Rail Replacement Berlin Style(s)

Anyone who knows me knows that my professional passion is customers in unusual, event or perturbed travel.  One of the most common of these is planned engineering works, the subsequent supply of customer information and directions, and the operation of rail replacement buses.  Taking advantage of a brief break in respective national lock downs in the UK and Germany, I was fortunate to see rail replacement in Berlin.

In Berlin (and in common with many German cites) the bus, tram and metro (U-Bahn) networks are operated by the city transport company, in this case BVG-Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe, and the heavy rail (S-Bahn) by DB Regio (part of the national rail operator, Deutsche Bahn).  The latter is a tendered service though DB Regio tend to win most contracts, not least because any new operator has to find their own trains, depots and staff (unlike the UK, where physical assets are usually transferred (being part of the DfT's registered asset base) and staff are TUPE'd).  

1) U-Bahn route U6

Two week suspension in mid-October between Naturundmuseum and Franzosische Strasse, which is the section of the U6 through the centre of Berlin,

Basic information is provided on these A-boards on the platform.  Information on replacement bus stops is usually provided in map form.

More helpful for people unfamiliar with the area is directional signage.  These footsteps on the platform are a simple way of doing this, although their provision was variable across the closure.

An alternative form of platform marking.  This one shows the end destination of the line, possibly because the closure, and subsequent replacement bus, was extended overnight. I didn't like these as people tended to suddenly stop to read them.

Exiting the station the foot steps or any kind of signage ran out.....

.....although the rapid appearance of a replacement bus quickly identified the stop.  The replacement buses were running every 2-3 minutes, which is a good frequency compared to the train arriving every 12 minutes.  Once again the bus displays the southern terminus of the U6 rather than the terminus of the replacement bus.

There was a trend of terminus stops for the rail replacement being dedicated temporary stops.  Buses did not wait for 'runners' - they went on time, but the frequency was such that it is rarely more than two minutes for the next bus....although as can be seen it was raining heavily which caused a few grumblings from intending passengers (but in this case I am minded to say it is correct to keep wheels moving, such is the intensity of service).

Overview of information provided on the stop.  The stop is a summary and map of replacement buses.

 

And the bottom half is a timetable.  Frequency is superb, going from 9 buses/hour in the 05:00 hour through to  dichte busfolge, literally dense bus sequence.

The at-stop signage included an English translation.  This section is showing that Franzosische station (at the southern end of the day time closure) does not have step free access, and that in some cases local buses or another nearby station should be used instead.

The buses used on this rail replacement service were all from BVG's own fleet, and therefore equipped with their standard customer information display.  As well as clear destination displays on the front, visual and audible next stop information was available inside.

This information display is at an exit from Franzosische Str station.  A small amount  of confusion in that the signage (smaller arrows) is pointing left, but the logo for the BVG improvement programme uses an arrow pointing right!  Key learning point: don't put arrows in your logo!

At Franzosische the road layout has been temporarily changed to favour replacement buses (temporary road layout changes in Germany are usually yellow tape placed over the normal road markings, as can be seen here).  In this case the through traffic lane has a stop line giving priority to replacement buses pulling out of the stop. I like this!

Another route U6 replacement bus showing the northern terminus of the U6 as it's destination (Alt-Tegel) rather than the destination of the bus (Naturkundmuseum).  As a comparison in London we always show the destination of the bus.  Both options probably cause confusion......

2) U-Bahn Route U1/U6

This is a long term closure of routes U1 and U3 (which share the same track) between Kottbusser Tor and Warschauer Strasse stations  to the south-east of the city centre.  It will continue until 'spring 2021': good to see BVG comply with Roger Ford's law on never committing to anything more than a season for delivery!

The date is October 25th 2020, and I knew there was a long term closure of the U1/U3.  Some haphazardly placed stickers on the train described a closure a few months earlier!

Two posters on the platform at Kottbusser Tor showing replacement bus information.  Unfortunately it's quite a complicated junction underneath so not the most intuitive.

Customer information at the exit I came out of: for long term closures someone needs accountability for ensuring information remains legible.  Those feet stickers would have been very useful here for funding which of the six arms of the junction the replacement bus ran from.

But I worked it out!  An entire street has had its parking suspended to provide parking for the replacement buses, although it was quite on the Sunday morning I visited. The bus in the distance is at the departure stop.  Maybe at quieter times the departure stop could be brought back closer to the station.  It would be interesting to see how this is used in the peaks.

A problem we all have is having to serve some streets that neither local residents or local authorities care about. This is the walk to the replacement bus stop at Kottbusser Tor.

Replacement bus timetable provided on the departure stop.  As with the U6, most of the time it is dense bus sequence. 

Again, as with the U6m the buses are all drawn from the regular city bus fleet of BVG, and are therefore provided with a good standard of customer information inside and out.

Of passing interest is the changes made on the buses as a result of the coronavirus, with a complete curtain between the driver and saloon.  Obviously front doors are not in use as a result of this (proactive fare collection is rare on any German public transport so this made no difference to revenue).  The following day I was in Hamburg where the primary municipal operator Hochbahn had made no changes whatsoever!

Exterior view of a replacement bus at Warschauer Str, showing the clear destination display in German.....

....and in English.  Onward signage from the bus stop was not great: whilst most people using this route will be local, the location of Warschauer Str station was not obvious.

3) S-Bahn S3/S5/S5/S7 closed between Alexanderplatz and Ostbahnhof

This was a one week (nine days) closure of a short stretch of the S-Bahn route through the centre of Berlin in late July/early August 2020, which I again stumbled on creating the perfect busman's holiday....

This is replacement bus information for this short closure provided.  It shows that replacement buses operate every two minutes between 04:00 and 23:56 on weekdays, with the same frequency for contracted hours on Saturday and Sunday.  This clearly shows that the closure is considered a major impediment to travel and that a very high frequency alternative should be provided, to minimise overall inconvenience.

Directions to the replacement bus stop at Alexanderplatz are provided using the feet stickers.  This was necessary as the departure stop was not immediately outside the station, rather at a temporary stop round the corner on Grunerstrasse.

Unlike the closure of BVG's own railways, DB Regio Berlin contracted operation to a variety of local independent bus operators.  These tended to provide buses in a variety of liveries, of which about two thirds were the livery of whichever municipal operator the bus was acquired from.  

So whilst every bus is a different colour, the widespread use of electronic destination displays in Germany (and basically anywhere except London) means the buses can still clearly show their route and destination.  This one is static, but some scrolled through S3/S5/S7/S9.  Unlike BVG, these buses showed the bus destination nor the ultimate destination of the rail lines (although, with four S-Bahn lines affected, that could have been quite confusing).

4) In conclusion

There are some common themes running through these examples of Berlin's track closures and alternative transport provision:

• The track closures are all relatively short
• Information provision in stations varies
• Information between station and bus stop varies considerably
• Replacement bus journey times are not much more then ten minutes end to end
• Articulated buses are the norm, suitable for short distance/high capacity
• Destination displays are good
• The driver has no interaction with the passengers
• There is no ticket checking or revenue collection
• There are no bus service controllers
• There are rarely any staff at bus stops

My conclusion is that sticky feet and proper bus destination displays can go a long way to keeping customers on track.  These examples were from longer term closures (a week or more) so not all may be seen or applicable to weekend only closures.  However, my impression is that longer term closures are becoming an accepted norm across Germany.

Gratuitous inclusion of S-Bahn replacement bus photographs

New York Select Bus Service

New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has been converting a number of bus routes to their Select Bus Service product over the last decade or so.  Select Bus Service, SBS, is aimed at reducing journey time and increasing reliability, primarily through better traffic management, such as signal priority or bus lanes.  There are generally also fewer stops, and stops separated from other bus routes.  The SBS product is aimed at the higher frequency routes which fill in the gaps in the Subway suburban rail network.

January 2020 gave me the chance to see SBS in action.

SBS comes with a considerable list of instructions.  Historically in New York, when you board a bus you paid cash or 'dipped' your Metrocard (season ticket or stored value card) in a reader as you enter.    Simple technology demands simple processes and Metrocard is pretty simple all round.

However SBS relies on off-bus ticketing.  They achieve that by requiring the Metrocard (or cash fare to be paid) at kerbside ticket machines.  

You are then issues a receipt, or a ticket, valid for travel on SBS.  The fare doesn't cost any more, nor is the ticket routinely checked, but it allows multi-door boarding on SBS buses.  The Metrocard has always offered good value fare when transferring between buses or buses and Subway, and this is retained on the SBS.  However it does seem like something of an unnecessary faff building and maintaining a load of roadside infrastructure, particularly when London's similar system was not deemed worth retaining, and when contactless payment is being rolled out in New York.  However, maybe the additional revenue from faster and more reliable journey times makes it worthwhile, and maybe an on-vehicle system for checking tickets, as is the norm in central/Eastern Europe, is not practical for Metrocard.

Real time information display. Not working!

The vehicles used on SBS are standard city buses, in this case on the M60 manufactured in the USA by Nova Bus.  This is notable as SBS refers to itself as bus rapid transit (BRT), and some applications of BRT, particularly in the UK, have tended to over-specify and over-complicate the vehicle.

Interior of the Nova Bus low floor SBS vehicle.  Very much a standard US city bus with plastic moulded seats and a traditional wire bell pull running along the windows.  Considering the general modal preference for rail over bus for people with access to a private car, I wonder if SBS has attracted much modal shift.  No doubt that journey time reliability and journey time reduction are key to enhancing bus patronage however.  Therefore despite the faffy approach to ticketing and the no-nonsense vehicles, I quite like the SBS style.  Further, some of the highway infrastructure for SBS also benefits other bus routes, enhancing reliability all round,

New in the north: Northern Rail Class 195

Over Christmas 2019 I inadvertently found myself sampling the newest diesel multiple units in the UK, the class 195 with Northern.

Since rail privatisation, and save for a few Siemens (CAF) Class 333s that are now two decades old, Northern and its predecessors (e.g. First North Western, Northern Spirit) have relied on British Rail era trains, either inherited at privatisation or handed down from other operators as they reequipped.  Successive franchises have been let on the basis of no growth and minimal cost. The most notable trains, and apparently hated by customers and very much picked on by politicians were the 'Pacer' units, Class 142 (above) and Class 144, which by 2019 totalled nearly one hundred two- and three-car trains in the fleet.

The current Northern franchise, operated by Arriva since April 2016, promised the replacement of the Pacers as well as increased service levels across the north.  This meant many more trains would be required, so whilst Northern has continued to collect assorted second trains (both electric and diesel, which accounts for the variety of colour seen on trains across the north) it also ordered 101 new trains from CAF.  This order is generally regarded as the 'Pacer replacement' although in reality there is a cascade of stock across the franchise, and former Pacer routes are more likely to be served by Class 150/152/155/156 Sprinters, whilst the new trains serve the Northern Connect network.
 

There are both electric and diesel trains coming from CAF: about two thirds are diesel.  The interior of the diesel version, the Class 195 is illustrated above.  It is an attractive and welcoming interior with a lot of the more popular table seating.  Alas Northern have acquired a lot as two-car trains, which is the last thing it needs when demand is growing.  The UK has enough two-car DMUs before Northern and Abellio acquire any more.  Happy days if you're a CAF share holder!

The seats appear to be the same type of 'ironing board' seats fitted to other recent train deliveries, but come with a bit more padding and arm rests, which makes them reasonably comfortable.

As with many new trains there is the facility to charge your phone on board,  however it is plug only (no USB) and is between the seat bases, so you need to be contortionist to actually use it.   There is also Wifi on board.

The Class 195 also has the facility for seat reservations.  I'm not sure if Northern or its predecessors have used seat reservations since the pre-privatisation days of Regional Railways running the Transpennine Express.

Whilst the proliferation of table seats is a good thing (maybe except for capacity) as usual these days the train designers have not thought people might actually want to look out of windows.  Alas on the scenic routes across the north these trains will operate on, they probably do.  I recall that part if the current Scotrail franchise is to specifically provide facilities for sight seeing, starting with  enhanced window cleaning on trains serving the particularly scenic routes in the highlands.

The 195s also come with automated customer information screens.   There is quite a lot of information on here which takes a moment to calibrate, especially the 'D' in the top right, which is the carriage letter.  On a three car train!  Again this points to Northern introducing seat reservations at some point.

Grab rails on trains and buses need to contrast to the back ground colour (hence bright yellow or green is popular generally contrasting to darker clothing, seats etc).  Not sure about the colour contrast of that grab rail by the door of this Class 195.

Conclusion.....not a bad little train.  Comfortable, quiet.  Few quirks which show the interior was specified/designed by someone who doesn't use trains.  Coming from CAF I'm sure they were cheap, and I hope they give 30+ years service!