![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
General information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Location | Luckenwalder Straße Kreuzberg, Berlin Germany | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates | 52°29′54″N13°22′31″E / 52.49833°N 13.37528°E Coordinates: 52°29′54″N13°22′31″E / 52.49833°N 13.37528°E | ||||||||||||||||||||
Owned by | Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe | ||||||||||||||||||||
Operated by | Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe | ||||||||||||||||||||
Platforms | 2 island platforms | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tracks | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Construction | |||||||||||||||||||||
Structure type | Elevated | ||||||||||||||||||||
Parking | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Bicycle facilities | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Disabled access | Yes | ||||||||||||||||||||
Other information | |||||||||||||||||||||
Fare zone | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
History | |||||||||||||||||||||
Opened | 1912/1913 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Services | |||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Location | |||||||||||||||||||||
Gleisdreieck is an elevated Berlin U-Bahn station located on a viaduct in the Kreuzberg district, and served by lines U1, U2, and U3. The U1/U3 platform is at a higher level than, and perpendicular to, that of the U2. [2]
The station's name literally means "railway triangle," or wye in English, and marks the spot of an earlier major train hub that opened in 1902, where the three branches of the first Stammstrecke U-Bahn line from Zoologischer Garten, Potsdamer Platz and Warschauer Brücke met. A major accident at the triangle happened on 26 September 1908, when two trains collided. One car derailed and fell from the viaduct, killing 18 people and injuring 21. Upon another dangerous incident, the single-level triangle from 1912 was rebuilt and replaced by the current two-level station. Since then there is no direct rail connection between the two lines at Gleisdreieck, but only an intersection.
In 1939 the North-South Tunnel was opened in the vicinity, though there is no interchange with the S-Bahn system. [3]
On 28–29 January 1944, the viaduct suffered heavy bombing, and on 14 February 1945, there were additional serious bombing impacts causing heavy air pressure damage to the station's steel construction. It took a direct hit on 3 February 1945, destroying a train. On 11–12 March 1945, the signal box was destroyed, and on 18 March 1945, the upper platform was destroyed. A viaduct was totally destroyed in the Battle of Berlin.
After the building of the Berlin Wall beginning 13 August 1961, the lower platform became the eastern terminus of the U2, until service was finally discontinued on 1 January 1972. Between 1984 and 1991 it served as the southern terminus of the short-lived M-Bahn maglev running to Kemperplatz near the Philharmonie. The U2 train service on the lower platform was restarted on 13 November 1993. It is the westernmost station in Kreuzberg for both lines.
The German Museum of Technology (Deutsches Technikmuseum) is adjacent to the station. The name Gleisdreieck also refers to a large area in the south, the former freight yards of the Anhalter and Potsdamer Bahnhof, which have been redeveloped as an urban park, known as the Park am Gleisdreieck.
One of the most dangerous places of the entire U-Bahn network was found at the triangular rail junction at Gleisdreieck, which connected the main line between Warschauer Brücke and Zoologischer Garten with the branch line to Potsdamer Platz. This branch was protected only by signals, so that driver inattention could easily lead to a disaster, as happened on 26 September 1908. A U-Bahn train ran into the side of another train, forcing two carriages off the track. One carriage fell over the viaduct and 21 passengers died. As a result, it was decided to change the configuration at Gleisdreieck.
Construction began in May 1912 to replace the triangular junction with two lines built as a grade-separated cross with a new Gleisdreieck interchange station at the intersection. These lines now form part of U1 and U2. The new work was carried out largely with full services operating, although services were briefly interrupted on each line. On 3 November 1912, the new Gleisdreieck station was opened but construction was not completed until August 1913. The connecting track from the Pankow direction to the Warschauer Straße direction continued to be open until the completion of work for use by construction supply trains.
The Berlin U-Bahn is a rapid transit system in Berlin, the capital and largest city of Germany, and a major part of the city's public transport system. Together with the S-Bahn, a network of suburban train lines, and a tram network that operates mostly in the eastern parts of the city, it serves as the main means of transport in the capital.
U1 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn, which is 8.8 kilometres (5.5 mi) long and has 13 stations. Its traditional line designation was BII. It runs east–west and its eastern terminus is Warschauer Straße S-Bahn station where it connects to the Schlesische Bahn. From there it runs through Kreuzberg via Gleisdreieck and Wittenbergplatz on to the Kurfürstendamm.
U2 is a line of the Berlin U-Bahn. The U2 line starts at Pankow S-Bahn station, runs through the eastern city centre (Alexanderplatz) to Potsdamer Platz, the western city centre and finally to the Ruhleben terminal station.
U3 is a line on the Berlin U-Bahn created in its current version on 7 May 2018.
Prinzenstraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station on lines U1 and U3.
Hallesches Tor is a Berlin U-Bahn station in the central Kreuzberg quarter, served by lines U1, U3, and U6. It is named after the historic Hallsches Tor of the Berlin Customs Wall, erected in the 18th century.
The M-Bahn or Magnetbahn was an elevated Maglev train line operating in Berlin, Germany, experimentally from 1984 and in passenger operation from 1989 to 1991. The line was 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) in length, and featured three stations, two of which were newly constructed. Presumed to be the future of rail transit in Berlin, the line was built to fill a gap in the West Berlin public transport network created by the construction of the Berlin Wall. It was rendered redundant by the reunification of Berlin and was closed to enable reconstruction of the U2 line.
The Potsdamer Bahnhof is a former railway terminus in Berlin, Germany. It was the first railway station in Berlin, opening in 1838. It was located at Potsdamer Platz, about 1 km south of the Brandenburg Gate, and kick-started the transformation of Potsdamer Platz from an area of quiet villas near the south-east corner of the Tiergarten park into the bustling focal point that it eventually became. For more than a century it was the terminus for long-distance and suburban trains. Also located at this spot were underground stations on the Berlin U-Bahn and S-Bahn, and today's new underground Regionalbahnhof, known as Bahnhof Potsdamer Platz, while the short-lived M-Bahn crossed the site of the former terminus.
Vinetastraße is a Berlin U-Bahn station in the Pankow district, located on the . It was opened in 1930, and for decades was the northern terminus of the U2, until the line was extended to the Pankow S-Bahn station in 2000.
Ernst-Reuter-Platz is a Berlin U-Bahn station on line U2, located in the Charlottenburg district.
The Dresdner Bahnhof was a short-lived passenger railway terminus in Berlin, Germany, operating from 1875 to 1882 and handling train services to and from Dresden over the Berlin–Dresden railway.
Stralauer Tor was a Berlin U-Bahn station in Berlin-Friedrichshain. It operated between Warschauer Straße and Schlesisches Tor stations on today's U1. Following its destruction in World War II it was never rebuilt and is one of three Berlin U-Bahn stations to have been abandoned after having previously been in service.
The Berlin Stadtbahn is a major railway thoroughfare in the German capital Berlin, which runs through Berlin from east to west. It connects the eastern district of Friedrichshain with Charlottenburg in the west via 11 intermediate stations including Hauptbahnhof. The Berlin Stadtbahn is often also defined as the slightly longer route between Ostkreuz and Westkreuz, although this is not technically correct.
Berlin Potsdamer Platz is a railway station in Berlin. It is completely underground and situated under Potsdamer Platz in central Berlin. Regional and S-Bahn services call at the station, and it is also served by U-Bahn line U2.
Julius-Leber-Brücke is a railway station in the Schöneberg district of Berlin. Located under a bridge over the cutting created for the Berlin-Potsdam-Magdeburg railway. It was officially opened on 2 May 2008 and is served by the S-Bahn line .
The U12 is a former Berlin U-Bahn line. It existed between 1993 and June 2003, as a peak-time and night line between Ruhleben and Warschauer Straße stations.
The North–South S-Bahn Tunnel is the central section of the North–South transversal Berlin S-Bahn connection crossing the city centre. It is not to be confused with the Tunnel Nord–Süd Fernbahn, the central tunnel part of the North–South main line used by intercity and regional trains. The S-Bahn North–South line encompasses the route from Bornholmer Straße and Gesundbrunnen via Friedrichstraße and Anhalter Bahnhof to Papestraße and Schöneberg.
S21 is a planned second north-south route for the Berlin S-Bahn, which will connect Berlin Hauptbahnhof to the Berlin Ringbahn to both north and south. The first section is under construction and is expected to go into operation in December 2022.
The Berlin U-Bahn originated in 1880 with Werner Siemens' idea to build an urban railway in Berlin. During the nine years after the German Empire was founded, the city's population grew by over one-third and traffic problems increased. In 1896, Siemens & Halske began to construct the first stretch of overhead railway. On 1 April 1897, the company began construction of an electric underground railway. The Berliner Verkehrs Aktiengesellschaft (BVG) was formed in 1928, and took over further construction and operation of the network. In 1938, the company was renamed Berlin Transport Company; the original acronym, however, remained. Since 1994, the BVG has been a public company.
The tracks of the Berlin subway are lines operated in the line traffic, operating distances, which serve only internal purposes, turn-off and turning plants and plants in the operating farms.