Chancellery continues to rely on pneumatic tubes for secret documents

The Chancellery continues to rely on pneumatic tubes for certain secret documents. According to a media report, this also has to do with Russia’s war against Ukraine. The pneumatic tube system in the building is 1,300 meters long.

The Federal Chancellery wants to send certain secret documents further within the building via pneumatic tube. “These are usually urgent processes that cannot be forwarded electronically or via house messenger service, for example because they are subject to secrecy or have to be signed in the original,” said a government spokesman in response to a query from the Süddeutsche Zeitung.

“There are currently no plans to replace the system due to the advantages described,” it said. The Chancellery apparently wants to hold on to its pneumatic tube system for longer than planned. The reason for this is protection against espionage, as the Süddeutsche Zeitung writes. This is also related to the Russian war against Ukraine.

Around 1,000 shipments per month

The pneumatic tube was invented in the middle of the 19th century. Cylindrical containers containing documents or other items are catapulted to the recipient using compressed air through a pipe system. By the beginning of the 20th century, networks that were sometimes hundreds of kilometers long had been created in large cities.

But the means of transport still holds up in the Internet age. In 2001, a pneumatic tube system with two lines was integrated into the new Berlin Chancellery: 36 stations spread over a length of 1,300 meters.

Since then it has been in “unrestricted use,” said the government spokesman. This would move around 1,000 shipments per month. The Chancellery states the costs for operation at 15,000 euros annually.