The new left-wing “red-red-green” alliance of parties that will govern the German capital of Berlin has announced a number of programs it will undertake as part of the “BerlinStrategie 2030” coalition agreement among the Social Democrats, the Left Party and the Greens.
A major expansion of the city’s light-rail network is among the most important projects announced.
The plan is part of a larger transport program that includes adding cycling and pedestrian options, canceling some road-building projects, expanding S-Bahn regional rail service and reopening some lines and removing most traffic from Unter den Linden, the grand boulevard through central Berlin.
Four tram lines already being planned by Berlin Transport will be fast-tracked to begin construction next year. Work on five more tram lines will begin by 2021.
The city government will also begin planning work for six additional lines with the goal of building them between 2021 and 2026; if built, they will create an extensive tram network in the western part of central Berlin.
Because the city’s finances are not enough, the tram expansion plan will pledge on the German federal government’s willingness to support it. The city itself will allocate EUR 60 million per year (USD 64.51 million) to the program.
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