Berlin Stadtbahn

Berlin Stadtbahn
Hackescher Markt station, with RegionalExpress and S-Bahn trains
Overview
Locale	Berlin
Line number	6003, 6024
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Berlin S-Bahn: 800 V third rail Main line: 15 kV/16.7 Hz AC overhead catenary
Route map  Operating points and lines  from Lichtenberg / Karlshorst 0.0 Ostbahnhof 1.1 Jannowitzbrücke 2.2 Alexanderplatz 2.9 Hackescher Markt 4.0 FriedrichstraßeNord-Süd-Tunnel 5.4 HauptbahnhofNorth–South mainline 7.1 Bellevue 7.9 Tiergarten crossover 8.2 Tiergarten 9.0 Zoologischer Garten 10.0 Savignyplatz 11.2 Charlottenburg North/south curve to Ring line to Westkreuz

The Berlin Stadtbahn ("city railway") 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.

The line was originally built in the 1880s. It is 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) in length, and is entirely elevated above the city's streets. The four track route carries S-Bahn, Regionalbahn, Regional-Express, Intercity, EuroCity and Intercity-Express trains.

The Stadtbahn line is an elevated rail line with viaducts totalling 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) in length and including 731 masonry viaduct arches. A further 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of the line are situated on 64 bridges, that cross adjoining streets and (three times) the River Spree. The remaining length of the line is on an embankment.

The line carries four tracks, in two pairs. The northern pair are reserved for use by the S-Bahn, and are electrifed using a third rail carrying 800V DC. The S-Bahn tracks have platforms at all eleven stations along the Stadtbahn.