Underground line 2 (Hamburg)

line
Route of line U2 with identification of the tunnel sections
Route length:	24.534 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	lateral Busbar 750 V  =
Top speed:	80 km / h
Dual track :	continuous
Legend 9,845 Sweeping system 9,540 Niendorf North (NN) 8,847 Schippelsweg (SW) 7,997 Joachim-Mähl-Strasse (JM) 7.116 Niendorf Market (NM) 5.231 Hagendeel (HL) 4,399 3.884 Hagenbecks Tierpark (HG) 3.232 2.687 Lutterothstrasse (LT) 2.43 Hellkamp until 1964 1.910 Osterstrasse (OS) 1,319 Emilienstraße (EM) 0.578 Christ Church (CH) 0.505 5.072 Moorkamp curve to the ring (operating route) 4,543 Schlump (SL)  3.335 Exhibition halls (MH) 2,595 Gänsemarkt (Opera) (GM) 1,946 Jungfernstieg (JG)  ( town hall ) 1,780 from Elbbrücken (U4) 1.142 Central Station North (HX) ( Hamburg Central Station ) ( Central Station South ) Ring line from Landungsbrücken (U3) 0.000 0.000 0.012 Berlin Gate (BT)  Ring line to Barmbek (U3) 1.354 Burgstrasse (BG) 1,540 2.095 2.302 Hammer Church (HK) 2,950 Rauhes Haus (RH) 4.145 Horner Racecourse (HN) 5.295 5.367 Legienstrasse (LE) 6.268 Billstedt (BI)  6,950 Schleemer Bach 6.975 7.546 Merkenstrasse (MS) 8.565 Steinfurther Allee (SF) 10,427 Mümmelmannsberg (MG) 10.905 Sweeping system

The U2 of the Hamburg subway leads a diameter line from the stop Niendorf Nord in Niendorf in the northwest of Hamburg through the city center to the station Mümmelmannsberg on the eastern outskirts of the district Billstedt .

In contrast to the other lines of the Hamburg U-Bahn - with the exception of the U4 , which largely follows the lines of the U2 - the route of the U2 runs mainly underground. There are open sections between Hagendeel and Lutterothstrasse, Burgstrasse and Hammer Kirche, and between Legienstrasse and Merkenstrasse. The route is 24.5 kilometers from terminus to terminus. With 25 stations, the average station spacing is a little more than 1000 meters. 21 kilometers and 22 of the 25 underground stations are in the tunnel.

The color code of the U2 line is red.

business

Platform in the Jungfernstieg U2 stop

A trip on the U2 route takes 43 minutes. This results in an average speed of around 34 km / h. The maximum line speed of the U2 is generally 80 km / h. In places, including in tight bends, the permissible speed is restricted by slow driving areas.

Between 4:20 a.m. and 10:40 p.m., the trains run at least every 10 minutes, during off-peak hours (NVZ) between Niendorf Markt and Billstedt every 5 minutes, and during rush hour (HVZ) also on the route section to Mümmelmannsberg is offered. In the fringe hours, the clock is thinned to 20 minutes; in the section between Jungfernstieg and Mümmelmannsberg, it is condensed with journeys by the U4.

On the section between Jungfernstieg and Billstedt, the U2 has been sharing the route with the newly built U4 coming from HafenCity since November 29, 2012 , which runs every 10 minutes during the day and thus increases the capacity on this highly sought-after route.

On the nights from Friday to Saturday and from Saturday to Sunday and before public holidays, the rapid-transit railway operates at night every 20 minutes on the entire route of the U2.

The route of the U2 line is fully designed for operation with 120-meter-long trains (8 or 9-car trains). Since 2009 vehicles of the type DT4 have been used almost exclusively , usually in double traction. DT3 is used very rarely , mostly on short commutes due to construction work. Until 2009, the use of DT3 on the U2 was everyday; Until the majority of them were phased out in 2004, mainly DT2s were on the U2.

The symmetry time of the U2 is a few seconds after the minute x1.

In 2015, 97.3% of the U2 departures were on time or less than three minutes late.

Passenger numbers by section

The U2 has the highest passenger numbers in the section between the Berliner Tor rapid transit station and the Burgstrasse station. An average of 79,000 passengers use the line here every working day. With around 17,000 more passengers on the parallel U4, this section has approximately 100,000 passengers on working days (Mon-Fri), making it the most heavily used section of the Hamburg subway. Between the end station Niendorf Nord and the nearest stop Schippelsweg, around 8,000 passengers use the train connection on weekdays.

Number of passengers on the U2 by section
			Passengers / working day (Mon – Fri) in the section
Niendorf Nord - Schippelsweg			8400
Schippelsweg - Joachim-Mähl-Straße			11100
Joachim-Mähl-Strasse - Niendorf Market			12900
Niendorf market - Hagendeel			26100
Hagendeel - Hagenbeck's zoo			27800
Hagenbeck's zoo - Lutterothstrasse			38300
Lutterothstrasse - Osterstrasse			47800
Osterstrasse - Emilienstrasse			59500
Emilienstraße - Christ Church			63900
Christ Church - Schlump			68700
Schlump - exhibition halls			63700
Exhibition halls - Gänsemarkt			67000
Gänsemarkt - Jungfernstieg			73000
Jungfernstieg - Central Station North			68900
Central station north - Berliner Tor			66100
Berliner Tor - Burgstrasse			79300
Burgstrasse - Hammer Church			73600
Hammer Church - Rough House			68300
Rauhes Haus - Horner Rennbahn			62700
Horner Rennbahn - Legienstrasse			52800
Legienstrasse - Billstedt			49100
Billstedt - Merkenstrasse			36400
Merkenstrasse - Steinfurther Allee			30000
Steinfurther Allee - Mümmelmannsberg			18900
Values ​​for an average working day (Mon-Fri) 2018, sum of both directions of travel.

Route sections

Mümmelmannsberg - Berlin Gate

The Mümmelmannsberg - Berliner Tor section was opened in several sections between 1967 and 1990, at that time as part of the U3. The first section from Berliner Tor to Horner Rennbahn went into operation on January 2, 1967, the other sections - initially only to Merkenstrasse - were built gradually until 1970. The extension to the Mümmelmannsberg development area is the most recent stretch.

The route runs exclusively in the tunnel until shortly after Merkenstrasse, with a double-track shield tunneling tunnel under the motorway between Mümmelmannsberg and Steinfurther Allee . The route then runs in a cut to the end of the Legienstrasse stop . Between Billstedt and Legienstrasse there is a wide open space between the tracks, which is partially filled by the Billstedt parking facility and in which the construction of a workshop was planned. After the area lay fallow for a long time, the Hochbahn is planning to build this workshop again today.

From Legienstrasse the route runs in an open tunnel. The topographical location of the Rauhes Haus stop, which is set into a slope, is striking. This results in the special situation that the inner city platform is bordered by a solid wall to the north, but the outer city platform has a glass wall and has even had access at ground level since 2014.

Between Hammer Kirche and Burgstraße the route briefly runs again in the cut. The Burgstrasse stop and the tunnels surrounding it were prepared at the time for a connection to the Alster Half-Ring , which was planned at the time : To the east, the distance between the tracks is a few hundred meters wide enough to insert a sweeping track, and at the same time there is a connecting piece for arriving trains in the tunnel towards Berliner Tor the Alster half-ring in the direction of Burgstrasse (the stop would then have four tracks and the U2 track, which is now in the city center, would be used as the arrival track) and another connecting piece for re-threading the trains in the direction of Berliner Tor.

Shortly before the Berliner Tor stop, the S-Bahn passes under, which results in a steep incline shortly before arriving at the stop, as the underground station is only a little lower than the platforms of the S1.

Berliner Tor - Schlump

The approximately 4.5 km long Berliner Tor - Schlump section under Hamburg city center was built between 1962 and 1973. Construction began with the first ramming in the Lindenplatz construction lot in St. Georg in May 1962. The majority of the route, 4 of the 4.5 kilometers, was built using the shield tunneling method.

The route begins in the area of ​​the Berliner Tor stop, which previously existed for the ring line (U3), which was rebuilt for the new line in open construction under the street Beim Strohshaus with four tracks on two platform edges. A multi-storey flyover structure follows to the west , which connects the U1, U2 and U3 lines.

Behind the structure, the shield-driven route begins. It mainly consists of two single-track tunnel tubes with an inner diameter of 5.04 meters. The bottom of the tunnel is up to 29 meters below the surface and thus below the groundwater level of 22 meters. The tunnels were therefore driven under compressed air.

The Hauptbahnhof Nord stop is located across from the eponymous main train station. At both ends of the platforms, counter halls as well as entrances and exits were built using the open construction method. The platforms, each around 3.5 meters wide, are located in stop tunnels that are about 120 meters long and have a clear diameter of 7 meters, which are driven by shield driving. The stop has four tracks, with the outer platforms only being accessible shortly after the opening in 1968. They were intended for the old planning of the U4 from Osdorf to City Nord and were never equipped with tracks. The north tube has housed an art installation since 1994, but the lighting in the outer tubes failed completely until 2015, so that its content is hardly recognizable.

Shield tunneling tunnels now lead the U2 to the Inner Alster, under which a four-track stop was built using the cut-and-cover method. Since 2012, the U4 has branched off from the U2 in the direction of HafenCity. The bottom of the Jungfernstieg stop is around 18.5 meters below the surface of the Alster.

Further tunneling tunnels were built via Gänsemarkt and exhibition halls to the Schlump. Analogous to the procedure at the Hauptbahnhof Nord station, the access areas at each of the other two intermediate stops were also built using an open construction method, while the platforms themselves are located in the stop tubes.

At the Schlump, an additional platform level was built for the U2, using an open construction method, below the stop that already existed for the ring line.

Schlump - Niendorf Nord

The U2 runs behind the Schlump station through a tunnel that was only completed in 1970 and connects the lower level with the Christ Church station. It contains a sweeping system that can be used in both directions and the connection to the Moorkamp curve, which leads to the U3. This is crossed in a single tunnel in the direction of Niendorf.

The route between Christ Church and Osterstrasse went into operation as a branch of the ring line as early as 1913 and 1914, and as a result has several tight bends that can only be driven at 40 km / h. At that time, the route ended at the Hellkamp stop. In 1964 the entire line was closed for a year. Not only was the Osterstraße stop converted from a central platform to two side platforms, but the Hellkamp stop was also closed and replaced by the Lutterothstraße stop further north. On May 30, 1965, the line was reopened with the newly built stops.

Just one year later, the extension to the Hagenbecks Tierpark stop took place, about half of which was built in the open cut. A large, also above-ground parking facility was built behind the new terminus.

It was not until 20 years later in 1985 that the short route to Niendorf Markt was extended. This extension was mainly intended to compensate for the discontinuation of tram line 2 seven years earlier. The route dips into the tunnel parallel to the tracks of the Hagenbecks Tierpark parking facility and after about 1.3 kilometers reaches the very simple Hagendeel stop. This was not initially planned due to the thin development and was only added to the planning at a later date at the instigation of the Eimsbüttel district assembly. The distance to the Niendorf Markt stop, which is followed by a single-track sweeping system, is almost two kilometers.

In 1991 the line was extended again, this time to Niendorf Nord. Joachim-Mähl-Straße and Schippelsweg were built as intermediate stops; these are both equipped with side platforms and can be used as civil protection bunkers in the event of a crisis . Two trains can be parked as lounges at each stop; a narrow platform between the tracks would then connect the trains with each other.

The Niendorf Nord stop is close to the building line and therefore forms the long-term end point of the U2. The four-track storage facility that adjoins the train station, however, has been designed in such a way that any further construction will be relatively problem-free.

Timetable

line	Rush Hour Monday-Friday	Off-peak hours Monday – Friday	Saturday	Sunday and holiday	Off-peak hours from midnight, Sat + Sun until 5 a.m.	Night Fri / Sat and Sat / Sun as well as on the nights before public holidays
Niendorf Nord - Niendorf Market	05 min	010 min	010 min	010 min	020 min	020 min
Niendorf market - Billstedt	05 min	05 min	05 min	010 min	020 min	020 min
Billstedt - Mümmelmannsberg	05 min	010 min	010 min	010 min	020 min	020 min

Opening and closing dates

• October 21, 1913: Schlump - Emilienstraße
• May 23, 1914: Emilienstraße - Hellkamp
• 0May 1, 1964: The Schlump - Hellkamp line was closed for several months due to renovation work (Osterstraße stop) and the Hellkamp stop being abandoned
• May 30, 1965: (Schlump -) Lutterothstrasse
• October 30, 1966: Lutterothstrasse - Hagenbeck's zoo
• 0January 2nd, 1967: Berliner Tor - Horner Rennbahn (as U3)
• September 24, 1967: Horner Rennbahn - Legienstrasse (as U3)
• September 29, 1968: Central Station North - Berliner Tor (as U21)
• September 28, 1969: Legienstrasse - Billstedt (as U3)
• May 31, 1970: Billstedt - Merkenstraße (as U3)
• May 31, 1970: Schlump - Gänsemarkt (as U22)
• 0June 3, 1973: Gänsemarkt - North Central Station
• 0June 1, 1985: Hagenbeck's zoo - Niendorf market
• September 29, 1990: Merkenstraße - Mümmelmannsberg (as U3)
• 0March 9, 1991: Niendorf Markt - Niendorf Nord

Line management until summer 2009

U2 before the line swap in 2009

This route of the U2 line has existed since June 29, 2009. Before that, coming from Niendorf, it ran from the Berliner Tor stop over the ring line towards Barmbek and then on the Walddörferbahn to Wandsbek-Gartenstadt, until the early 1970s to Farmsen. Since then, the route previously served by the U3 via Billstedt to Mümmelmannsberg has been served. The U3 now runs as a ring line . To change the route, major renovations were necessary in the area west of the Berliner Tor stop.

See also

• Hamburger Hochbahn
• History of the Hamburger Hochbahn
• Hamburg Transport Association

Web links

Commons : U-Bahn line U2 (Hamburg)  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Today's line U2 ( Memento from March 28, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
• U2 timetable

swell

Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Building Authority, Office of Engineering I (1969): Schnellbahnbau in Hamburg. (Issue 49/1969 of the Hamburg writings on building, housing and settlement).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Printed matter 21/3667 of the Hamburg citizenship
2. ↑ The basis is the number of people entering and leaving the individual U2 stops for an average working day (Mon-Fri) in 2018 according to the HVV in an answer to "FragDenStaat", accessed on September 16, 2019 .