Berlin Hauptbahnhof () (English: Berlin Central Station[5][6][7][8][9][10]) is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany.[11] It came into full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof, and on the Berlin S-Bahn suburban railway. The station is owned by DB InfraGO, a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn AG, and is classified as a Category 1 station, one of 21[12] in Germany and four in Berlin, the others being Berlin Gesundbrunnen, Berlin Südkreuz and Berlin Ostbahnhof.
Lehrter Bahnhof (Lehrte Station) opened in 1871 as the terminus of the railway linking Berlin with Lehrte, near Hanover, which later became Germany's most important east–west main line. In 1882, with the completion of the Stadtbahn (City Railway, Berlin's four-track central elevated railway line, which carries both local and main line services), just north of the station, a smaller interchange station called Lehrter Stadtbahnhof was opened to provide connections with the new line. This station later became part of the Berlin S-Bahn. In 1884, after the closure of nearby Hamburger Bahnhof (Hamburg Station), Lehrter Bahnhof became the terminus for trains to and from Hamburg.
Following heavy damage during World War II, limited services to the main station were resumed, but then suspended in 1951. In 1957, with the railways to West Berlin under the control of East Germany, Lehrter Bahnhof was demolished, but Lehrter Stadtbahnhof remained as a stop on the S-Bahn. In 1987, it was extensively renovated to commemorate Berlin's 750th anniversary. After German reunification, it was decided to improve Berlin's railway network by constructing a new north–south main line, to supplement the east-west Stadtbahn. Lehrter Stadtbahnhof was considered to be the logical location for a new central station.
- ^ Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas) (2017 ed.). Schweers + Wall. 2017. ISBN 978-3-89494-146-8.
- ^ "Stationspreisliste 2024" [Station price list 2024] (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 24 April 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
- ^ "Alle Zielorte" (PDF). Verkehrsverbund Berlin-Brandenburg. 1 January 2021. p. 61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2021. Retrieved 5 May 2021.
- ^ "300.000 Reisende und Besucher werden täglich erwartet" (in German). Deutsche Bahn. Archived from the original on 12 March 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ On track for tomorrow. Public Works Planning and Projects in Transport in Germany. Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine DB's publication for the International Transportation Workshop, May 2012. "Berlin Central Station" is their station project example. Accessed 14 August 2013
- ^ "Business Travel" (PDF). Deutsche Bahn. Spring 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ^ "Your perfect connections from the airport directly to your destination". Deutsche Bahn. Archived from the original on 24 March 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2013.
- ^ Berlin Central Station Archived 7 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine at Structurae, international database and gallery of structures. Accessed 14 August 2013
- ^ Edwards, Brian (2011). Sustainability and the Design of Transport Interchanges, Routledge, Oxford & New York, p. 149 etc. ISBN 978-0-415-46449-9
- ^ Patterson, Michael Robert (2008). Structural Glass Facades: A Unique Building Technology, Pro Quest, Ann Arbor, UMI 1454120 [ISBN missing]
- ^ "Second world war bomb defused near Berlin's main railway station". The Guardian. 3 April 2013. Archived from the original on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2016.
- ^ "Bahnhofskategorieliste 2015" (PDF). DB Station&Service AG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2015. Retrieved 25 September 2015.