Overview
- BVG says construction will begin in spring 2026, with trains expected to move through the new link in about four years and full completion projected for 2030.
- Closed since 2018, the century-old connector left U5 cut off from the rest of the network, forcing disassembly and road transport of cars for workshop access.
- The permit follows extended demands from the federal waterway authority (WSV) for detailed shipability and hydraulic calculations on the Spree.
- The rebuild will use phased cofferdams, dewatered excavation and sequential half-by-half construction to maintain river traffic during the works.
- No updated cost was released; a 2024 estimate was €77.4 million, and prior calculations of roughly €5 million per year of delay point to around €87 million now.