this post was submitted on 22 Dec 2025
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Berlin's S-Bahn is an anomaly in Germany. Normally S-Bahns are a form of light interurban rail networks. Not really metros (more classically within city subways and suburbs).
Across Germany there are S-Bahn networks between cities, but Berlin has grown so much that it absorbed other cities into a single metro area and the S-Bahn with it. They also added extra stations in places making it a bit more metro like.
It's a weird beast for classification now.
I like that the U-Bahns and S-Bahns are different rail companies in the city. That way when there's a strike it normally only shuts down one of the two systems and I can still get around, just a bit slower.
S-Bahns are not trams or tram trains, but are heavy rail. They are basically upgraded regional or commuter lines, which run on a common corridor through the city to allow for metro like frequencies on that section. A lot of the lines hav 20min frequency, but often share track to increase that. Quite a few of them are pretty close to metros. Not just the Berlin one. Hamburgs has 10min frequency on its lines for the most part, Cologne and the Rhein-Ruhr one is at 20-30min and a lot of shared track.
There are some, which are worse, but Berlins system is not an anomaly in being rather metro like.
Same in Frankfurt. In the city the frequency is quite high and then they split into lines when they get outside, which only reach a 30min frequency during rush hour I think.
Even the connection Frankfurt central station to Offenbach market place (city on the other river side) can reach a train every 5min during rush hour.
But they can get delayed when they surface and get outside.