Opening of the S-Bahn entrances: A reason to celebrate or frustration?

Opening of the S-Bahn entrances: A reason to celebrate or frustration?

On July 11, 2025 the time had come: the new entrances to the S-Bahn stations in Eichwalde and Zeuthen were opened. The red ribbons were cut at a celebratory ceremony attended by, among others, DB Group representative Alexander Kaczmarek and local politicians, followed by a tour of Eichwalde and an S-Bahn ride to Zeuthen. But despite the festive occasion, there was no reason to celebrate, because the actual completion of the construction project is still a long time coming, especially in Zeuthen, where the platforms are still not fully developed after more than seven years of construction, as Schulzendorfer reports.

In Eichwalde, the new barrier-free access has been available since July 9, 2025. The opening ceremony, which marked the end of a lengthy construction period, was accompanied by a speech by Kaczmarek thanking those present for their patience. However, some work, including the problem of the constantly burning platform lights and the connection of the water pipes, still remains unfinished. An infiltration basin for drainage is also still pending. This remaining work has a direct impact on the user-friendliness of the station, as the Märkische Allgemeine describes in detail.

Impact on the community

The construction period in Zeuthen lasted over seven years and was accompanied by numerous difficulties: collapses, ground subsidence and changes in construction technology are just some of the problems that put a strain on the construction process. The traffic restrictions and tunnel closures also had a negative impact on the local business community. The taxi company Kühn and the newsagent “Presse-Kasper”, among others, had to close their doors, while other shops, such as Pizza-Remo, had to struggle with massive declines in sales. This lack of income is particularly causing distress for smaller businesses, as various local voices note.

The mayors Jörg Jenoch from Eichwalde and Philipp Martens from Zeuthen were pleased about the opening, but warned that the completion of the construction work was still necessary in order not to further endanger the quality of life of the residents and the attractiveness of the communities. Jenoch even offered his support for neighboring communities, while Martens emphasized the negative impact of the construction work on the town center. A glimmer of hope remains, because all of the missing entrances in Zeuthen, including the necessary elevators, are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2024.

Slow progress towards accessibility

The delays in Eichwalde and Zeuthen are not an isolated case. A current report from the Federal Office of Transport shows that complete accessibility in public transport is still a long time coming. Although 82 percent of all travelers are expected to benefit from disability-accessible modifications by the end of 2024, these modifications were actually supposed to be completed by the end of 2023. Responsible for these delays are, among other things, a lack of staff and a lack of time slots for the construction work, as Swissinfo reports.

In summary, it can be said that although the colorful ribbons have been cut, the path to a user-friendly and fully functional station network still needs a lot of work. The residents can only hope that the remaining work will be completed soon and that the entrances can even serve as a model for future construction projects.