Berlin CDU push for turnstiles at U-Bahn stations
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CDU parliamentary group leader in Berlin’s House of Representatives, Dirk Stettner, is hoping to introduce turnstile barriers at the city’s 175 U-Bahn stations. Others are sceptical.
Berlin could introduce barriers at U-Bahn stations
According to a report by Tagesspiegel, Stettner would like to see Berlin build turnstile barriers at U-Bahn stations, similar to those in London, Paris or Amsterdam. The construction project would cost around 400 million euros, a cost which would be passed on to passengers by increasing ticket prices.
Stettner is pushing for local government to build barriers with “glass plates which can be opened using a ticket”. While small U-Bahn stations in Berlin are often unstaffed, constructing the barriers would require employees to be on-site to address any potential problems or assist passengers with disabilities.
The idea of introducing transport barriers is recurring in Berlin. The CDU-SPD city government tested barriers at stations on the U8 line in 2000, but plans were abandoned due to safety concerns following a fire at Deutsche Oper U-Bahn station in Mitte. In 2011, Berlin sent a delegation to scout out the London underground barriers, but nothing materialised.
Berlin transport department and BVG are sceptical
Berlin’s Senate for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment and BVG representatives are sceptical of Stettner’s suggestion.
“Construction is met with special challenges [...] such as questions about preserving historical monuments, lifts which connect the platform and the street, fire safety and possible emergency exits,” transport ministry spokesperson Petra Nelken told BZ.
BVG spokesperson Franziska Ellrich agreed that implementation would be very difficult. “Our U-Bahn system is over 100 years old and very architecturally varied - many stations are too small or not set up to construct barriers,” Ellrich explained. “It would also not be possible to integrate a barrier system in lifts which have direct access to the street.”