What's the difference between the German S-bahn and U-bahn (besides the spelling & pronounciation of course)?

Question

What are their Canadian or American counterparts? The subway perhaps?

Danke! :)

Answer 1

The S-bahn is the Strassenbahn, or trolley. The U-bahn is the subway.

Bitte!

Answer 2

S-Bahn   ---- Strassenbahn

U-Bahn ---- Untergrundbahn  (underground only!)

Answer 3

S-Bahn is a thing between Straßenbahn ( a train that is part of public transport within a city) and Bahn (train that connects cities and countries). It 's above the ground. U- Bahn means subway, or underground, and you find it in big cities like Berlin and Munich.

Answer 4

Ok, let me try to help out as well :)

U-Bahn = Untergrundbahn, which from the sound itself, means underground, or subway. But don't get fooled, these partly travel above ground too, at least in certain areas.

There doesn't seem to be a strict definition for S-Bahn, but mostly it refers to the "schnell-Bahn" - literally "fast train" that travels between cities. On the other hand there's also the "Straßenbahn" - usually not abbbreviated, which is the commuter train or streetcar or tram.

If you're going to a big bustling city, you will most likely have to take all three, and get to know them real well ;) But don't worry, Germany has a very efficient public transport system, and you won't have to get separate tickets for them. Depending on how long you're going to stay in a city or region, check out the cheapest option, as you could choose depending on distance, length of time, number of trips or number of passengers. This takes getting used to, but I'm sure you'll be adept at it, I found it fun to be "organized" - and the Germans are! You may even download the route-maps and schedules. Here are examples, for Berlin and Munich (they're even in English, easy for a start, although you have to click many times for Munich):

http://www.berlin.de/english/visitors/ge...

http://www.mvv-muenchen.de/en/home/fahrg...

From the site you can check out a lot more info about the city as well. A basic knowledge of the language will help you when going around, because although many Germans speak English, they appreciate others trying to learn their language.

For long-distance trains, you better look out for special offers and discounts too, especially if you'll be a student here or simply want to save money. I noticed you have many queries about Germany, so I tried to pack a few other points in here, as I'm in a bit of a rush. I probably should devote a 360° blog entry for "Guests in Germany"...

Answer 5

S-bhan is the strassenbahn which is like the highway! And the U-bahn is like the Train or subway bahn!!!!!