Domestic safety measures - Ukraine conference results in transport disruptions, trains and buses affected, cars trapped in congestion.
Extensive hold-ups and cancellations have resulted in significant disruptions to Berlin's S-Bahn network on Tuesday morning. The S-Bahn announced that service between Friedrichstraße and Tiergarten was out of commission due to the Ukraine reconstruction conference and related police deployments. The Ringbahn also experienced problems, with some trains running noticeably slower. Frustrated passengers took to the internet to air their grievances. Additionally, the BVG's bus service and regular traffic were affected by many road closures.
Both the police and the traffic information center (VIZ) noted traffic disruptions in the city. The event involved Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) at the CityCube congress center in Charlottenburg's exhibition grounds. Until Wednesday evening, the Jafféstraße will be inaccessible to cars in both directions between Messedamm and Heerstraße.
Due to the presence of government officials, the police closed off the area around the Hotel Waldorf Astoria near the Zoo station for extended periods. The Hardenbergstraße and Budapester Straße were shut down to vehicular traffic in both directions between Kurfürstenstraße and Fasanenstraße. Motorists were advised to bypass the area. Within the restricted zone, car and, in some instances, pedestrian flow was limited.
On Tuesday, there will be more closures in the government district between the Great Star and the Bellevue Palace, as informed by the police. Two exits of the Bundestag station are to be momentarily shut down. Residents and authorized individuals should have some form of ID (i.e., identification document or their service or business ID) to navigate the area.
The S-Bahn informed the public that "mainly, there won't be any timetable adjustments in the city center during rush hour." The police also are responsible for securing the conference venue on the exhibition grounds. The airspace is being monitored, and certain buildings on site are being searched by the police with canine units for explosives.
