Französische Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)

Französische Straße was a Berlin U-Bahn underground station on the U6 line located under the street Friedrichstraße in central Berlin.

Französische Straße
Berlin U-Bahn
Platform view of Französische Straße
General information
LocationMitte
Owned byBerliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Operated byBerliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Platforms1 island platform
Tracks2
Train operatorsBerliner Verkehrsbetriebe
Connections
Other information
Fare zoneVBB: Berlin A/5555[1]
History
Opened30 January 1923; 101 years ago (1923-01-30)
Closed3 December 2020; 3 years ago (2020-12-03)
Services
Preceding station Berlin U-Bahn Following station
Former service
Friedrichstraße
towards Alt-Tegel
U6 Stadtmitte
Map
Location
Französische Straße is located in Berlin
Französische Straße
Französische Straße
Location within Berlin

This station was built by Grenander/Fehse/Jennen and opened in 1923. In 1945 it closed for a few months; it was closed in 1961. During the Cold War (1961–1990), the station became a ghost station. The station was closed to passenger traffic, and the underground trains of the West Berlin BVG passed the island platform in East Berlin slowly without stopping. In 1990, after the Berlin Wall fell, the station became accessible again. In 1995, the platform had to be lengthened by 25 m (82 ft) so that the longer, six-car trains could stop there.[2] It is the only former partition-related ghost station in Berlin to have since been closed a second time, albeit for different reasons.

Entrance to Französische Straße station in the middle of Friedrichstraße

2020 closure

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With the opening of the expanded U5 line connecting Alexanderplatz with Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Französische Straße station was closed and replaced by the newly built Unter den Linden station directly to the north,[3] allowing transfers between the U6 and U5 lines. The last trains called at Französische Straße on 3 December 2020, with Unter den Linden station opening the following day.

References

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  1. ^ "Der VBB-Tarif: Aufteilung des Verbundgebietes in Tarifwaben und Tarifbereiche" (PDF). Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam. Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg. 1 January 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  2. ^ J. Meyer-Kronthaler: Berlins U-Bahnhöfe. be.bra Verlag (1996)
  3. ^ "FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions". Projektrealisierungs GmbH U5. Retrieved 29 June 2017.

52°30′53″N 13°23′21″E / 52.51472°N 13.38917°E / 52.51472; 13.38917