Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 35, 2006

Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in Berlin, Germany. It is built on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof. 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 contrast to earlier railway stations, built with brick facades, and in keeping with then-current trends, Lehrter Bahnhof was designed in the French Neo-Renaissance style. During World War II the station was severely damaged. After the war, the shell was repaired to the point where it could be used temporarily. However, the postwar division of Germany spelled the end for most of West Berlin's mainline stations. On August 28, 1951, the final train departed from Lehrter Bahnhof. Soon after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, city planners began work on a transport plan for the reunified Berlin. In June 1992 the federal government decided that the new station should be built on the site of Lehrter Bahnhof. The design called for traffic on five levels. The highest is the main deck, including two S-Bahn platforms, on a bridge 10 meters (33 ft) above street level, and the lowest comprises four platforms 15 meters (49 ft) underground. On 26 May 2006, the station was ceremonially opened by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who arrived together with transport minister Wolfgang Tiefensee in a specially chartered InterCityExpress from Leipzig.

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