Overview
- Service on the U9 remains suspended between Bundesplatz and Rathaus Steglitz, with BVG giving only a multi‑week timeline and no reopening date.
- The November 28 blaze started in a technical room at U‑Bahnhof Schloßstraße and destroyed cable trays and key signaling equipment, though no injuries were reported.
- Investigators are examining negligent arson, and staff and media reports point to possible involvement of a homeless person with camping‑stove remnants cited, which BVG declines to confirm.
- Retailers along Schloßstraße report double‑digit revenue declines during the holiday period and urge a faster restoration of the rail link.
- Insiders cite easily accessible maintenance areas and past fires in 2021 and February 2024 as evidence of systemic vulnerabilities, while BVG says surveillance has been expanded and replacement buses continue to run.