Berlin tram lines M5 and M17 resume service a day ahead of schedule after Lichtenberg accident

"Heute haben die Teams die Oberleitungen wieder aufgebaut," BVG said, noting that crews had rebuilt the overhead lines earlier in the day. According to the operator, the track repairs themselves were already completed before the overhead-line work finished. "Die Reparaturen an den Gleisen waren bereits gestern geschafft," a BVG spokesperson said.

The accident occurred on Tuesday in Neu-Hohenschönhausen, a locality within Berlin's Lichtenberg district, when the last car of a tram derailed after a part of the vehicle struck an overhead line mast in a curve before Arnimstraße, according to the Berlin fire department. The right side of the tram was ripped open in the collision.

Twenty people were injured in the accident, the fire department said. Three of the 20 sustained serious injuries. No fatalities have been reported. The derailment and the damaged overhead line infrastructure forced a multi-day closure of the affected section while crews worked to clear the wreckage, repair the tracks and rebuild the overhead wiring.

BVG said the repair work lasted several days, with teams working through Thursday to restore the overhead lines. Final test runs on Thursday evening confirmed that the infrastructure was safe for regular passenger service, allowing M5 and M17 to return to their normal timetables.

The accident prompted a large emergency response in the area on Tuesday. The fire department led the operation at the scene, and replacement buses were deployed to bridge the gap in service while the tracks were closed. With trams now running again, the temporary bus service has been stood down.

The cause of the collision has not been publicly identified. BVG and the fire department have pointed to the impact with the overhead line mast in the curve before Arnimstraße as the immediate sequence of events, but it remains unclear why the tram struck the mast. Investigations, if any, were not described in the available information.

For passengers in Lichtenberg and the surrounding neighborhoods, the earlier-than-expected resumption means a return to the usual M5 and M17 connections through Neu-Hohenschönhausen, including links to central Berlin and adjacent tram corridors. BVG has not announced any residual speed restrictions or service changes on the two lines beyond the resumption of normal operations.