photo: Oliver Lang / Deutsche Bahn/S-Bahn in Berlin is celebrating its 100th anniversary
On August 8, the first scheduled ride of an electric S-Bahn in Berlin is celebrating its 100th anniversary. To mark this special occasion, S-Bahn Berlin is launching a very special train onto the tracks: a train from the 481 series, completely wrapped in ten different vehicle designs from the past 100 years, will initially run on the S2 line starting today.
For 100 years, the S-Bahn has been connecting communities and towns around Berlin with the city's center. The 340-kilometer-long network, with its north-south and east-west lines as well as the Ringbahn encircling the city center, is unique worldwide. The Berlin S-Bahn demonstrates the power of rail transport with 1.5 million passengers per weekday. It offers around 3,300 trips on 16 lines each weekday. One in three passengers in DB Regio's entire local rail network travels on the Berlin S-Bahn.
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Peter Buchner, CEO of S-Bahn Berlin GmbH, says, "If the S-Bahn didn’t already exist, we would have to invent it. No other means of transport can move so many people between the city and the surrounding area so environmentally friendly while taking up so little space. But the Berlin S-Bahn is more than just a means of transport. For 100 years, it has accompanied and shaped the history of the capital and has become a Berlin icon itself. Happy 100th birthday, S-Bahn Berlin."
Ute Bonde, Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection, and Environment, comments, "When the first S-Bahn line began regular operation on the route from Stettiner Vorortbahnhof, now Nordbahnhof, to Bernau 100 years ago, it was undoubtedly a key contribution to Berlin's successful development into a metropolis. Today, we face significant challenges as we aim to make our city climate-neutral by 2045 at the latest. My heartfelt congratulations to the S-Bahn and all its fantastic, dedicated employees on their 100th birthday, and a big thank you from all of us passengers for their daily efforts to keep Berlin moving."
Rainer Genilke, Infrastructure Minister of the State of Brandenburg, states, "100 years of the S-Bahn is a reason to celebrate. On August 8, 1924, the first S-Bahn train of the ‘Bernau’ type ran from today’s Nordbahnhof in Berlin to Bernau. Therefore, celebrations will also take place at these locations 100 years later, and all visitors are warmly invited. The S-Bahn is more than just a witness to the eventful history of Brandenburg and Berlin. It was, is, and will continue to be the backbone of the capital region’s local transport. This is evident from our investments in the S-Bahn and our expansion plans. With the i2030 infrastructure project, we aim to prepare for the extension of the S25 to Stahnsdorf and Falkensee, as well as the 10-minute intervals to Bernau, Oranienburg, Strausberg, and Hennigsdorf. For 100 years, the S-Bahn has been part of people’s lives, making it an emotionally connecting means of transport that cannot be measured solely by numbers and facts."
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Martin Fuchs, CEO of the Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association, adds, "100 years ago, visionary leaders chose the S-Bahn system – fast, environmentally friendly, and indispensable for Berlin and Brandenburg since then – laying a milestone in transport policy. The S-Bahn serves as an example for us to boldly move forward in the next 100 years and shape the S-Bahn of the future with the i2030 infrastructure project."
The Wrapped Anniversary Train
The 481 series train creates a bridge from 1926 to the present day. In 1926, the “Oranienburg” type carriages were painted in red and yellow to distinguish between the then-common 2nd and 3rd class carriages. By 1928, with the “Stadtbahn” type, the now-typical two-tone paint scheme with the red stripe at the bottom was introduced. The upper part of these trains was ocher yellow for the 3rd class and dark turquoise for the 2nd class.
Also featured is the so-called East Berlin Capital Paint, with which the 276 series ran in light beige and Bordeaux red from 1984, and the silver-gray-blue paint of the 480 series prototype from 1986. Lastly, the anniversary train sports the red livery with a dark gray window band that earned the 485 series the nickname Cola Can.
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Source: Deutsche Bahn AG Press Releases