Locale Berlin Began operation 1896 | Transit type Ferry | |
 | ||
Operator(s) Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG)
Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam (ViP)
Various private operators | ||
Berlin, the capital city of Germany, has an extensive network of rivers, lakes and canals. As a consequence ferry transport forms a part of the transport network of Berlin.
Contents
History
The service was inaugurated in 1896, when the first ferry line opened between Wilhelmstrand and Baumschulenstraße.
Routes within the city and the VBB common tariff
There are six passenger ferry routes that operate within the city boundaries of Berlin and are part of the common public transport tariff run by the Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg (VBB). All six routes are operated by the Stern und Kreisschiffahrt by order of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), the operator of Berlin's U-Bahn, trams and buses.
The six lines run mainly in Treptow-Köpenick district, except for the F10, which runs from Steglitz-Zehlendorf to Spandau, through Großer Wannsee lake and Havel river. The localities (Ortsteile) served by this service are Wannsee, Kladow, Oberschöneweide, Baumschulenweg, Köpenick, Grünau, Müggelheim (5 stops), Schmöckwitz and Rahnsdorf (2 stops).
The F24 is operated with a rowing boat, whilst all the other ferry lines are operated by passenger carrying motor boats. The timetable with one departure every 60 minutes for the F24 is necessary to be found in the journey planning software and to fulfill legal restrictions stating that all public traffic needs to have a timetable. In reality, it drives as often as needed, increasing the frequency to about every 5 minutes if necessary. With the end of the season 2013, this ferry has terminated its operation and will be included to the ferry line F23. With the season starting at 1st Mai 2015 the ferry started operation again with a reduced service. It now operates only on Weekends and Bank Holidays.
Routes outside the city but within the VBB common tariff
One other passenger ferry route, within the adjacent city of Potsdam and operated by the Verkehrsbetrieb Potsdam, is also included in the tariff of the VBB:
The F1 is operated by a passenger carrying cable ferry.
Other routes
Within Berlin there are also some touristic and private ferry routes that are not managed by BVG and do not form part of the VBB common tariff. These include:
To the east of Berlin, the Straussee Ferry crosses the Straussee lake in the town of Strausberg. The ferry is notable as one of only a handful of electrically operated cable ferries in the world. Although this line is not within the Berlin city limits and is not part of the VBB common tariff, it is owned by the Strausberg Railway, who are VBB members, and hence is designated as line F39 by the VBB.