The different kinds of transportation we were able to take today included the U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Tram lines, Bus as well as simply walking. The beginning of our day started off using the U-Bahn, from our area, Spittelmark towards Klosterstrasse. In this instance, we took the U2 line towards Pankow (which describes the end destination). We have frequented this U-Bahn station a few times so far so it was easy to locate.We then took the S-Bahn from Alexanderplatz to Springpfuhl, on the S7 line towards Ahrensfelde. By taking the S-Bahn, this means we are able to travel above ground, and as such, have a different experience from the previous underground train. It also took about 20 minutes for this ride, but seeing as the train travels above much of the roadways and other spaces on the ground, this is more than likely the quickest and most efficient method to travel.
The next stop we headed to was the Tram line, not too far from our previous exit off of the S-Bahn. The route that we needed to take was between S Springpfuhl and Helene-Weigel-Platz (on route M8 to Ahrensfelde). This was a relatively short distance that perhaps may have been easier to just walk, but it added another dimension to our traveling experience none-the-less.
Our next destination lead us back to the S-Bahn, from Springpfuhl to Jannowitzbrücke on the S7 Potsdam Hbf line. This entrance was quite close to the area that we were investigating once we came off the tramline, so that was convenient. As per the previous experience, the ride was once again quite quick.
Out final use of public transportation involved using the city bus system. This experience was similar to one you might have in Regina in the sense that you have to scout out the stop that is appropriate for the bus route that you need. This is difficult if you don't exactly know where the appropriate stop is, as we did experience today and ended up walking farther to a stop that could've been much closer had we known. The bus that we ended up taking was from Lichtenberger Strasse to U Spittelmarkt with the route 248 U Breitenbachplatz via S-Bhf Südkreuz.Overall, the sheer availability of public transportation options in Berlin is quite astounding. Although it may seem confusing at first, it is relatively easy to figure out how to use it, even if you are just visiting the country as we are. Together, with each mode of transportation taking you to different areas throughout the city, I get the impression that this system works quite well for the city.
2 comments:
I really like how you compared the efficiencies of each method in comparision to each other. Do you think that the bus system is more efficient here because people use it more often, or because their are more routes or something else?
I'm not sure to what extent the bus system in particular is more efficient than ours, but given the sheer need for it, there might be more availability to handle the load. Given the sheer size of the city, it would need a larger bus system in general to handle the traffic of people. There is also the fact that more people would rely on public transportation here, due to the fact that there just isn't enough room for every person to own and use a car.
I think the public transportation system as a whole is much more efficient to that which is a part of Regina, because altogether (trains, buses, etc.) it encompasses more areas of the city than perhaps Regina's stand-alone bus system would.
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