[1] The route creates an S-Bahn connection from the Nordring (Jungfernheide and Westhafen as well as Wedding and Gesundbrunnen) and the northern suburban railways (Kremmener Bahn from Hennigsdorf, Nordbahn from Oranienburg and Stettiner Bahn from Bernau) via the main station, Potsdamer Platz, Gleisdreieck to the Südring (Schöneberg, Südkreuz) and the southern suburban railways (Wannseebahn from Berlin-Wannsee, Anhalter Vorortbahn from Teltow and Dresdener Bahn from Blankenfelde).

The ministry in the past had created various routes: In 1917, urban planner Martin Mächler proposed in a development plan to build a tunnel between Potsdam and Anhalter Bahn and Lehrter Bahnhof.

These are the key interchange stations of the line: In June 1992, the Federal Ministry of Transport decided on the ‘mushroom’ concept.

After the federal government was not ready to finance the project, the Berlin Senate decided on October 5, 1993, to renounce the immediate construction of the track.

A year later, Haase tried to achieve a free-standing of the route and the construction of individual inputs in the area Potsdamer Platz, but failed initially.

In early 1995, however, the Senate resolution was revised in the House of Representatives and decided to keep the planned route, after even the SPD faction had opposed the decision of the Bausenators.

However, the decision at that time contained only one route clearing at the northern end of the line in the direction of the east, but not to the western loop.

In the autumn of 1999, the Berlin Senate assured Deutsche Bahn to pre-finance the shell construction of the connection from the Nordring to the Lehrter Bahnhof (the later main station).

In contrast, the Berlin Senate continued to consider a north-south connection to the new central station to be important.