Berlin Central Station (Berlin Hauptbahnhof) - the largest railway station in Europe

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

The largest railway station in Europe is located in Berlin. It was built over 14 years. The grand opening was timed to coincide with the start of the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The following year, the station was awarded the title "Station of the Year".

Lehrther knot

Berlin Central Station was erected on the site of the old Lehrter station built in 1871. Trains departed from it in the direction of Hannover, and after the liquidation of the station in Hamburg, trains were added, leaving in a northerly direction. The building of the old station suffered massive damage as a result of the bombing in 1943.

After the defeat of the German troops and the division of Germany, the Lehrter railway station in Berlin passed to the GDR. Gradually lost its meaning. In 1959 it was liquidated. A small station remained in its place, from where city electric trains departed.

The best is ahead

Complete reconstruction of the Lehrter city station was carried out in 1987, and a few years later it was dismantled. It has been rising here since 2006modern building of Berlin Central Station. Despite the location and scale of transportation, there is no usual urban infrastructure around the building. In fact, the station stands on a wasteland, but the situation should change completely in the coming years.

The fact is that the Lehrter station stood on the border that for a long time divided the capital of Germany. On either side of this line was emptiness. A large-scale urban development project, developed and approved, involves the development of the northern part of the territories adjacent to the station building. Its southern part faces the government quarter Spreebogen.

Building in numbers

Berlin Central Station is a complex engineering structure. The author of the project is Meinhard von Gerkan. The architect created a unique building that quickly became one of the most recognizable in Europe. All work was carried out strictly according to the schedule - there were no delays or exceeding the speed of implementation. During the construction period, train traffic was not disrupted.

The construction of the station took more than 500 thousand cubic meters of concrete and 85 thousand tons of steel structures. The building is 320 meters long and over 160 meters wide.

Berlin Central Station Territory Distribution:

• Building area - 100 thousand m22.
• Marketplaces and food outlets - 15 thousand m2.
• Office space - 50,000 sqm2.
• Office space - 5 thousand m2.
• Auxiliary platforms (transport,distribution) – 21 thousand m2.
• Parking for 900 cars.

The starting estimate suggested 200 million euros of capital investment, but it was significantly exceeded. Some sources claim that the station cost the treasury between 500 million and 1 billion euros.

Beauty and practicality

Despite its large size, Berlin Central Station seems light and airy due to the transparent walls and dome. The top cover is completely made of glass. The total area of the transparent canvas is almost 25 thousand m². The area of glass walls is about 2.5 thousand m². Thanks to the peculiarities of constructive solutions, sunlight freely penetrates all floors. The operation of electronic displays and light indicators is ensured by the operation of 780 solar panels (1.7 m^2).

The architecture of Berlin Central Station leaves no one indifferent, but not only this made it famous all over the world. The railway junction is equipped with five-level platforms, which makes it possible to send 164 high-speed long-distance trains, more than 600 electric trains and 314 trains of regional routes to different parts of the world around the clock. At the same time, the passenger spends no more than eight minutes of precious time on the transfer.

Another convenience for passengers was the city metro station with access to the station building. The grandiose project allowed the capital of Germany to concentrate most of the railway traffic onstation "Berlin-Central". Every day, a huge flow of passengers passes through the station, amounting to more than 300 thousand people.

Functional load

The construction of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof was carried out on the site of an existing station, where trains were constantly moving. The building was erected in the form of four separate structures. Their connection happened strictly according to the schedule. In a five-story building, each level has its own functional load.

Two underground floors are platforms for short-range and long-distance trains in the north-south direction. Also below ground level are a subway line, underground parking and luggage storage. On the ground floor, visitors enter the central lobby. Shops, cafes and restaurants are located here. The second floor is also given over to trading floors and food outlets. The topmost level is for east-west, urban and suburban trains.

For a passenger who first got to the Berlin Central Station, the logic of the design and the functional purpose of each floor quickly become clear. Movement inside the building is provided by 54 escalators and 6 panoramic elevators.

Bridges

To tie together all directions of train traffic during the construction of the Berlin railway junction, 4 new bridges were built. The existing railway track was moved to three new bridges passing through the station building and shifted to the south.

The bridge structures are supported by steel columns 23 meters high. The bases of the columns are cast steel. It is the most suitable material for maximum dynamic loads.

Another bridge has been erected in the north wing of Berlin Central Station. Its length is 570 meters. The purpose is to bring city electric trains in the north-south direction into the general traffic structure.

Lawsuit

The project of Meinhard von Gerkan underwent changes during the construction process. They were introduced by the developer Deutsche Bahn in order to save money. So, at all levels of the station, the architect conceived light wells. These are glass vaulted inserts, which were supposed to additionally fill the interior with light and air. However, the developer, having approved the project, replaced the original structures with standard blank ceilings.

To the architect, such actions seemed inappropriate and infringing copyright, so he initiated a lawsuit. If von Gerkan's claims are deemed fair by the court, the developer will have to modify the existing structures to match the original design.

Misunderstandings

This is not all the oddities that happened during the construction of the railway station in Berlin. During the glass ceiling phase, Deutsche Bahn also decided to change the original plan, motivating the deviations on economic grounds. The length of the roof over the ground platforms has been significantly reduced.

With the current length of the aprons of 430 meters, the roof over them is only 321 meters. Passengers of the first and last carriages find themselves in the open air. This defect did not spoil the beauty of the whole structure, but it created some inconvenience for passengers.

After the opening of the Berlin main station, another unsightly fact was revealed. In the five-story building there were only two toilets, designed for five individual cubicles. Which is clearly not enough, because the passenger traffic here is about 350 thousand people a day.

Care for passengers

The description of the building of the Berlin Central station would be incomplete without mentioning the comfort for visitors. Passengers who have disembarked from the train and are waiting to board for their onward journey always have something to do. They can check in their luggage at the Baggage Center. Luggage storage is located on the first (underground) floor of the eastern wing of the building. The cost of storage varies from 3 to 6 euros, depending on the day of the week.

You can always have a bite to eat on the territory of the station, as there are several dozens of cafes and eateries. The choice of dishes is quite wide - sausages, fish dishes, sushi, various pastries leave no one indifferent. Prices in Berlin Hauptbahnhof eateries are kept at the same level as in the eponymous city establishments.

Service

At Berlin Central Station, passengers are comfortable and provided with excellent service, which includes:

• Automated ticketing.
• Free Wi-Fi access.
• Car parking (from 2euro/hour, day - 20 euro/hour).
• Car rental.
• Help Desk.
• Sale of city cards (free public transport, discounts for museums, restaurants, etc.).
• Selling subway tickets.
• Shops, supermarket.
• Several bank branches.
• Hairdresser, pharmacies.
• Toilet (entrance fee 1 euro).
• Shower room.
• Station mission.
• Travel agency.

You can get to Berlin from the station by public transport. The metro (line U55) will take you to the Brandenburg Gate and the Bundestag. There are also buses and the S-bahn to Berlin from the train station.

Moscow – Berlin Central

Trains to Berlin from Moscow depart from the Belorussky railway station. From here every week 6 trains leave in the summer, and in the rest of the year about 3 trains. You can buy tickets for passing trains heading to the German capital from Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk or Chelyabinsk, as well as for trains flying from Moscow to Paris via Berlin.

The trip will take about 30 hours. Stops take place along the route in the cities of Russia, Poland, Belarus. The trains are equipped with cars of different classes, so ticket prices vary significantly.

In the second class, there are places in a compartment for three people, where, in addition to lying places, there are two folding chairs. In the first class, compartments are designed for two, there is access to a shower cabin. Ticket prices are:

• Coupe -from 7.5 to 9.1 thousand rubles.
• Soft wagon - from 2.5 to 3 thousand rubles.
• Luxury - 10.7 to 12.5 thousand rubles.

Trains are equipped with comfortable sanitary facilities, dining car, air conditioning system.

Moscow – East Berlin

The main railway station is not the only one in the German capital, passengers of the Strizh train arrive at the Ostbahnhof station. The message was launched in 2016. Flight 13/14 is operated from the Kursk railway station. Travel time takes about 20 hours. The Strizh train leaves at 13:06 on Saturday or Sunday. During the journey, passengers expect intermediate stops lasting from 4 to 15 minutes, in Tiraspol - 45 minutes.

Passengers of the Moscow-Berlin train are offered comfortable conditions and options for choosing a class of carriages:

• 1 class - seating with personal lighting system, audio, folding table and electrical outlet (220V).
• Double compartment SV - sleeping places, sanitary block. Safe, TV, meals, bed linen provided.
• Luxury Coupe
• Quadruple coupe.

The cars of the train "Moscow - Berlin" are equipped with air conditioning and heating systems, video monitors, Wi-Fi is available for an additional fee. The opportunity to refresh your strength is available in the dining car and buffet, where hot dishes, snacks, sandwiches are prepared. Tea, coffee, newspapers and sweets can be purchased in your car, drinking water is provided free of charge. Ticket prices - from 8, 7 to36 thousand rubles. Discounts apply to children under 12 and adults over 60.