Overview
- The Berliner CDU published a detailed election manifesto on Thursday that maps out specific U‑bahn and S‑bahn extensions as a centerpiece of its campaign ahead of the 20 September Abgeordnetenhauswahl.
- The program names concrete U‑bahn routes to be lengthened, including the U2 toward Französisch Buchholz and Buch, the U3 to Mexikoplatz, the U8 into the Märkisches Viertel and the U7 toward BER and Heerstraße Nord.
- On the S‑bahn the CDU proposes extending the S75 from Wartenberg through Malchow to Birkenwerder, lengthening the S5 to Nauen and creating an S21 City‑S‑Bahn as a second north–south link through Hauptbahnhof, Potsdamer Platz and Yorckstraße.
- The manifesto also calls for a maglev connection to support development around Flughafen BER and new housing zones, and seeks stronger links with Brandenburg including expanding the student semester ticket into that state; the maglev idea has drawn particular skepticism from the SPD.
- Practical hurdles include steep costs, multi‑year planning, and coordination between BVG, S‑Bahn/Deutsche Bahn and the state of Brandenburg, while immediate local resistance such as the 'Rettet den Mexikoplatz' initiative shows political consensus will be decisive for any progress.