Influence that the consideration of investment costs by pricing systems may have on the value of charges for high speed lines. Mark ups reflecting

American Express

American Express has two main offices:

Bayreutherstrasse 37–38 (

%

030/2147-6292; U-Bahn: Wittenbergplatz), open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and Friedrich-strasse 172 (

%

030/201-7400; U-Bahn:

Friedrichstrasse), open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.

to 2 p.m.

ATMs

You find ATMs all across Berlin. Two con-venient bank branches with 24-hour ATM service are Deutsche Bank at Wittenberg-platz (U-Bahn: WittenbergWittenberg-platz) and Dresdner Bank at Kurfürstendamm 237 (U-Bahn: Kurfürstendamm).

Business Hours

Most banks are open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 1 or 3 p.m. Most other busi-nesses and stores are open Monday through Friday from 9 or 10 a.m. to 6 or 6:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. On langer Samstag (longer Saturday), the first Saturday of the month, shops stay open until 4 or 6 p.m. Some stores stay open late on Thursday (usually until 8:30 p.m.). Except in the train stations, stores are generally not open on Sunday.

Country Code and City Code

The city code for Berlin is 30. Use 30 when-ever you’re calling Berlin from outside Germany. If you’re within Germany but not in Berlin, use 030. If you’re calling within Berlin, leave off the city code and dial only the regular phone number. Berlin phone numbers may have from five to eight digits.

See also “Telephone” later in this list and in the appendix.

Currency Exchange

The currency exchange offices in the Hauptbahnhof and Bahnhof Zoo are open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

You can also exchange money at American Express (see the beginning of this list for addresses).

Dentists and Doctors

You’ll find a list of doctors and specialists in the Berlin Yellow Pages or, for a per-minute land-line telephone fee, you can locate a doctor through Call a Doc,

%

_01804/

2255-2362. For an emergency doctor, call

%

030/31-00-31 (24 hours); for an emer-gency dentist, call

%

030/8900-4333.

Embassies and Consulates

See the appendix for the addresses of the Australian, Canadian, Irish, South African, U.K., and U.S. embassies and consulates.

Emergencies

To call the police, dial

%

110. To report a fire or to summon an ambulance, dial

%

_112.

Hospitals

Hotel employees are familiar with the loca-tion of the nearest hospital emergency room. In an emergency, call

%

_{112 for an}

ambulance.

Information

The main tourist information centers, called BERLIN infostores, are located in the Hauptbahnhof (U-/S-Bahn: Hauptbahnhof);

in Neue Kranzler Eck at Ku-Damm and Joachimstaler Strasse (U-Bahn: Kurfürst-endamm); in the south wing of the Bran-denburg Gate (U-/S-Bahn: Potsdamer Platz or Unter den Linden) and under the Fernsehturm (Television Tower) at

Alexanderplatz (S-Bahn: Alexanderplatz.

For hours and other information about each office, see Chapter 11.

Internet Access

One of Berlin’s largest Internet cafes is EasyEverything, Kurfürstendamm 224 (www.

easyeverything.com; U-/S-Bahn:

Kurfürstendamm), offering over 300 termi-nals; branch locations are in the Sony Center and Karl-Marx-Strasse 78.

Maps

The most detailed Berlin map with a com-plete street index is the fold-out Falk plan, available at most newsstands.

Newspapers and Magazines Newsstands carry Zitty and Berlin-Programm, which list events around the city. For more, see the appendix.

Pharmacies

If you need a pharmacy (Apotheke; ah-po-tay-kuh) at night, go to the nearest one and look for a sign in the window giving the address of the nearest pharmacy with nighttime hours (such postings are required by law). For a centrally located pharmacy, go to Europa–Apotheke, Tauentzienstrasse 9–12 (

%

030/261-4142; U-Bahn: Witten-bergplatz), located near the Europa Center.

In Mitte, a few steps from Unter den Linden, is the Dorotheenstadtische Apotheke, Friedrichstrasse 154 (

%

030/204-4817;

U-Bahn: Friedrichstrasse).

Police

To call the police, dial

%

_110.

Post Office

The main post office at Joachimstaler Strasse 7 (

%

030/8870-8611; U-/S-Bahn:

Zoologischer Garten) is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to midnight, Sunday and holidays from 10 a.m. to midnight.

Regular post office hours are Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. until noon.

Restrooms

You find public facilities throughout Berlin and at all train terminals. Some require 0.50€to get in through a turnstile; in others, if there is an attendant, you are expected to leave 0.20€as you depart.

Safety

Berlin is safer than most large U.S. cities.

As in any large metropolis, use common sense and caution when you’re in a crowded public area. Single women need to avoid the dimly lit streets in Kreuzberg at night.

Taxes

See the appendix for details.

Taxis

You can hail taxis along Berlin’s major streets. Taxis with illuminated roof signs are available. For more about fares and where to call for a taxi, check out Chapter 11.

Telephones

Finding a coin-operated telephone in Berlin is now rare; most accept only Telefonkarte (telephone cards), which you can purchase in 6€and 25€($7.50 and $31) denomina-tions at any post office or news vendor.

Many phones also accept Visa cards. To make an international call, use a call box marked Inlands und Auslandsgespräche.

Most have instructions in English. You can also make long-distance calls from post offices.

Transit Assistance

The Transit Authority (BVG; www.bvg.de) provides U-Bahn information (

%

_030/19449)

and S-Bahn information (

%

030/2974-3333) daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The same hours

apply to the BVG information kiosk outside Bahnhof Zoo, where you can buy tickets and obtain a free transit map.

Weather

You can check the weather online before you go at www.zitty.de.

Web Sites

The best overall Web sites for tourist infor-mation on Berlin are www.berlin.de, www.berlin-tourist-information.

de, and www.berlin-tourism.de. At these sites, you find information in English about events, nightlife, shopping, restau-rants, and more.

Chapter 13

Hamburg, Bremen,

In document IMPACT OF RAIL INFRASTRUCTURE CHARGING SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTED IN EUROPE ON THE COMPETITIVENESS OF HIGH SPEED SERVICES (página 195-200)