Railway Station

Infosheet Railway Station

• Berlin Brandenburg Airport has a six-track railway station with three platforms directly below the terminal with excellent connections to downtown Berlin and the surrounding region . The goal of the planners – one in two travellers will come to Berlin Brandenburg Airport on public transportation .

• The station consists of two sections: a six-track, 285-metre-long, 60-metre-wide and 10-metre-deep section, which has two S-Bahn railway tracks with a central platform and four inter-city tracks with two central platforms. And a four-track, 130-metre-long, 45-metre-wide and 10-metre-deep section, which has four inter-city tracks with two central platforms. Both of these platforms are 405 metres long so that a double ICE can stop there.

• Rail connection: The S-Bahn railway terminates in the BBI station and travels back to Schoenefeld railway station. The inter-city train drives through the station without stopping and stops 7 kilometres further east on the existing route of Görlitzerbahn.

• The station ensures the shortest routes. Passengers arrive by S-Bahn, regional or inter-city railway and travel to the terminal directly by escalator or lift. From their arrival to the check-in counter, it only takes five minutes .

• Airport Express: The Airport Express already connects Schoenefeld Airport with downtown Berlin. Travel time – just under half an hour.

• Airport Shuttle: The Airport Shuttle, a special express train, will connect Berlin Brandenburg Airport with downtown Berlin. Numerous S-Bahn and bus connections will complement the public transportation offers .

• Regional and inter-city trains: Deutsche Bahn will include Berlin Brandenburg Airport in its grid and arrange for international and regional connections, primarily to Poland and the Czech Republic. The tracks to and from Berlin Brandenburg Airport are fully compatible with the ICE.

• Work on the first 185-metre-long sub-section of the preliminary construction for the station was completed on schedule in July 2008. This section forms the foundation for the Terminal. The underground station will be a total of 405 metres in length and 60 metres in width and has two platforms for regional and inter-city trains, as well as one for S-Bahn trains.

• The preliminary construction is being performed by a consortium (Arge) of SMEs. Arge consists of Schälerbau Berlin, Berger Bau, Berlin branch, Bleck & Söhne Hoch- und Tiefbau, Berlin, as well as Ingenieurbau Gesellschaft mbH, Berlin. 430 employees from the consortium of SMEs are involved in the construction of the station.

• The sheeting and excavation work for the station began in March 2007. The first concrete was used at the end of June 2007 for the drilled piles, the last concrete was poured into the top panel in June 2008. 53,000 cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of the station. Furthermore, 5,800 tons of reinforcing steel were used for the preliminary construction.

• A special challenge for the planners was the different electrification of the trains in the underground station and tunnel. Regional and inter-city trains are operated with 15,000 volts of alternating current in overhead electrified rails. The S-Bahn railway, on the other hand, is operated with 825 volts of direct current in electrified rails on the tracks. This generates various magnetic fields that could influence the technology of the aircraft and appliances in the terminal.

• In the next two years, construction work at the station will continue at a rapid pace. In the second half of 2009, Berlin Airports will hand over the preliminary construction of the station and the eastern tunnels, including the mouth of the tunnel, to Deutsche Bahn. In mid 2010, the western tunnel under the future airfield will be handed over to Deutsche Bahn.

• The costs of the BBI rail connection total around €636 million. Berlin and Brandenburg are contributing €30 million each and €576 million is being funded by the government.