U7 to Heerstraße Nord – Is the Next Major Expansion for Spandau, Long Familiar to OMSI Players, Finally Coming?

For many OMSI 2 players, this topic feels almost surreal. The Berlin-Spandau standard map has practically burned Rathaus Spandau and the bus connections toward Heerstraße Nord into the collective memory of the sim community over the years. That is exactly why the current discussion is so exciting.

The planned extension of the U7 from Rathaus Spandau to Heerstraße Nord has been a topic in Berlin for years – and was recently discussed intensively once again. According to feasibility studies, up to 40,000 passengers per day are expected. The current figures mention around 580 million euros for five new stations, with possible operations not starting until the mid-2030s.

Especially for Spandau, this would be a massive intervention in the transport structure.

Because at the moment, the large residential areas around the Rudolf-Wissell housing estate and the Obstallee housing estate are mainly served by bus lines – exactly the areas that OMSI players practically know by heart.

And this is where the analysis becomes really interesting.

The bus lines are increasingly reaching their limits, especially during rush hour. This is not just a purely subjective feeling, but one of the main reasons why the extension keeps being discussed politically. At the same time, Spandau continues to grow strongly, including adjacent areas and commuter flows.

A subway line would connect the district much more directly to the city center and noticeably relieve north-south traffic.

But this is exactly where the actual debate begins.

Does it really have to be a tunnel?

Because the counterarguments are just as strong. 580 million euros for five stations is an enormous financial burden – and more recent reports are now even talking about significantly higher total costs depending on the expansion variant. At the same time, a recent cost-benefit study apparently did not achieve a sufficiently positive result, which has recently caused the project to become politically unstable.

That means: economically, the matter is anything but clear.

Alternatives such as tram extensions, express bus concepts, or additional feeder systems are also being considered.

That is exactly why the topic is so interesting – also for players.

Because what we have been driving in OMSI 2 for years could eventually look completely different in reality.

And that is exactly why the question remains more open than ever:

Is the U7 extension the great opportunity for Spandau – or would an expansion of trams and buses bring even more in the long term?

Would the U7 extension noticeably relieve bus traffic in Spandau? Should Berlin invest more in trams and buses instead of tunnels? Do you still know the area well from OMSI 2? Would a subway line to Heerstraße Nord make sense to you?

_{Image from Wikimedia Commons, license: Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0}