Berlin U-Bahn riders who force open train doors risk fine from May

Public transport users in Berlin will soon risk paying a fine if they stop U-Bahn, tram or bus doors from closing as services are departing.

Berlin to introduce fine for forcing open train doors

Starting May 1, 2025, anyone who is caught forcing open or holding open the doors on U-Bahns, trams and buses run by the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) - the local public transport association in Berlin - will run the risk of a 50-euro fine.

BVG security staff who patrol stations, stops and services will be responsible for enforcing the fines if they see passengers purposefully blocking the doors from closing.

“Every time doors are forced open, the process of passengers getting on and off is delayed, which immediately impacts the whole transport network,” the BVG wrote in its press release. “Furthermore, blocking the doors from closing can be dangerous.”

Berlin U-Bahn doors are blocked around 200 times per month

We’ve all made a desperate dash for the train, and they all add up. According to the BVG, carriage doors are blocked around 200 times per month, and that’s just on the U-Bahn, forgetting trams and buses.

According to the association, most of these cases concern people making a run for the departing train and passengers who are inside holding the doors open for them to board, despite the closure warning tone having sounded.