BERLIN, GERMANY
Liz and Lee Heidhues 11.18.2023
A big surprise on our latest journey to Berlin is the state of Public transportation.
In the past two days we have slogged our way through a Thursday 20 hour work stoppage.
Followed on Friday by a several hours service disruption when the Turkish president Erdogan arrived in the city.
In Berlin there is the SBahn which is maintained by the federal government. This is the service against which the rail workers called for a work stoppage.
In Berlin there is also the locally run UBahn along with an extensive network of trams and busses. The local public transport ran during the stoppage.
But a diminution of one service severely impacts a city of 4 million which relies heavily on its transportation network.
When Erdogan came to town service on the SBahn was miserable. The wait times were terrible. Trains were completely packed.
We met a Swiss woman heading for the airport. Service was so bad she was fearful she would miss her flight ✈️ to Zurich.
When we boarded an SBahn train later in the evening it stopped midway to the next station for 10 minutes. On the train with us was a school teacher from New York. She laughed and told us it was like being home. At least the Germans give service updates she added.
At the next station we got off the train and took a bus to our destination. Along the way as we neared the central train station we passed by countless police vehicles providing security for President Erdogan.
All this, as riders of San Francisco Muni and BART let us realize public transportation is the same worldwide 🌐.
Photos: Liz and Lee
Lee's Perspective 