Berlin Potsdamer Bahnhof - The Ringbahnhof and Wannsee Bahnhof

The Ringbahnhof and Wannsee Bahnhof

Still the facilities could not cope, and so in 1890-1891 two additional termini were built on either side of it for short-haul and suburban traffic: on the east side, the Ringbahnhof, opened on 1 April 1891 to serve the Ringbahn itself, the circular route skirting the city’s perimeter with connections to all the main termini and open throughout its length since 15 November 1877; and the Wannsee Bahnhof on the west side, opened on 1 October 1891 for trains to Wannsee and the south western suburbs. Steam-operated at first, the Ringbahnhof lines were electrified (550v DC) on 4 June 1903 (converted to 800v DC on 2 July 1929), but those from the Wannsee station and the mainline terminus had to wait until 15 May 1933. The Ringbahnhof ultimately handled many times as many passengers as the mainline terminus.