[DE] Berlin wants to build an urban maglev

[Eurorapid]

Berlin wants to build an urban maglev

The operation of a magnetic levitation train is to be tested in Berlin. This has been agreed by the black-red coalition. The CDU parliamentary group leader expects costs of around 80 million euros.

A five to seven kilometer long test track for a magnetic levitation train is to be built in Berlin. This was announced by CDU parliamentary group leader Dirk Stettner. He did not name a possible route or an exact date for the start of construction. According to Stettner, a maglev train is comparatively cheap to build and can be realized much faster than a subway line, for example. The train would be operated autonomously, i.e. without a driver, and would be able to transport both passengers and goods.

The CDU parliamentary group leader estimates the costs for this at around 80 million euros. However, these costs are not included in the draft double budget for the next two years - the line is to be financed via the so-called special climate fund.

The Berlin-Brandenburg Transport Association (VBB) welcomed the plans. VBB boss Bonde said on rbb24 Inforadio that the city needs innovative projects. In addition, such a train would complement the other light rail systems. It would be quiet, cheaper, conceivable as an elevated and underground train and could be self-powered by solar energy.

However, the idea of a magnetic levitation train in Berlin is not new. The first attempt was made between 1984 and 1991, when the so-called M-Bahn ran on a test route between Gleisdreieck in Kreuzberg and Kemperplatz in Tiergarten under the direction of Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). However, the trial was discontinued after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the facilities were dismantled to make room for the expansion of the subway line 2.

From the mid-1990s, there were plans for the first Transrapid line in Germany. It was to connect the cities of Berlin and Hamburg in less than an hour's travel time. However, the project was shelved in 2000 [...]. Before that, however, there had already been protests and petitions against the project in Berlin.

There had already been an M-Bahn (magnetic train) in Berlin from 1984, initially in test operation and for a short time also in regular operation, but this was ended after reunification in 1991.

The Berlin CDU recently made a new attempt to put the idea back on the agenda. In June 2020, CDU state leader and current governing mayor Kai Wegner presented the proposal to build a maglev train to connect BER airport, for example, or to open up new residential areas. It was part of a transport concept that the CDU had adopted in anticipation of the 2021 election campaign.

Translated from tagesschau.de, https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/berlin ... n-100.html Accesssed 2023-11-20

[Eurorapid]

Kai Wegner thinks the magnetic levitation train in Spandau is ‘wonderful’

BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – Berlin’s governing mayor Kai Wegner sees magnetic levitation trains as an option for better connections to the outskirts of the city. “The construction of a magnetic levitation train is an issue for the outskirts,” said the CDU politician to the “Berliner Zeitung” on Saturday.

[...]

A working group set up by the Senate is currently discussing whether, how and where magnetic levitation trains could be built in Berlin. Wegner had already promoted the option in 2020. Now he said: “We also have to think about other forms of mobility in Berlin. There are several companies in Germany that offer this technology and are already selling magnetic levitation trains to China, for example.” They are quiet and climate-friendly and can be built faster than subways.

[...]

Source: https://taketonews.com/kai-wegner-think ... wonderful/ Accessed December 4, 2023