BVG inaugurates €120m electric bus depot for 220 vehicles in Berlin (operational in 2027)
Berlin’s public transport operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has inaugurated the charging infrastructure of a new electric bus depot in the Treptow district. The topping-out ceremony took place at the site near the Minna-Todenhagen Bridge, where a fully electric depot is under construction on a total area of 6.6 hectares, according to a press note by […]
Berlin’s public transport operator Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has inaugurated the charging infrastructure of a new electric bus depot in the Treptow district. The topping-out ceremony took place at the site near the Minna-Todenhagen Bridge, where a fully electric depot is under construction on a total area of 6.6 hectares, according to a press note by BVG.
The ceremony marked the completion of a central construction phase at the site. The event was attended by Federal Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Kai Wegner and Berlin’s Senator for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment, Ute Bonde.
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The Treptow depot is one of two new electric bus depots currently being built by BVG. Construction of a second site in Marienfelde began earlier this summer. Both facilities are scheduled to be completed in 2027.
BVG currently operates around 277 electric buses, one of the largest electric bus fleets in Germany. By 2027, around one third of BVG’s total fleet of approximately 1,500 buses is expected to be electric. Full conversion of the fleet is planned for the early 2030s. In summer 2025 the operator has ordered a further batch of 270 e-buses. In parallel with the construction of new depots, BVG is expanding charging infrastructure across the city, including charging points at up to 20 terminal stops.
A electric bus depot on both sides of the river
The Treptow site is being developed on both sides of the Minna-Todenhagen Bridge directly along the River Spree. On the Köpenicker Landstraße side, BVG is building parking and charging facilities for around 220 electric buses, a service hall with washing facilities, an administrative building and charging bridges. Buses will be charged automatically via roof-mounted pantographs.
On the opposite side of the river, a workshop facility and parking spaces for 32 additional buses are being constructed. Once operational, the depot is expected to employ around 700 staff and will serve bus operations in the south-eastern part of Berlin.
As shared by BVG, the facility is designed exclusively for electric bus operations and includes charging, maintenance and administrative infrastructure tailored to battery-electric fleets.
According to Die Welt, the Treptow site is regarded within Berlin’s transport administration as one of the most complex depot construction projects currently underway, due to its split layout on both sides of the River Spree and the need to integrate high-capacity power supply infrastructure into a dense urban environment. The newspaper reports that planners faced significant coordination challenges involving grid connections, riverside construction constraints and traffic management around the Minna-Todenhagen Bridge during the build phase.
Automated depot management and safety systems
The Treptow depot will use a digital depot management system to coordinate vehicle deployment, parking, charging cycles and maintenance intervals. BVG said the site will also incorporate specific fire-safety, maintenance and charging concepts intended to ensure operational stability and efficiency.
The total investment cost for the Treptow depot is around €120 million. The project forms part of BVG’s wider infrastructure programme and is supported by around €160 million in federal funding under Germany’s programme for alternative drives in passenger transport. Additional funding is provided via the German Recovery and Resilience Plan and the EU’s NextGenerationEU framework, with coordination by NOW GmbH and implementation by Project Management Jülich. The State of Berlin is co-financing the project.
