Chur railway station
Chur | |||||
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Trains at Chur station. | |||||
General information | |||||
Location | Bahnhofplatz 1-2 7000 Chur Plessur, Graubünden Switzerland | ||||
Coordinates | 46°51′11″N 09°31′45″E / 46.85306°N 9.52917°E | ||||
Elevation | 584 m (1,916 ft) | ||||
Operated by | SBB-CFF-FFS Rhaetian Railway | ||||
Line(s) | Zürich HB - Chur Landquart - Thusis / Disentis/Muster Chur - Arosa | ||||
Distance | 13.68 km (8.50 mi) from Landquart | ||||
Platforms | 12 | ||||
Connections |
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History | |||||
Opened | 30 June 1858 | ||||
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Chur railway station serves the city of Chur, capital of the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. Opened in 1858, it is the most important railway junction in Graubünden.
The station is the terminus of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) standard gauge main line from Zürich to Chur, and is also one of the most important stations on the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) metre gauge network.
SBB Intercity, Regio Express and Regional services stop at the station, alongside Rhaetian Railway Regio Express and Regional services. There are SBB trains to Landquart, and then stations to Zürich (and beyond) and Rhaetian Railway services to many destinations in Graubünden. The Glacier Express also calls and reverses at Chur.
History and development
1850-1895
Planning for a station at Chur began in 1850. After heated debate, the station was built at its present site, just outside the city limits, and designed as a terminus of the Rheineck–Chur railway. It was opened on 30 June 1858 .
The first operator of the station was the United Swiss Railways. Initially, only a temporary wooden goods shed was constructed as a station building. But in 1860 work was completed on a station building still visible today in modified form. In 1876, that building was moved to a new location on the Gürtelstrasse, where it has remained ever since.
With continuing increases in tourism in the area, a new station building was completed on 1 November 1878. It still exists today, but over the years has undergone several modifications.[citation needed]
1896-1985
In 1896, the Rhaetian Railway opened a narrow gauge line between Landquart and Thusis. The first 13.68 kilometres (8.50 mi) of that line ran parallel with the already well established standard gauge line between Landquart and Chur.
Due to a ruling by the Swiss Federal Council, the Rhaetian Railway was forced to abandon plans for a railway station of its own in Chur, and, instead, had to integrate itself into the existing United Swiss Railways station.
In 1903, the Albula Railway was opened, making necessary another expansion of Chur station. In 1914, traffic at the station increased even further, with the opening of the Chur–Arosa railway. Between 1926 and 1928, following yet another sharp increase in traffic, the station was completely rebuilt. As part of the late 1920s renovation, the number of tracks was increased, new bridges were built, and the track layout was simplified. Simultaneously, buildings from earlier times were refurbished, and new buildings were erected.[citation needed]
1985-present
Today, the station is located in the centre of the town of Chur, and forms the transition between the old and new towns.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Postautos_Chur.jpg/220px-Postautos_Chur.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Chur_Postautostation3.jpg/220px-Chur_Postautostation3.jpg)
The most striking of the station's buildings is now the roof over the Postauto bus station, which is located above the station platforms.
In 1986, the architects Richard Brosi and Robert Obrist won first prize in a competition for the design of the bus station, including its roof. Their idea was to create an airy concourse, and the structure built to their design was completed in 1993.
Comprehensive redevelopment of the station began in 2000. The complete redesign of the station was a joint project of the SBB-CFF-FFS, the Rhaetian Railway and the town of Chur. As part of the redevelopment, a new pedestrian underpass was opened in 2003. By 2006, the underpass had been expanded to the south. As a connection to the southern end of the underpass, a new shopping mall was opened. Meanwhile, the height of the platforms was raised to Switzerland's usual height of 55 cm, and the platform roofs were renewed.
The old station building, which was called Belle Epoque, was completely renovated in a project completed in 2007. Between the tracks of the SBB and those of the Rhaetian Railway's Chur-Arosa line is now a new office and retail building.
The Chur bus station was moved closer to the railway station and today has a direct connection to the underground shopping arcade. Also, the Bahnhofplatz in front of the station was extensively renovated in 2007.[citation needed]
Arosabahn
Chur is also the lower terminus of the Chur-Arosa line (the Arosabahn), which has its own dedicated platforms (numbers 1 & 2) at the front of Chur station, on Bahnhofplatz.
Hourly passenger services operate on the Arosa line (service "R4" on the Rhaetian network) to the town and resort of Arosa, calling at a number of places between. The route is shown as timetable 930 in the Swiss national timetables.[1]
SBB-CFF-FFS services
- EC Chur - Landquart - Sargans - Ziegelbrücke - Pfäffikon SZ - Thalwil - Zürich HB - Basel SBB - Bonn - Köln - Hamburg Hbf - Hamburg Altona/Kiel
- EC Dortmund - Köln - Bonn - Basel Badischer Bahnhof - Basel SBB - Zürich HB - Thalwil - Pfäffikon SZ - Ziegelbrücke - Sargans - Landquart - Chur
- EC Bruxelles Midi - Basel SBB - Zürich HB - Thalwil - Pfäffikon SZ - Ziegelbrücke - Sargans - Landquart - Chur (operates in Switzerland as IR)
- ICN Chur - Landquart - Sargans - Zürich HB - Basel SBB
- IC Chur - Landquart - Sargans - Zürich HB - Basel SBB
- IR Chur - Landquart - Sargans - Ziegelbrücke - Pfäffikon SZ - Thalwil - Zürich HB - Basel SBB
- IR Chur - Landquart - Sargans - Ziegelbrücke - Pfäffikon SZ - Thalwil - Zürich HB - Schaffhausen
- RE "Rheintal-Express" Chur - Sargans - St. Margrethen - Rorschach - St. Gallen
- R Chur - Sargans - Ziegelbrücke
Rhaetian Railway services
- RE1/R11 - 1tph
- RE3/R31 - 1tph
- R4 - 1tph
- S8 - 1tph
- S9 - 1tph
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Bus stations
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Chur_Bahnhof_June_2008.jpg/220px-Chur_Bahnhof_June_2008.jpg)
Other stations in Chur
There are three other railway stations in Chur:
- Chur Stadt (on the Chur-Arosa line)
- Chur West (towards Thusis)
- Chur Wiesental (towards Landquart)
References
Images
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The substantial railway sidings, alongside the main running lines, to the west of the station
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RhB Lokomotive line-up in Chur (May 2008)
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Station upper level
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Platforms 1 & 2 (for the Arosa service, R4)
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Rhaetian Railway "Crocodile" at Chur station
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- SBB Chur station information
- SBB Chur station plan/diagram
- Rhaetian Railway
- SBB Next departures from Chur, including bus departures