Berlin outer ring gap closure

The dates shown are legally non-binding forecasts based on the current status. The forecasts are in no way intended to establish any kind of legal claim whatsoever that completion will take place by the specified date and that use will be possible. For these reasons, the information should also not be used to make or prepare business decisions, for example, but not conclusively, with regard to the vehicle equipment or the compatibility between the vehicles and the infrastructure. If you have any questions, particularly regarding technical network access or obtaining binding information, please contact your customer advisor.

Most of the infrastructure projects are still in the planning phase, which means that the information provided on these pages reflects the current planning status and is updated regularly.

The Berlin Outer Ring connects all railway lines leading into Berlin and enables freight trains to bypass the city’s passenger-dense routes. With a diameter of approximately 40 kilometres and a length of 125 kilometres, the Berlin Outer Ring has been continuously operational since the 1960s and is unique in Europe.

The Berlin Outer Ring is of outstanding importance for European rail freight transport, as it allows connections from Dresden to the Baltic Sea, from Lehrte to Poland, and from the North Sea to the Czech Republic. For this reason, it is also part of three Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors, which link northern and southern Europe: North Sea – Baltic, Scandinavian – Mediterranean, and Rhine – Danube.

Given its central role in the international rail network, the Berlin Outer Ring is to be equipped with the standardised European Train Control System (ETCS) to enable Europe-wide interoperability in rail freight transport. While the southern section between Potsdam-Pirschheide and Berlin Eichgestell is already being fitted with ETCS as part of the Erkner – Seddin project, equipping the remainder of the ring will make continuous ETCS operation possible. Since ETCS is also being installed on connecting lines towards Rostock, Hamburg, Halle/Leipzig, Dresden, and to the German-Polish border through further projects, closing this gap will ensure extensive and seamless ETCS coverage.

As part of the European Deployment Plan (EDP) and the Digitale Schiene Deutschland initiative, the Berlin Outer Ring will be equipped with ETCS Level 2 with signals (ETCS L2mS). This ensures that, following implementation, the route can still be used by trains not fitted with ETCS equipment, as the German train protection system “Punktförmige Zugbeeinflussung” (PZB) will also remain in operation.

Before ETCS can be installed, the interlockings along the route must be made ETCS-compatible. Only modern interlockings provide the necessary interfaces, which means some existing interlockings must be replaced. In the designated area, two relay interlockings (RSTW) are currently still in use: the RSTW in Schönfließ will be replaced by a Simis D-generation interlocking from Siemens as part of a parallel project and integrated into the new ESTW sub-control centre (ESTW-UZ) Birkenwerder. The replacement of the RSTW in Hohen Neuendorf West, however, is part of this project. The new interlocking built there will also be integrated into the ESTW-UZ Birkenwerder (Simis D type). In addition, all ESTW in the control area of ESTW-UZ Hennigsdorf must be replaced with a new generation of systems, as the Simis C interlockings are not ETCS-compatible. By contrast, the control area of ESTW-UZ Lichtenberg, which uses Simis D interlockings, is already ETCS-compatible.

Parallel to the construction of the interlockings in the ESTW-UZ Hennigsdorf area, the ETCS equipment can already be installed in the control areas of ESTW-UZ Lichtenberg and Birkenwerder, which allows for the bundling of line closures. As a result, the ETCS equipment will be put into operation in several stages, which means that temporary ETCS entry and exit points will have to be set up at the interface between these sections of track.

Before ETCS commissioning, the necessary infrastructure must be installed. This includes balises, which will be fixed at regular intervals to the sleepers, and the planning and construction of ETCS Radio Block Centres (RBC), which are connected to the interlockings via new interfaces. Furthermore, ETCS stop panels will be mounted on existing signalling gantries to replace conventional signals during ETCS operation.

High priority is given to managing ETCS entry and exit at the borders of the equipment area. The Berlin Outer Ring is crossed by numerous lines, requiring ETCS entry and exit points at various junctions. Lines already fitted with ETCS by previous projects can be connected seamlessly. There is also close coordination with associated ETCS projects being implemented in parallel. There are corresponding dependencies for the following projects:

• at the boundaries of the control area to the ESTW-A Berlin Eichgestell and Potsdam Pirschheide through the Erkner – Seddin project,
• at Falkenhagener Kreuz through the HLK Hamburg – Berlin project,
• in Hohen Neuendorf through the project Route upgrading Rostock – Berlin (SeRoBe).

This is a Deutsche Bahn project. We are building. So that people can build on us again. More information about the Bauende Bahn can be found here (in German only).