The M-Bahn or Magnetbahn was an elevated Maglev train line operating in Berlin, Germany, experimentally from 1984 and in passenger operation from 1989 to 1991. The line was 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 the West Berlin public transport network created by the construction of the Berlin Wall. It was rendered redundant by the reunification of Berlin and was closed to enable reconstruction of the U2 line.
The M-Bahn was the second Maglev line to open to public traffic, after the Birmingham Maglev but before the Shanghai maglev train. Construction and running were undertaken by Magnetbahn GmbH.
thumb|1990 04 Berlin M Bahn 1
History
The first section of the Berlin U-Bahn to be built included an elevated section between Gleisdreieck and Potsdamer Platz stations. After the partition of Berlin, Gleisdreieck station was in West Berlin whilst Potsdamer Platz station was directly under the border to East Berlin. After the building of the Berlin 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.
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.
{| class="wikitable"
!Car
!Type
!Builder
!In service
!Notes
|-
|01
|M80/2
|Waggon Union
|March 1987
|Destroyed in fire April 1987
|-
|02
|M80/2
|Waggon Union
|March 1987
|Damaged in fire April 1987 and subsequently withdrawn
|-
|03
|M80/2
|Waggon Union
|May 1987
|Destroyed in accident December 1988
|-
|04
|M80/2
|Waggon Union
|May 1987
|Withdrawn September 1991
|-
|05
|
|MBB
|April 1984
|Diesel propelled works car, no magnetic drive, removed 1986
|-
|06
|M80/2
|Waggon Union
|August 1989
|Withdrawn September 1991, preserved at the Nuremberg Transport Museum
|-
|07
|M80/2
|Waggon Union
|August 1989
|Withdrawn September 1991
|-
|704
|M70/2
|MBB
|June 1984
|Built in 1978 for the Brunswick test track, used for initial testing in Berlin until October 1986
|}
Technology
For propulsion, the M-Bahn used a long stator linear motor. However, unlike the Transrapid and other magnetic levitation trains, only 85% of the M-Bahn vehicle weight was supported by magnetic 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.
In media
The disused elevated track features at some length as a backdrop in Wim Wenders's 1987 film Wings of Desire.
References
External links
- Plan map show M-Bahn and streets
- youtube.com: A video showing the partially demolished Berlin wall
- Popular Science Dec 1988