineers are rare and money is threatening to run out again. In a world where there are more important projects than the umpteenth rail route to an airport with moderate traffic for the foreseeable future.
It may well be that many Berlin subways are good – although often not because they want to travel there as passengers, but because subways don’t impede cars. However, even more people would appreciate it if S-Bahn trains went to Falkensee, Velten and Rangsdorf again, if other connections that were cut during the Cold War were finally restored. Politics must set priorities correctly. The U7 to BER is nice to have – nothing more.