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118-555: Zürich Hauptbahnhof ( Zürich Main Station or Zürich Central Station ), often shortened to Zürich HB or just HB , is the largest railway station in Switzerland and one of the busiest in Europe . Zürich is a major railway hub , with services to and from across Switzerland and neighbouring countries such as Germany , Italy , Austria and France . The station was originally constructed as

236-404: A bar or pub . Other station facilities may include: toilets , left-luggage , lost-and-found , departures and arrivals schedules , luggage carts, waiting rooms , taxi ranks , bus bays and even car parks . Larger or staffed stations tend to have a greater range of facilities including also a station security office. These are usually open for travellers when there is sufficient traffic over

354-485: A branch to Strasbourg. The construction of the railway line was to be funded by the state, something that had been championed especially by Karl Friedrich Nebenius . In September 1838 work started. The Ministry of the Interior was responsible for the construction of the railway, setting up for that purpose its own authority, the 'Railway Construction Division'. Later the railway construction authorities were incorporated into

472-406: A bypass line, used by freight trains that do not need to stop at the terminus. Some termini have a newer set of through platforms underneath (or above, or alongside) the terminal platforms on the main level. They are used by a cross-city extension of the main line, often for commuter trains , while the terminal platforms may serve long-distance services. Examples of underground through lines include

590-712: A direct link from Karlsruhe to Konstanz, without the diversion via Basel, in the shape of the Black Forest Railway (opened 1866–1873). Even when the Baden Mainline was being built, plans were already being formulated to link up with the Swiss railway network. This was not achieved until the bridge at Waldshut over the river Rhine, built by Robert Gerwig , was completed on 18 August 1859. Other links were made in 1863 at Schaffhausen , in 1871 at Konstanz and in 1875 at Singen . The Basel link line, which connected Baden station on

708-569: A direct route to France after the completion of the Rhine bridge between Kehl and Strasbourg. The opening up of the Palatinate ( Pfalz ) was first realised in 1865 with a pontoon bridge from Karlsruhe–Maxau as well as a link between Mannheim and Ludwigshafen in 1867. A connexion with Bavaria followed the opening of the Baden Odenwald Railway ( Baden Odenwaldbahn ) in 1866. Negotiations for

826-404: A few intermediate stations that take the form of a stub-end station, for example at some zigzags . If there is a station building , it is usually located to the side of the tracks. In the case of intermediate stations used for both passenger and freight traffic, there is a distinction between those where the station building and goods facilities are on the same side of the tracks and those in which

944-472: A few small railway stations are designated as "halts" ( Irish : stadanna , sing. stad ). In some Commonwealth countries the term "halt" is used. In Australia, with its sparse rural populations, such stopping places were common on lines that were still open for passenger traffic. In the state of Victoria , for example, a location on a railway line where a small diesel railcar or railmotor could stop on request, allowing passengers to board or alight,

1062-794: A further 40 from other companies at the Grouping of 1923. Peak building periods were before the First World War (145 built) and 1928–1939 (198 built). Ten more were opened by British Rail on ex-GWR lines. The GWR also built 34 "platforms". Many such stops remain on the national railway networks in the United Kingdom, such as Penmaenmawr in North Wales , Yorton in Shropshire , and The Lakes in Warwickshire , where passengers are requested to inform

1180-452: A length of 190 metres (623 ft) and a clear opening of 12 metres (39 ft) by 3 metres (10 ft) each. This limits the river's flow capacity, raising concerns about the capacity of the tunnel to deal with extreme flood events. Additionally, during the building of the new Löwenstrasse platforms, it was necessary to temporarily close part of this tunnel, thus reducing the capacity even further. Some 50 kilometres (31 mi) upstream of

1298-456: A line from Basel to Strasbourg in 1837, did any serious planning begin for the building of a railway in Baden in order to avoid the loss of trade routes to Alsace. At an extraordinary meeting of the state parliament, the Baden legislature passed three laws on 29 March 1838 for the construction of the first route between Mannheim and the Swiss border at Basel, as well as a stub line to Baden-Baden and

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1416-571: A line was dual-purpose there would often be a freight depot apart from the passenger station. This type of dual-purpose station can sometimes still be found today, though in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations. Many stations date from the 19th century and reflect the grandiose architecture of the time, lending prestige to the city as well as to railway operations. Countries where railways arrived later may still have such architecture, as later stations often imitated 19th-century styles. Various forms of architecture have been used in

1534-407: A long enough period of time to warrant the cost. In large cities this may mean facilities available around the clock. A basic station might only have platforms, though it may still be distinguished from a halt , a stopping or halting place that may not even have platforms. Many stations, either larger or smaller, offer interchange with local transportation; this can vary from a simple bus stop across

1652-478: A majority of Swiss mainline trains travelled to or from Zürich. For the clock-face timetable introduced to Switzerland in 1982, Zürich is the "pacemaker". Delays and other disruptions at Zürich Hauptbahnhof sometimes affect the whole of Switzerland. Long-distance trains meet in Zürich on the hour and half-hour, and thus connect with each other. In cases of delays, connecting trains wait a maximum of 3 minutes beyond

1770-504: A member of on-board train staff if they wish to alight, or, if catching a train from the station, to make themselves clearly visible to the driver and use a hand signal as the train approaches. Most have had "Halt" removed from their names. Two publicly advertised and publicly accessible National Rail stations retain it: Coombe Junction Halt and St Keyne Wishing Well Halt . A number of other halts are still open and operational on privately owned, heritage, and preserved railways throughout

1888-663: A new through-station, including the cases of Berlin Hauptbahnhof , Vienna Hauptbahnhof and numerous examples throughout the first century of railroading. Stuttgart 21 is a controversial project involving the replacement of a terminus station by a through-station. An American example of a terminal with this feature is Union Station in Washington, DC , where there are bay platforms on the main concourse level to serve terminating trains and standard island platforms one level below to serve trains continuing southward. The lower tracks run in

2006-439: A play of light of several colours, but can also represent cinematic sequences. It is expected to remain hanging in the station until further notice. Zürich HB is served by more than 2,900 trains daily. In 2018, it had an average of 471,300 passengers each working day. The station is busy at all times, with trains running from 05:00 until 01:00 during the week. From Friday night to Sunday morning, trains run also all night as part of

2124-416: A proposal for the construction of a railway from Mannheim to Basel was put forward for the first time by Mannheim businessman, Ludwig Newhouse, but initially received no support from the Baden state government. Other proposals too by, for example Friedrich List , were unsuccessful at first. Not until the foundation of a railway company in the neighbouring French province of Alsace , for the construction of

2242-667: A railway connexion from Bretten to Kürnbach (with a planned junction to the Zabergäu Railway ( Zabergäubahn ) at Leonbronn ) was begun, but the line was never completed. The Baden State Railways began electric railway operations on 13 September 1913 with opening of the 15 KV AC, 16 2 ⁄ 3  Hz Wiese Valley Railway , Basel – Zell im Wiesental , and on its Schopfheim – Bad Säckingen branch. In addition to an experimental Class A¹ locomotive, eleven Class A² and A³ ( DRG Class E 61 ) electric locomotives were procured. All had side-rods driving three axles. The electrification of

2360-559: A route to Württemberg were particularly difficult because both states were competing for traffic between Germany and the Alpine passes. While Baden favoured a line via Pforzheim, Württemberg was interested in a more direct connexion at Bruchsal . An agreement was finally reached in the state treaty of the 4 December 1850, whereby Württemberg was granted the right to build the direct Stuttgart – Mühlacker – Bretten – Bruchsal route ( Württemberg Western Railway ) even on Baden territory, while Baden

2478-407: A spot at the station to board and disembark trains is called station track or house track regardless of whether it is a main line or loop line. If such track is served by a platform , the track may be called platform track. A loop line without a platform, which is used to allow a train to clear the main line at the station only, is called passing track. A track at the station without a platform which

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2596-417: A station and various other features set certain types apart. The first is the level of the tracks . Stations are often sited where a road crosses the railway: unless the crossing is a level crossing , the road and railway will be at different levels. The platforms will often be raised or lowered relative to the station entrance: the station buildings may be on either level, or both. The other arrangement, where

2714-576: A station stop does not. A station stop usually does not have any tracks other than the main tracks, and may or may not have switches (points, crossovers). An intermediate station does not have any other connecting route, unlike branch-off stations , connecting stations, transfer stations and railway junctions . In a broader sense, an intermediate station is generally any station on the route between its two terminal stations . The majority of stations are, in practice, intermediate stations. They are mostly designed as through stations ; there are only

2832-405: A station track as a temporary storage of a disabled train. A "terminus" or "terminal" is a station at the end of a railway line. Trains arriving there have to end their journeys (terminate) or reverse out of the station. Depending on the layout of the station, this usually permits travellers to reach all the platforms without the need to cross any tracks – the public entrance to the station and

2950-483: A subway system. In the 1980s, ShopVille became a drug-dealing hub, due to its proximity to the Autonomes Jugendzentrum Zürich ( "Autonomous Youth Center Zürich" ). Its low point was reached at the end of the decade, when travellers avoided all parts of it other than the concourse and the tram stop. Consequently, there were several night-time closures by mesh fences. However, the solution to this problem

3068-405: A three-way junction and platforms are built on all three sides, for example Shipley and Earlestown stations. In a station, there are different types of tracks to serve different purposes. A station may also have a passing loop with a loop line that comes off the straight main line and merge back to the main line on the other end by railroad switches to allow trains to pass. A track with

3186-564: A track length of 1996 km, of which 1521 km was owned by the State Railways. In the succeeding years the main effort was the expansion of stations which formed railway hubs. The most important conversions were: The newly built Heidelberg central station could not be completed due to the start of the First World War . Its completion had to be delayed until 1955. Several routes in Baden were built by private concerns, but operated by

3304-449: A train, sometimes consisting of a short platform and a waiting area but sometimes indicated by no more than a sign, are variously referred to as "stops", " flag stops ", " halts ", or "provisional stopping places". The stations themselves may be at ground level, underground, or elevated. Connections may be available to intersecting rail lines or other transport modes such as buses , trams , or other rapid transit systems. Train station

3422-733: A transport hub. The most important of the privately built lines operated by the State Railways were: On the formation of the Deutsche Reichsbahn on 1 April 1920 the Baden State Railways were merged into it. The head office in Karlsruhe became the Karlsruhe Reichsbahn Division. The foundation of the Reichsbahn meant that a wish list of routes in Baden was cancelled and only four new lines were built: Construction work on

3540-636: A tunnel beneath the concourse and emerge a few blocks away to cross the Potomac River into Virginia. Terminus stations in large cities are by far the biggest stations, with the largest being Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Other major cities, such as London, Boston , Paris, Istanbul , Tokyo, and Milan have more than one terminus, rather than routes straight through the city. Train journeys through such cities often require alternative transport ( metro , bus , taxi or ferry ) from one terminus to

3658-464: Is Arbroath . Occasionally, a station serves two or more railway lines at differing levels. This may be due to the station's position at a point where two lines cross (example: Berlin Hauptbahnhof ), or may be to provide separate station capacity for two types of service, such as intercity and suburban (examples: Paris-Gare de Lyon and Philadelphia's 30th Street Station ), or for two different destinations. Stations may also be classified according to

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3776-455: Is any longer served by trains), or military base (such as Lympstone Commando ) or railway yard. The only two such "private" stopping places on the national system, where the "halt" designation is still officially used, seem to be Staff Halt (at Durnsford Road, Wimbledon) and Battersea Pier Sidings Staff Halt, both of which are solely for railway staff. In Portugal , railway stops are called halts ( Portuguese : apeadeiro ). In Ireland ,

3894-404: Is frequently, but not always, the final destination of trains arriving at the station. Especially in continental Europe, a city may have a terminus as its main railway station, and all main lines converge on it. In such cases all trains arriving at the terminus must leave in the reverse direction from that of their arrival. There are several ways in which this can be accomplished: There may also be

4012-516: Is included in the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National Significance . Besides Zürich HB, there are 22 railway stations in the municipality of Zürich: Affoltern , Altstetten , Binz , Brunau , Enge , Friesenberg , Giesshübel , Hardbrücke , Leimbach , Manegg , Oerlikon , Saalsporthalle , Schweighof , Seebach , Selnau , Stadelhofen , Stettbach , Tiefenbrunnen , Triemli , Wiedikon , Wipkingen and Wollishofen (excluding

4130-742: Is located on the intermediate underground level, immediately below the Haupthalle . Between 2009 and 2020, the Europaallee building complex was constructed on the former sidings of the Sihlpost, located west of the Zürich HB station building. The site features several shops, restaurants and offices. The Europaallee is connected with the district north of the railway tracks via the Negrellisteg (English: Negrelli pedestrian bridge ), which opened in 2021, and with

4248-470: Is the nodal point where S-Bahn lines S2 , S3 , S5 , S6 , S7 , S8 , S9 , S12 , S14 , S15 , S16 , S19 , S20 , S21 , S24 and S25 , the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn ( S4 and S10 ) and Zürich trams interconnect. During weekends, there are seven nighttime S-Bahn services (SN1, SN4, SN5, SN6, SN7, SN8, SN9) calling at the Hauptbahnhof, offered by ZVV : Around the station,

4366-507: Is the terminology typically used in the U.S. In Europe, the terms train station and railway station are both commonly used, with railroad being obsolete. In British Commonwealth usage, where railway station is the traditional term, the word station is commonly understood to mean a railway station unless otherwise specified. In the United States, the term depot is sometimes used as an alternative name for station , along with

4484-411: Is used for trains to pass the station without stopping is called through track. There may be other sidings at the station which are lower speed tracks for other purposes. A maintenance track or a maintenance siding, usually connected to a passing track, is used for parking maintenance equipment, trains not in service, autoracks or sleepers . A refuge track is a dead-end siding that is connected to

4602-431: The 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ). After it turned out that all her neighbouring states had opted for 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge rail, the Baden State Railways rebuilt all their existing routes and rolling stock to standard gauge within just one year during 1854/55. The line reached Basel in 1855, Waldshut in 1856 and Konstanz in 1863. With that

4720-657: The ZVV Nachtnetz (nighttime network). The station has four distinct groups of tracks ( Gleis ), giving a total of 26 tracks: The following international services call at Zürich Hauptbahnhof: The following long-distance services call at Zürich Hauptbahnhof: Since the commissioning of the Zürich S-Bahn in May 1990, the Hauptbahnhof has been the central node of the Zürich S-Bahn Stammnetz (core network). As such, it

4838-550: The Baden Mainline ( Badische Hauptbahn ), was built in sections between 1840 and 1863. The first, 18.5 km long, section between Mannheim and Heidelberg was taken into service on 12 September 1840. Other sections followed: to Karlsruhe in 1843, Offenburg in 1844, Freiburg im Breisgau in 1845, Schliengen in 1847, Efringen-Kirchen in 1848 and Haltingen in 1851. The branches to Kehl and Baden-Baden were opened as early as 1844 and 1845 respectively. The extension of

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4956-507: The Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways ( Großherzoglich Badische Staatseisenbahnen or G.Bad.St.E. ), which was founded in 1840. At the time when it was integrated into the Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1920, its network had an overall length of about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi). Baden was the second German state after the Duchy of Brunswick to build and operate railways at state expense. In 1833

5074-559: The Haupthalle , connects these passageways with the concourse. The westernmost passage, the Passage Sihlquai , lies to the west of the Sihl, which passes under the station from north to south at the same level as the passageways. Because of the presence of the river channel, the Sihlquai passage has no direct connection to the other passageways, but it connects to streets to the north and south of

5192-665: The Löwenstrasse station, which link to the station's western rail approaches, and to an eastern approach via the Weinberg tunnel from Oerlikon station . Some distance to the north of these are two further island platforms serving tracks 41 to 44, known as the Museumstrasse station, which also link to the station's western approaches, and to an eastern approach via the Hirschengraben Tunnel from Stadelhofen station . Underneath

5310-661: The Shinkansen in Japan, THSR in Taiwan, TGV lines in France, and ICE lines in Germany. Stations normally have staffed ticket sales offices, automated ticket machines , or both, although on some lines tickets are sold on board the trains. Many stations include a shop or convenience store . Larger stations usually have fast-food or restaurant facilities. In some countries, stations may also have

5428-961: The Thameslink platforms at St Pancras in London, the Argyle and North Clyde lines of Glasgow's suburban rail network , in Antwerp in Belgium, the RER at the Gare du Nord in Paris, the Milan suburban railway service 's Passante railway , and many of the numerous S-Bahn lines at terminal stations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, such as at Zürich Hauptbahnhof . Due to the disadvantages of terminus stations there have been multiple cases in which one or several terminus stations were replaced with

5546-585: The Zentralstellwerk Zürich (central signalling control ) since 1966. The then state-of-the-art relay-controlled interlocking system replaced the decentralised mechanical and electro-mechanical signal boxes in the station throat, including the Stellwerk «Seufzerbrücke» ( "Bridge of Sighs" signal box ), which had spanned the entire station throat just east of the Langstrasse . The signalling control system

5664-452: The confluence of the rivers Limmat and Sihl . (The Sihl passes through the station in a tunnel with railway tracks both above and below.) The station is on several levels, with platforms both at ground and below-ground level, and tied together by underground passages and the ShopVille shopping mall. The station's railway yards extend about 4 km (2.5 mi) to the west. The station

5782-663: The trams and trolleybuses of the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich (VBZ) provide local public transport services. The Hauptbahnhof is one of the most important nodes of the Zürich tramway network . The main station is accessible from five tram and bus stops: Due to its central location in Switzerland and in Europe, the station was quickly able to establish itself as an important railway junction. Most trains running through several European countries operated through Switzerland. In addition,

5900-730: The 'Water and Road Construction Division'. Responsibility for the operation of the railway was, by contrast, given to the Foreign Ministry because it took over the running of the Postal Division, that from then on became the 'Post and Railway Division'. Not until the merger of the Baden Post Office into the Reichspost in 1872 did a separate railway administration emerge in Baden: the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways . The first route, called

6018-401: The 1847 station was not large enough. A rebuild was started to meet Zürich's increased transport needs, albeit on the same site and using the same basic layout. In 1871, the replacement station building opened, to a design by architect Jakob Friedrich Wanner . Its main entrance is a triumphal arch facing the end of the then newly built Bahnhofstrasse . In front of the arch stands a monument to

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6136-644: The 414.3 km long Baden main line was completed. After the all-important north–south axis as well as links to the Lake Constance region had been established by the Baden Mainline, the remaining network expansion plans concentrated on opening up the area of Pforzheim with the Karlsruhe – Pforzheim – Mühlacker route (opened 1859–1863), linking up the Odenwald and Tauberfrankens with the Baden Odenwald Railway ( Heidelberg – Mosbach – Würzburg , opened 1862–1866) and forging

6254-581: The Bahnhofplatz and the station is the large underground shopping centre called "ShopVille" of over 200 shops or other businesses. It benefits from the Swiss employment law rule that while generally labour on Sundays is not allowed, it is allowed in "centres of public transport". The huge underground "Rail City" is, therefore, usually bustling on Sundays even while the streets of Zurich are largely empty. The western underpass (between Sihlpost and Sihlquai) also contains shops and take aways . Between 2018 and 2023,

6372-450: The Bahnhofplatz for the purpose of a possible underground line. On 1 October 1970, construction of the Bahnhofplatz, as well as the pedestrian and shopping arcade ShopVille was completed. Upon its opening, the Bahnhofplatz became a pedestrian-free zone, and the underground ShopVille the only access to the station. Contrary to expectations, ShopVille did not capture the support of the people, who, in 1973, voted even more emphatically to reject

6490-587: The British Isles. The word is often used informally to describe national rail network stations with limited service and low usage, such as the Oxfordshire Halts on the Cotswold Line . It has also sometimes been used for stations served by public services but accessible only by persons travelling to/from an associated factory (for example IBM near Greenock and British Steel Redcar – although neither of these

6608-637: The Ettlingen West–Ettlingen Stadt line, taken over by the B.L.E.A.G. (Baden Branch Lines) on 1 January 1899, all state-operated private lines went into state ownership over the course of time. In addition to those lines run by the Baden State Railways there were also fully private lines after 1889 that are not listed. The Deutsche Reichs Railway completed the following routes within the Baden railway network by 1945: In addition several routes were built by foreign state railways that ran through Baden territory. The section from Bretten to Bruchsal

6726-577: The S-Bahn and the Rail 2000 long-haul project raised the idea of building the Weinberg Tunnel , a through route from Zürich Hauptbahnhof to Oerlikon . That proposal was initially postponed, but the great success of the S-Bahn led to an expansion of services and, consequently, to capacity constraints. Plans were made to expand existing rail lines within Zürich leading to the north, but this encountered resistance from

6844-476: The ShopVille arcades have connected the two underground stations with the main hall. Black and white striped marble walls and granite floors are the main design features of what is one of the largest shopping centres in Switzerland. In 1996, the main hall was cleared of its temporary installations. In 1997, the train shed was fitted on both sides with pitched roofs on sloping concrete supports, designed by local architects Marcel Meili and Markus Peter. The planning of

6962-615: The State Railways and, in most cases, subsequently taken over. These were not just branch lines of purely local significance like the Wiese Valley Railway ( Wiesentalbahn ) ( Basel – Schopfheim – Zell im Wiesental ), opened in 1862, but also main lines. In addition to attempts by towns, that still had no railway connexion and wanted better access to the railway network, the large cities in the state also got involved in railway line construction, in order to open up their environs and to strengthen their position as transport hubs. For example,

7080-540: The Wiesen valley line was mainly done in order to trial electric traction; it had no great significance in terms of traffic. No further expansion of electric services was carried out after the First World War due to the serious economic situation and it was not until 1952 that the electrification of Baden's railway network was begun in earnest. The railway lines in Baden State Railway network were opened as follows: On

7198-515: The Zürich ;HB and the Berlin Hauptbahnhof to promote knowledge sharing between operators of similarly sized stations. The station is aligned approximately east to west, at the northern edge of the city centre and the northern end of Bahnhofstrasse , the city's main shopping street. It is split over three principal levels, with the ground level housing sixteen terminal platform tracks and

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7316-506: The architect Jakob Friedrich Wanner gave the station clock the place of honour in the portal above the main entrance, and the bells were placed in a small tower in the east facade. On 12 September 2006, to commemorate the station's 150th anniversary, the ETH Zürich installed the NOVA , a three-dimensional, bivalent display, which consists of 25,000 individually addressable light balls. It represents

7434-492: The building of the tunnel and a third underground four-track Löwenstrasse station. In September 2007, construction began on the project, nicknamed Durchmesserlinie (cross-city link). On 14 June 2014, the new platforms and tunnels were opened. The new line runs from the Altstetten railway station , crosses the Zürich HB station throat on a bridge, and leads into the underground Löwenstrasse station. From there, it goes through

7552-637: The city of Mannheim built a direct railway line to Karlsruhe without having to go via Heidelberg, in order to step out of the shadows into which they had fallen when the Badische Haupt Railway was married up at Friedrichsfeld and Heidelberg with the Main-Neckar Line that ran on northwards. In a countermove the city of Heidelberg pressed for the construction of the Heidelberg– Schwetzingen – Speyer route, in order to secure its importance as

7670-425: The compound forms train depot , railway depot , and railroad depot —it is used for both passenger and freight facilities. The term depot is not used in reference to vehicle maintenance facilities in the U.S., whereas it is used as such in Canada and the United Kingdom. The world's first recorded railway station, for trains drawn by horses rather than engined locomotives , began passenger service in 1807. It

7788-480: The construction of stations, from those boasting grand, intricate, Baroque - or Gothic -style edifices, to plainer utilitarian or modernist styles. Stations in Europe tended to follow British designs and were in some countries, like Italy, financed by British railway companies. Train stations built more recently often have a similar feel to airports, with a simple, abstract style. Examples of modern stations include those on newer high-speed rail networks, such as

7906-467: The cross-border lines marked with ¹ only the section as far as the border belonged to the Baden State Railways. The Basel link line was built by the Swiss Central Railway and co-financed by the Baden State Railway. The state railway had a special role for the only narrow gauge line, from Mosbach – Mudau , that opened on 3 June 1905. The firm of Vering & Waechter were contracted to build and run this line. State-operated private lines: Apart from

8024-400: The cross-loading of freight and may be known as transshipment stations, where they primarily handle containers. They are also known as container stations or terminals. Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway The Grand Duchy of Baden was an independent state in what is now southwestern Germany until the creation of the German Empire in 1871. It had its own state-owned railway company,

8142-474: The east of the Rhine with the Central station west of the Rhine, was opened in 1873. Today it is the most important railway connexion between Germany and Switzerland. The connexion to the north towards Weinheim - Darmstadt – Frankfurt had been established since 1846 by the Main-Neckar Line , in which the Grand Duchy of Baden participated. In 1879 the Ried Railway ( Riedbahn ) followed, although Baden did not own any section of it. From 1861 there had also been

8260-408: The existing lines to Dietlikon and Dübendorf . In the Hauptbahnhof, two underground stations were constructed. For the S-Bahn, a four-track station with the working title Museumstrasse was built, and the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn was extended to the Zürich HB SZU station, which had once been intended for the never-realized U-Bahn. The opening of the S-Bahn was on 27 May 1990, and since then,

8378-410: The five stations of the Forch railway , which uses the tracks of the tram system in Zürich). Another railway station, Letten , has been disused since 1989. The first Zürich railway station was built by Gustav Albert Wegmann  [ de ] , on what were then the north-western outskirts of the city. It occupied a piece of land between the rivers Limmat and Sihl , and trains accessed it from

8496-562: The fleet. At the end of the First World War the vehicle inventory included 915 locomotives, 27,600 goods wagons and 2,500 passenger coaches, of which 106 locomotives, 7,307 goods wagons and 400 passenger coaches had to be given to the victorious powers as reparations in accordance with the Versailles Treaty . An overview of Baden's locomotive classes may be found in the List of Baden locomotives and railbuses . The Baden State Railways fostered

8614-568: The following year, the SBB introduced its first four-system electric trains under the Trans Europ Express banner, and thereby increased the Zürich Hauptbahnhof's international importance. In 1963, about 500 metres before the concourse, an imposing six-storey concrete cube arose in the station yard. It was designed by SBB architect Max Vogt  [ de ] , and it has been the home of

8732-470: The goods facilities are on the opposite side of the tracks from the station building. Intermediate stations also occur on some funicular and cable car routes. A halt , in railway parlance in the Commonwealth of Nations , Ireland and Portugal , is a small station, usually unstaffed or with very few staff, and with few or no facilities. In some cases, trains stop only on request , when passengers on

8850-584: The growth of an indigenous railway vehicle industry in Baden, because they preferred to buy from local firms such as the engineering works of Kessler and Martiensen in Karlsruhe, which later became the Maschinengesellschaft Karlsruhe ('Karlsruhe Engineering Company'). And two coach manufacturers emerged in Baden in the shape of Waggonfabrik Fuchs founded in Heidelberg in 1862 and Waggonfabrik Rastatt in 1897. Some coaches were also purchased by

8968-401: The layout of the platforms. Apart from single-track lines, the most basic arrangement is a pair of tracks for the two directions; there is then a basic choice of an island platform between, two separate platforms outside the tracks ( side platforms ), or a combination of the two. With more tracks, the possibilities expand. Some stations have unusual platform layouts due to space constraints of

9086-417: The less developed KTM East Coast railway line to serve rural 'kampongs' (villages), that require train services to stay connected to important nodes, but do not have a need for staff. People boarding at halts who have not bought tickets online can buy it through staff on board. In rural and remote communities across Canada and the United States, passengers wanting to board the train at such places had to flag

9204-530: The loading and unloading of goods and may well have marshalling yards (classification yards) for the sorting of wagons. The world's first goods terminal was the 1830 Park Lane Goods Station at the South End Liverpool Docks. Built in 1830, the terminal was reached by a 1.24-mile (2 km) tunnel. As goods are increasingly moved by road, many former goods stations, as well as the goods sheds at passenger stations, have closed. Many are used purely for

9322-530: The main line through Basel territory required negotiations with the Swiss Confederation , during which differences of opinion over the best place for the junction of the Baden line to the Swiss network – Basel or Waldshut – led to delays. In the state treaty of 27 July 1852 an accommodation was reached which enabled the construction and operation of a line on Swiss sovereign territory by the Baden State Railways. The Baden railway lines were initially laid to

9440-403: The main reception facilities being at the far end of the platforms. Sometimes the track continues for a short distance beyond the station, and terminating trains continue forward after depositing their passengers, before either proceeding to sidings or reversing to the station to pick up departing passengers. Bondi Junction , Australia and Kristiansand Station , Norway are examples. A terminus

9558-610: The middle level, the station site is crossed north to south by four pedestrian passageways. The eastern three of these, the Passage Bahnhofstrasse , the Passage Löwenstrasse and the Passage Gessnerallee , form an interconnected complex with the ShopVille shopping complex and give direct access to all the station's platforms as well as to the surrounding streets. An intermediate underground level, immediately below

9676-470: The new, approximately 5 km (3.1 mi) long Weinberg Tunnel in a long left-hand curve under the existing Zürich HB–Stadelhofen line. It then ends at the level of the portals of the existing Wipkinger Tunnels in Oerlikon, where it connects with the northbound lines, including the line to Zürich Airport and Winterthur . In 2007, the SBB and Deutsche Bahn entered into a station partnership between

9794-491: The north of the train shed. In the vacant space left inside the train shed, new rooms were built for baggage handling. On 18 February 1916, the SBB decided that electrification of its network would be by the high-tension single-phase alternating current system that is still used on all routes. On 5 February 1923, the electrified Zug–Zürich railway was put into operation, the first electrified line to Zurich. By 1927 all routes from Zürich Hauptbahnhof had been electrified. In 1933,

9912-450: The original relay sets installed in 1966. The immense station yard, with its platform tracks and station building , is a bottleneck for the city of Zürich. The Limmat and the Sihl were further bottlenecks, and the combination of the three led to gridlock in the 1950s and 1960s. In parallel, there were plans for a subway system. Although the people voted against it in 1962, the city's Civil Engineering Department had already started to convert

10030-784: The other. For instance, in Istanbul transfers from the Sirkeci Terminal (the European terminus) and the Haydarpaşa Terminal (the Asian terminus) historically required crossing the Bosphorus via alternative means, before the Marmaray railway tunnel linking Europe and Asia was completed. Some cities, including New York, have both termini and through lines. Terminals that have competing rail lines using

10148-585: The platform indicate that they wish to board, or passengers on the train inform the crew that they wish to alight. These can sometimes appear with signals and sometimes without. The Great Western Railway in Great Britain began opening haltes on 12 October 1903; from 1905, the French spelling was Anglicised to "halt". These GWR halts had the most basic facilities, with platforms long enough for just one or two carriages; some had no raised platform at all, necessitating

10266-537: The population living near those rail lines. As an alternative the construction of the Weinberg tunnel and four additional underground tracks in the railway station was suggested and confirmed by a referendum. In 2002, an architectural competition was held for the new Löwenstrasse transit station , won by the architect Jean-Pierre Dürig  [ de ] . On 22 December 2006, the Federal Office of Transport approved

10384-466: The provision of steps on the carriages. Halts were normally unstaffed, tickets being sold on the train. On 1 September 1904, a larger version, known on the GWR as a "platform" instead of a "halt", was introduced; these had longer platforms, and were usually staffed by a senior grade porter, who sold tickets and sometimes booked parcels or milk consignments. From 1903 to 1947 the GWR built 379 halts and inherited

10502-584: The railway lines in the station were laid to a gauge of 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ), perhaps because the same gauge was used at the contemporaneous and nearby Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway . From the opening of the station, the railways of northern Switzerland developed rapidly, and by 1853 the Swiss Northern Railway had been merged into the Swiss Northeastern Railway ( Schweizerische Nordostbahn ; NOB). Also in 1853,

10620-553: The railway pioneer Alfred Escher . The magnificent sandstone neo-Renaissance building features richly decorated lobbies and atriums, restaurants and halls. Originally housed inside it was the headquarters of the Schweizerische Nordostbahn (NOB). The train shed , spanned by iron trusses, initially covered six tracks. The station was named Zürich Hauptbahnhof in 1893, to reflect that year's incorporation of many of Zürich's suburbs into an enlarged municipality. In 1902,

10738-466: The scheduled departure time, except for some international trains and the late night trains. S-Bahn services do not wait for late connecting trains, but the long-distance trains - contrary to popular opinion - usually wait for delayed S-Bahn trains (also for a maximum of 3 minutes). The Sihl passes through the station in a tunnel, with platforms above and below the river, and public circulation areas to either side. The tunnel comprises 5 culverts with

10856-493: The south wing of the station building, facing Bahnhofplatz , was renovated. It features shops, restaurants and ticket offices. Events take place regularly in the Haupthalle , including "open air" cinema; vegetable, flea and Christmas markets; and events such as skating , beach volleyball and the "warm up" for the Street Parade . Since 8 June 2009, Zürich HB has been the site of the first SBB Lounge . This waiting room

10974-457: The station area. Zurich main station is, for customs purposes, a border station for passengers arriving from Germany. As such, customs checks may be performed in the station by Swiss customs officials. Systematic passport controls were abolished, however, when Switzerland joined the Schengen Area in 2008. Railway station Locations at which passengers only occasionally board or leave

11092-405: The station entrance and platforms are on the same level, is also common, but is perhaps rarer in urban areas , except when the station is a terminus. Stations located at level crossings can be problematic if the train blocks the roadway while it stops, causing road traffic to wait for an extended period of time. Stations also exist where the station buildings are above the tracks. An example of this

11210-477: The station frequently set up a jointly owned terminal railroad to own and operate the station and its associated tracks and switching operations. During a journey, the term station stop may be used in announcements, to differentiate halts during which passengers may alight and halts for another reasons, such as a locomotive change . While a junction or interlocking usually divides two or more lines or routes, and thus has remotely or locally operated signals ,

11328-497: The station lies the Sihlsee , Switzerland's largest artificial lake, which is impounded by a 33-metre (108 ft) high dam. Studies showed that a failure of this dam could lead to an 8-metre (26 ft) high flood wave reaching the Hauptbahnhof within 2 hours. This threat has led the City of Zürich to develop, publish and test evacuation plans for the affected areas of the city, and especially

11446-561: The station location, or the alignment of the tracks. Examples include staggered platforms, such as at Tutbury and Hatton railway station on the Crewe–Derby line , and curved platforms, such as Cheadle Hulme railway station on the Macclesfield to Manchester Line. Stations at junctions can also have unusual shapes – a Keilbahnhof (or "wedge-shaped" station) is sited where two lines split. Triangular stations also exist where two lines form

11564-522: The station's main concourse. Below this level are a series of pedestrian passageways, the ShopVille shopping centre, and the course of the Sihl river . At the lowest level, and parallel to the terminal platforms at ground level, are ten underground platform tracks, of which two are terminal and eight are through. The station's main concourse itself comprises two sections. To the east is the Haupthalle (Main Hall), which

11682-479: The station's platforms via the western underpass. There are station bells above the rear exit of the large hall. In the 1847 station, bells rang before each departure of the Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn . The signal order prescribed as follows: "10 minutes before the departure of a train, one [bell]; 5 minutes before the same, two [bells]; and immediately prior to departure, three bells" . For the 1871 renovations,

11800-418: The station's simple concourse and the iron and glass train shed were created with seven and a half arches to cover 16 tracks. As part of that work, the main shed was shortened by two segments. In the 1940s, the line between Zürich and Geneva served as a "parade route". The first lightweight steel express train had entered service on this route in 1937. By 11 June 1960, the SBB network was largely electrified. In

11918-514: The station, and to all platforms except that serving tracks 21 and 22. At the lowest level, there are three groups of underground platforms. The most southerly are terminal tracks 21 and 22 of the Zürich HB SZU station, with a single island platform, and accessible only to trains on the SZU 's Uetliberg and Sihltal lines. To the north of these are two island platforms serving tracks 31 to 34, known as

12036-557: The street to underground rapid-transit urban rail stations. In many African, South American, and Asian countries, stations are also used as a place for public markets and other informal businesses. This is especially true on tourist routes or stations near tourist destinations . As well as providing services for passengers and loading facilities for goods, stations can sometimes have locomotive and rolling stock depots, usually with facilities for storing and refuelling rolling stock and carrying out minor repairs. The basic configuration of

12154-513: The terminus of the Spanisch Brötli Bahn , the first railway built completely within Switzerland. Serving up to 2,915 trains per day, Zürich HB is one of the busiest railway stations in the world. It was ranked as the second-best European railway station in 2020. The station can be found at the northern end of the Altstadt , or old town , and east of the Europaallee in central Zürich, near

12272-738: The tracks in the station were regauged to the standard gauge ( 1,435 mm or 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) that is still used by all lines in the station. In 1856, the NOB completed its line from the station to Winterthur via the Wipkingen Tunnel and Oerlikon . In 1858, the NOB completed its line from Baden via Brugg to Aarau , where it connected with the Swiss Central Railway ( Schweizerische Centralbahn ; SCB), thus providing connections to Basel , Solothurn and Lausanne . With further railways planned, it became clear that

12390-442: The train down to stop it, hence the name " flag stops " or "flag stations". Accessibility for disabled people is mandated by law in some countries. Considerations include: In the United Kingdom, rail operators will arrange alternative transport (typically a taxi ) at no extra cost to the ticket holder if the station they intend to travel to or from is inaccessible. Goods or freight stations deal exclusively or predominantly with

12508-526: The west via a bridge over the Sihl. At the eastern end of the station was a turntable , used for turning locomotives. This basic terminal station layout, with all trains arriving from the west, was to set the basic design of the station for the next 143 years. The new station was the initially the terminus of the Swiss Northern Railway , more often called the Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn , which opened on 9 August 1847 and linked Zürich with Baden . Initially

12626-602: The world was Crown Street railway station in Liverpool, England , built in 1830, on the locomotive-hauled Liverpool to Manchester line. The station was slightly older than the still extant Liverpool Road railway station terminal in Manchester. The station was the first to incorporate a train shed . Crown Street station was demolished in 1836, as the Liverpool terminal station moved to Lime Street railway station . Crown Street station

12744-610: The year in which the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) took over the Schweizerische Centralbahn and the NOB, the tracks inside the eastern end of the train shed were lifted, due to a lack of space. Since then, these tracks have terminated at a more central location, immediately to the north of the Bahnhofstrasse. Also in 1902, four more tracks and a north wing with a restaurant and railway mail service were added to

12862-575: Was The Mount in Swansea , Wales, on the Oystermouth (later the Swansea and Mumbles ) Railway. The world's oldest station for engined trains was at Heighington , on the Stockton and Darlington railway in north-east England built by George Stephenson in the early 19th century, operated by locomotive Locomotion No. 1 . The station opened in 1827 and was in use until the 1970s. The building, Grade II*-listed ,

12980-526: Was called a "rail motor stopping place" (RMSP). Usually situated near a level crossing , it was often designated solely by a sign beside the railway. The passenger could hail the driver to stop, and could buy a ticket from the train guard or conductor. In South Australia, such facilities were called "provisional stopping places". They were often placed on routes on which "school trains" (services conveying children from rural localities to and from school) operated. In West Malaysia , halts are commonplace along

13098-623: Was converted to a goods station terminal. The first stations had little in the way of buildings or amenities. The first stations in the modern sense were on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , opened in 1830. Manchester's Liverpool Road Station , the second oldest terminal station in the world, is preserved as part of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester . It resembles a row of Georgian houses. Early stations were sometimes built with both passenger and freight facilities, though some railway lines were goods-only or passenger-only, and if

13216-582: Was exclusively for holders of a first-class general subscription or a valid international first-class ticket or for frequent traveller program members of the Railteam partner railways. However, the lounge was closed in 2016. The station also has its own chapel, jointly run by the Evangelical Reformed and the Roman Catholic churches, but open to travellers of all denominations or religions. The chapel

13334-520: Was foreseeable, as the people had agreed on 29 November 1981 to the construction of the Zürich S-Bahn and the extension of the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn to the Hauptbahnhof. The 2.1 km (1.3 mi) long Hirschengraben Tunnel was built for the S-Bahn from the Hauptbahnhof to Zürich Stadelhofen . This new line continued through the Zürichberg Tunnel to Stettbach , with connections to

13452-514: Was in bad condition, but was restored in 1984 as an inn. The inn closed in 2017; in 2024 there were plans to renovate the derelict station in time for the 200th anniversary of the opening of the railway line. The two-storey Mount Clare station in Baltimore , Maryland , United States, which survives as a museum, first saw passenger service as the terminus of the horse-drawn Baltimore and Ohio Railroad on 22 May 1830. The oldest terminal station in

13570-487: Was modernised to coincide with the commissioning of the Zürich S-Bahn . It is equipped with a computerised controller that performs the standard operations. Apart from the tracks and points (switches) of the "Sihlpost station" (which are controlled by an electronic control system), the entire control of the points and signals in the Langstrasse–Concourse section is still largely under relay control, in some cases with

13688-543: Was permitted to build and operate the Karlsruhe–Mühlacker line , which ran partly in Württemberg. The connexion with Bruchsal was taken into service in 1853. The subsequent expansion of Baden's railway network was either aimed at opening up the regions or carried out from a military perspective. Worth mentioning are: Around 1895, Baden's railway network was more or less finished bar a few small sections. In 1900 it had

13806-501: Was the train hall of the 1871 station but is now a pedestrian circulation space. The Haupthalle is surrounded on three sides by station buildings, whilst to the west it opens onto the Querhalle (Cross Hall), which stretches across the head of the ground level terminal platforms. These platforms, comprising two side platforms and seven island platforms, are sheltered by the 1933-built train shed and are served by tracks numbered 3 to 18. At

13924-559: Was transferred in 1878 to the ownership of the Baden State Railways. The first two steam locomotives for the Baden State Railways were built by the English locomotive works of Sharp, Roberts and Company and delivered in 1839. They were given the names Löwe and Greif ( Lion and Griffin ). As the railway network expanded the size of the fleet grew rapidly. When the railways were converted from broad to standard gauge in 1854/55, there were already 66 locomotives, 65 tenders and 1,133 wagons in

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