The electric bus fleet operated by Berlin’s public transport company, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), has been growing steadily for years. To create the necessary infrastructure, the local transport operator is building its first maintenance and storage depot dedicated solely to electric buses on Koepenicker Landstrasse in Berlin. Charging and parking areas for around 200 vehicles, a servicing hall and a modern administration building are being built on an area of around 44,000 square meters. Commissioning is scheduled for 2027. An expert team from Drees & Sommer is providing project management and construction supervision support throughout the project. The company offers consulting services in the fields of construction, real estate and infrastructure. Construction of the new maintenance and storage depot for electric buses started in March 2025.
The mobility transition is gaining momentum: more and more people are switching to electric vehicles, while local public transport bodies are also decarbonizing their fleets. BVG already has 280 electric buses operating in Berlin. By 2027, around one-third of the total fleet of 1,500 buses is expected to be electrically powered. This is based on the BIG2025 project, an initiative for the large-scale procurement of electric buses, which is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport in the amount of some 195 million euros.
From an Industrial Site to a Location with a Future
The site of the new electric bus depot was previously home to a range of industrial facilities. The resulting contamination-related issues posed a challenge for project participants, as Julian Hennig, who heads the project team at Drees & Sommer, says: “The construction of charging infrastructure requires extensive civil engineering work. If we encounter contamination along the way, it could have a negative impact on the schedule. By closely coordinating the workflows on the construction site and enabling transparent communication between all project participants, we are making progress with the work on a structured basis and ensure that all deadlines are met.“ To thoroughly prepare the subsurface, approximately 9,000 concrete pillars were installed to stabilize the ground.
In addition, a special drainage system has been developed for the new electric bus depot, which is part of the new maintenance and storage facilities in Schöneweide in Berlin’s Treptow-Köpenick district. The civil engineer explains: “In order to guarantee efficient operation, a large part of the area must be sealed. To ensure that rainwater can drain away reliably, the new drainage system channels the surface water through a rainwater retention basin. The water is pre-treated to near-drinking-water quality and discharged into the River Spree, in compliance with all regulatory requirements for water and environmental protection.“ The civil engineering work that was required also brought some advantages, “as the redevelopment will benefit not only public transport, but also the entire area,” Julian Hennig adds.
Further Measures to Follow
BVG is also preparing for a steady increase in the number of electric buses in other parts of Berlin. While two additional depots are being built on Saentisstrasse and Minna Todenhagen Strasse, existing sites are being gradually converted to handle electric buses.
Drees & Sommer has also been entrusted with project management for the construction of the two additional depots for electric buses. Full commissioning of the maintenance and storage depot for electric buses on Koepenicker Landstrasse is planned for 2027.