Berlin-Köpenick station

The Germania plan of the Nazis envisaged the upgrading of the line to Köpenick to six tracks, as a long-distance S-Bahn service (similar to the modern Regional-Express trains) would run between Köpenick and Ostkreuz and cover the nearly ten kilometre-long route without stopping. In addition, a direct connection for long-distance trains would have been provided because of the outbreak of the Second World War.

After the end of the war some tracks were dismantled by the Soviet military administration for war reparations. In the Berlin area this mostly involved the dismantling of one long-distance and one S-Bahn track. However, since the Berlin–Wrocław railway represented the main railway towards the Soviet Union, both S-Bahn tracks were dismantled rather than a long-distance track. Three years later, however, a single S-Bahn track was restored for electrical operations to Köpenick in January 1948 and as far as Erkner in November 1948. The second track was restored through Köpenick in 1957.

S-Bahn platforms in 2005

The city development plan traffic for Berlin includes a plan for the building of a Regionalbahn platform in Köpenick.[4] This would replace the existing Regionalbahn station of Karlshorst. The latter was established after the building of the Berlin Wall as a temporary long-distance station. The proposal is supported by several parties, including the nearby Forum Köpenick shopping centre. Originally Deutsche Bahn planned to carry out this work by 2007. Following financial difficulties and the resulting delay to the building of the Köpenick Regionalbahn station,[5] the plans were resumed in 2011 after the Berlin Secretary of State, Maria Krautzberger had asked for a parliamentary inquiry into the prospects for the assumption of the costs by the state of Berlin.[6] It was anticipated that the station would now be completed by 2015 and would still have two S-Bahn and two Regionalbahn platforms. One metre high noise barriers are planned to protect the residents of increased noise. The entrance from Elcknerplatz would be given a glass facade.[7] In the current urban development program, however, funding is sought from the federal government, which opposed funding it.[4] In response to a parliamentary question to the Berlin Transport Secretary, Christian Gaebler replied in April 2012 that the State of Berlin would fund the amount of €5 million and the first stage was included in the 2012/13 budget, but this has not yet been appropriated. Construction would start in 2017 with commissioning planned for 2019.

In the spring of 2013, modern, dynamic destination displays were installed in the station.

After funding was secured under the infrastructure project i2030 of the states Berlin and Brandenburg and planning was finished in 2022, construction at Berlin-Köpenick Station started in March 2023 and is set to continue until 2027.[8]