Berliner S-Bahn-Museum, Railway museum in Berlin, Germany
The Berliner S-Bahn-Museum is a railway museum about the history of Berlin's S-Bahn, run by the Deutscher Bahnkunden-Verband. From 1997 to 2016 it occupied a roughly 500 m² former traction-current substation at Potsdam Griebnitzsee station, built in 1927/28 to plans by Richard Brademann. It closed there in December 2016; a small interim exhibition with a film screening can be visited by prior arrangement in underground rooms at Berlin Gesundbrunnen station.
The museum was founded on 10 February 1989, growing out of an S-Bahn exhibition the IGEB passengers' association had run since 1985 at Beusselstraße station. From 1997 to 2016 it occupied a roughly 500 m² former substation at Potsdam Griebnitzsee, built in 1927/28 to Richard Brademann's plans. After the 2016 closure it moved to Berlin-Lichtenberg, then to a temporary space at Ostbahnhof in 2023, and closed on 2 June 2025.
The name 'S-Bahn' stands for rapid railway and emerged from the need to mark fast commuter traffic in the city. Visitors can see how tickets and schedules were designed over decades and how the system became part of everyday life for Berlin residents.
The museum closed on 2 June 2025 and its larger exhibits went to a non-public depot. A small remaining exhibition with a film screening can be visited by prior arrangement in the underground rooms at Berlin Gesundbrunnen station.
The museum's collection began with 1980s exhibits from when Berlin's public transport operator took over S-Bahn services on West Berlin lines. Members of the IGEB passenger association and the Berlin rail transport association saved rolling stock and signal-box technology from scrapping after the Wende, with support from the former Reichsbahn property administration.
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