Every third train on Berlin’s U1 line suspended due to driver shortage

Every third U-Bahn on the U1 line in Berlin has been suspended for 11 days and counting. A report from Tagesspiegel has confirmed that reduced services are due to a lack of drivers.

BVG forced to cut U1 services

Since July 7, every third U1 daytime train running between Warschauer Straße and Wittenbergplatz in Berlin has been suspended. During the evening service, only half of the trains on the regular schedule are running. 

Passengers have been advised to take the U3 line. The U3 serves all the same stops as the U1 line on the affected stretch between Warschauer Straße and Wittenbergplatz, since the two lines only split after Wittenbergplatz.

After 11 days of reduced services and no official disruption notice from the BVG, a Tagesspiegel article has prompted the local transport association to inform passengers of the disruption. As of July 18, the BVG has announced that U1 services will be disrupted until 1.30am on July 19 for “operational reasons”.

Tagesspiegel reports lack of drivers for U1

Speaking to Tagesspiegel, the BVG said, “Due to the known operation challenges [...] there may be temporary adjustments on the U1 line [...] if the operational situation allows, the U1 will of course run as usual”.

Another BVG employee was more blunt in their explanation to the local paper, explaining that the association simply had “no drivers” to run the line.

The transport association has been plagued with problems in recent years. A wider worker shortage in Germany has increased pressure on existing drivers. December 2023 saw bus services reduced due to driver shortages, which were compounded by widespread mass sick leave during the winter. 

In early 2024, the capital’s CDU-SPD coalition announced it would dock 8,9 million in transport subsidies, after the BVG failed to deliver the standard of service outlined in its contract with the local government.

These stressful working conditions mean the BVG is struggling to retain its existing workforce. Speaking to The Local during strike action in February, a bus driver said, “Many of my colleagues leave the profession within two years.”

You have to squint to see it, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel. The transport association saw an uptick in job application submissions after strikes in winter and spring of 2025 won drivers an average pay rise of 15,4 percent. The BVG has so far hired 800 people in 2025 and aims for a total of 1.500 new employees by the end of the year.