Ghost stations is the usual English translation for the German word Geisterbahnhöfe. This term was used to describe certain stations on Berlin's U-Bahn and S-Bahn metro networks that were closed during the period of Berlin's division during the Cold War.

In August of 1961 the East German government built the Berlin Wall, ending freedom of movement between East and West Berlin. As a result, the Berlin public transit network, which had formerly spanned both halves of the city, was also divided into two. Some U- and S-Bahn lines fell entirely into one half of the city or the other; other lines were divided between the two jurisdictions, with trains running only to the border and then turning back. However, there were three lines—the U-Bahn lines U6 and U8, and the Nord-Süd Bahn on the S-Bahn—that ran for the most part through West Berlin but passed through a relatively small stretch of East German territory in the city center. These lines continued to be open to West Berliners; however, trains did not stop at the stations located within East Berlin, though for technical reasons they did need to slow down significantly while passing though. The name geistbahnhof was soon understandably applied to these dimly lit, heavily guarded stations by the westerners who watched them pass by out the windows. However, the term was never official; West Berlin subway maps of the period simply labeled these stations "Bahnhöfe, auf denen die Züge nicht halten"—"stations at which the trains do not stop." East Berlin subway maps did not depict Western lines or ghost stations at all.

Friedrichstraße Station, though served by western lines and located in East German territory, was not a geistbahnhof. Instead, it served as a transfer point between U6 and several S-Bahn lines. Western passengers could walk from one platform to another without ever leaving the station or needing to show papers, much like air travellers changing planes at an international airport. Westerners with appropriate papers could also enter East Berlin here.

The situation described was obviously less than ideal. The lines were a vital part of the West Berlin transit network, but because part of their length lay in East German territory, it was difficult for western support staff to do needed maintenance work on the tracks and tunnels. If a western train broke down in East German territory, then passengers would need to wait for East German border police to appear and escort them out. The East German government occasionally hinted that it might someday block access to the tunnels at the border and run its own service on the East Berlin sections of these lines. However, this awkward status quo persisted for the entire 28-year period of the division of Berlin.

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in November of 1989, the city and German government put a great deal of effort into restoring and reunifying the S- and U-Bahn networks in Berlin. Although the system was not completely restored until 2002, the first ghost stations were open to passenger traffic again on November 11th 1989, 2 days after the fall of the wall. By the time of German reunification in 1990 all ghost stations were opened again. The first people to enter the ghost stations found that they lived up to their name, with the ads and signage on the walls being unchanged since 1961.

What follows is a complete list of Berlin ghost stations. Please note that this list only includes those stations in East German territory that western trains passed through without stopping; there were other stations on both sides of the wall that were closed during the division because sections of track were not in use.

Nord-Süd Bahn

• Bornholmer Straße
• Nordbahnhof
• Oranienburger Straße
• Unter den Linden
• Potsdamer Platz

U6

• Schwartzkopffstraße
• Nordbahnhof (today named Zinnowitzer Straße)
• Oranienburger Tor
• Französische Straße
• Stadtmitte (only U6 station closed; East German U2 trains continued to stop here)

In 1971, the East German government gave Schwartzkopffstraße the new name Stadion der Weltjugend, despite the fact that the only trains that passed through it were western, and they did not stop there. The original name was restored in 1991.

U8

• Bernauer Straße
• Rosenthaler Platz
• Weinmeisterstraße
• Alexanderplatz (only U8 station closed; East German U2, U5, and S-Bahn trains continued to stop here)
• Jannowitzbrücke
• Heinrich-Heine-Straße

External links

• Berlin Metro map, 1961
• Historic Berlin metro maps