In a first-person column, Berliner Zeitung describes a Monday morning commute on Berlin's S-Bahn that its author found disrupted from start to finish. The piece is an opinion column, and the facts below are the author's own account of that morning.
Delays and a broken escalator
According to Berliner Zeitung, a signal fault meant that the S1 was running only every 20 minutes between Wannsee and Oranienburg, as shown on the departure board at Schöneberg station. The author waited about 15 minutes for a train there. A broken escalator at the station also forced passengers to use the stairs.
Crowded trains and a difficult journey
The platform was busier than usual, and the train that arrived was so full that the author had to squeeze in as the last of the waiting passengers. In one part of the carriage, a group of seats around a single woman was left largely empty. The author reports a strong smell in that area, and some passengers covered their noses or stepped out at the next stations for fresh air.
The author stresses that his complaint is not directed at the woman, who appeared to need help. He says he does not know whether she was homeless. He places responsibility on policymakers and transport operators to ensure that people in such situations can find help and that public transport works in daily use.
Arrival at Friedrichstraße
After another 15 minutes, the author reached Friedrichstraße station at about ten past nine. Other passengers in the carriage were audibly relieved to get off, and several complained about conditions on the S-Bahn. At the next broken escalator, the author recounts, the frustration among commuters became more visible. He expected to reach his office at Alexanderplatz about 15 minutes late.