ich bin ein berliner.
Whether on tracks, streets, waterways or in the air: Berlin provides quick connections. The city’s ideal location in the heart of Europe combined with an outstanding infrastructure make the capital an East-West hub and a key European traffic junction. Berlin’s Hauptbahnhof opened in 2006 and is now Europe’s largest rail traffic station. The Willy Brandt International Airport, which will become Europe’s most modern airport when it opens in 2012, will bring together the entire region’s air traffic. With its own train station and access to the Autobahn, the airport will also generate short travel times to downtown Berlin and a direct connection to the surrounding region.
Close links among research and development make the region additionally attractive to companies in the field of modern transport technologies. In addition to major industry leaders, a large number of small and medium-sized businesses from a number of different key areas have set up operations in the capital region.
This is why Berlin-Brandenburg now counts among the leading regions for railway technology in Europe. Companies such Bombardier Transportation, Siemens Transportation Systems and Deutsche Bahn are continuing a tradition that was founded in Berlin at the end of the 19th century with names such as Borsig, AEG and Siemens. The spectrum of the Berlin-Brandenburg rail-tech region extends from the production of railways and signaling systems to vehicles and sector-specific services.
The proximity to Europe’s growth markets also makes the region interesting to the automobile industry. With BMW and Daimler, Berlin is home to two of Germany’s most important manufacturers. Among other projects, Daimler is set to manufacture electric engines for Mercedes-Benz hybrid drive systems at its Berlin factory starting in 2012. A dense network of suppliers is also at home here. Berlin-Brandenburg is one of the eight model regions in Germany for electromobility, with a number of practice-oriented projects and developments already underway. The Berlin Agency for Electromobility (eMO), which was founded in 2010, brings together the activities of science, industry and politics in the capital region. In addition, with companies such as Lufthansa, Rolls Royce and MTU Maintenance, the area is also among the leaders in the field of aeronautic engineering and has successfully positioned itself as Germany’s third largest region for aerospace expertise. The location also holds a leading position in logistics and telematics. Today, the intelligent networking of railways, road traffic and aviation is one of Berlin’s key advantages as a location for mobility.
