Berlin M-Bahn
M-Bahn train 06 at theNuremberg Transport Museum
Overview
Status	dismantled
Owner	Magnetbahn GmbH
Locale	Berlin, West Germany
Termini	Gleisdreieck Kemperplatz
Stations	3
Service
Type	Maglev
System	AEG Rail Systems
Rolling stock	1× M70/2 6× M80/2 1× maintenance vehicle
History
Opened	August 28, 1989; 36 years ago (1989-08-28) (testing) July 18, 1991; 34 years ago (1991-07-18) (service)
Closed	July 31, 1991; 34 years ago (1991-07-31) (closed) September 17, 1991; 34 years ago (1991-09-17) (dismantled)
Technical
Line length	1.6 km (1.0 mi)
Number of tracks	Single/Double track
Character	Elevated metro
Operating speed	80 km/h (50 mph)
Route map Kemperplatz Bernburger Str old Line U2 Gleisdreieck This diagram: view talk edit

TheM-Bahn orMagnetbahn was an elevatedMaglev train line operating inBerlin,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 theWest Berlin public transport network created by the construction of theBerlin Wall. It was rendered redundant by thereunification of Berlin and was closed to enable reconstruction of theU2 line.

The M-Bahn was the second Maglev line to open to public traffic, after theBirmingham Maglev but before theShanghai maglev train. Construction and running were undertaken by Magnetbahn GmbH.

The first section of theBerlin U-Bahn to be built included an elevated section betweenGleisdreieck andPotsdamer Platz stations. After the partition of Berlin, Gleisdreieck station was inWest Berlin whilst Potsdamer Platz station was directly under the border toEast Berlin. After the building of theBerlin Wall in 1961, the trains from both sides terminated at the last station before Potsdamer Platz (from the East:Mohrenstraße). Around 1972 also the two stations before Potsdamer Platz, on the western side, closed, because the area served by these stations was also served by another U-Bahn line.^[1]

The area of West Berlin adjacent to Potsdamer Platz then required a connection to the U-Bahn, and this need was eventually met by the construction of the M-Bahn, which used the abandoned U-Bahn platforms at Gleisdreieck and the U-Bahn tracks northwards towards the border. It then diverged slightly to the west to terminate close to Potsdamer Platz but still in West Berlin.^[1]

Work on the line started in 1983, and the first test runs, without passengers, took place in June 1984 on the southern section of the line. Initial testing used a car previously used on Magnetbahn GmbH's test track nearBrunswick, and the first two cars specifically built for Berlin were delivered in late 1986. The original intention was for public service to start in May 1987, but a fire at Gleisdreieck Station in April of that year destroyed one of the two cars and badly damaged the other.^[1]

Eventually four more cars, of the same design as the original two, were built. Several planned opening dates were not met, and in December 1988, a test train failed to stop at Kemperplatz and one of the cars crashed to the ground and was destroyed. A public service eventually started in August 1989, although service was intermittent and not guaranteed, and fares were not charged. Official regular passenger service, as part of Berlin's integrated public transport system, started in July 1991.^[1]

By this time theBerlin Wall had fallen, something that could not have been predicted when construction started. It became desirable to re-establish the U-Bahn line that had previously been severed, requiring the removal of the M-Bahn from its right of way. The principal need for the M-Bahn had also been removed, as the area served by it was again easily accessible from the Potsdamer Platz station. Dismantling of the M-Bahn started only two months after its official opening, and was completed during February 1992. The U-Bahn connection between Gleisdreieck and Potsdamer Platz Stations was reinstated, becoming part ofline U2.^[1]

The line ran approximately north-south from a station at Kemperplatz on the edge of theTiergarten park, with three stations in total, the most southernly being on the lower level of the present-dayGleisdreieck U-Bahn interchange.

• Kemperplatz52°30′40″N13°22′18″E / 52.510980556°N 13.37176111°E /52.510980556; 13.37176111 (Kemperplatz) (now the location of theSony Center atPotsdamer Platz, close to the presentBerlin Potsdamer Platz railway station)
• Bernburger Str.52°30′20″N13°22′33″E / 52.5056°N 13.37588611°E /52.5056; 13.37588611 (Bernburger Str.) (close to the present site ofMendelssohn-Bartholdy-Park U-Bahn station)
• Gleisdreieck52°29′59″N13°22′27″E / 52.499775°N 13.37418333°E /52.499775; 13.37418333 (Gleisdreieck) (now reclaimed for its original U-Bahn use)

The new section from Kemperplatz and through Bernburger Str. was double track with two parallel guideways, narrowing to single track between Bernburger and Gleisdreieck as it transferred onto the existing U-Bahn viaducts. The M-Bahn guideway used the western side of the viaducts approaching and into the single platform at Gleisdreieck, with standard gauge railway track remaining on the eastern side.

BothKemperplatz andBernburger Str. stations have since been demolished, along with structure carrying the M-Bahn between them.

The M-Bahn operated a total of eight cars, although not all were used in public service.^[1][2]

For propulsion, the M-Bahn used along statorlinear motor. However, unlike theTransrapid and othermagnetic levitation trains, only 85% of the M-Bahn vehicle weight was supported bymagnetic levitation, with the balance being supported by traditional wheels.

During operation, the Berlin M-Bahn line ran as an automated driverless operation, although the system had been designed to be driven by a human driver if required.

A cross-over existed just south of Kemperplatz, to allow use of double-track running. The M-Bahn train was supported across the points by a length of traditional rail below the guideway to support it across the gap.

The disused elevated track features at some length as a backdrop in Wim Wenders's 1987 filmWings of Desire.

• (in German)Plan map show M-Bahn and streets
• youtube.com: A video showing the partially demolished Berlin wall
• Popular Science Dec 1988

• Rail transport in Berlin
• Rapid transit in Germany
• Driverless Maglev
• People movers

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