Am 09.01.2012 23:59, schrieb Wolfgang Schwanke:
I wonder where I can find any information specifically about the East
Berlin U-Bhan, such as its history, operations and development.

The line which is now U5 was extended eastward. First to Tierpark
(zoo), later to Hönow, a new living quarter at the Eastern outskirts.
That extension used for some parts a former railway alignment, which
resulted in having a common S-Bahn/U-Bahn station at Wuhletal (I think
with common platforms per direction with one track for S-Bahn and the
other for U-Bahn).

There is no such thing as the East Berlin U-Bahn. The U-Bahn, just as
the S-Bahn and tram systems, existed long before the city was divided,
on both would-be sides of teh wall. East Berlin inherited merely two
lines of the previous common system, or more precisely one complete and
one half of a severed line.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U5_%28Berlin_U-Bahn%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2_%28Berlin_U-Bahn%29

Three other lines of the system touched East Berlin territory but were
not useable for its citizens because two were part of the West Berlin
half of the network.

Well, the GDR could have severed those two U-Bahn lines, too. But
they did let the Westberlin BVG continue to operate it. This was a
decision of the GDR, not of the Western side.

Fact is, those two very short lines would make hardly any sense for
intra-East traffic, and their operation would furthermore present
serious technical problems because they were wide-profile lines. There
may be a link from what is now called U8 to the U5 line (currently with
western terminus at Alexanderplatz), but the Friedrichstraße line would
have been completely isolated, no access to a maintenance yard.


Cheers,
L.W.