Hamburg Hauptbahnhof

Hauptbahnhof Süd
Hauptbahnhof Süd
General information
Location	Hamburg, Germany
Operated by	Hamburger Hochbahn AG
Line(s)	Template:ÖPNV Hamburg Template:ÖPNV Hamburg
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	1912

Location
	Hamburg Hauptbahnhof Location within Hamburg

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
Hbf
	Aerial view of Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
General information
Location	Hachmannplatz 16, 20099 Hamburg; Hamburg-Mitte, Hamburg; Germany
Line(s)	Berlin–Hamburg Railway; Hanover–Hamburg railway; Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway; Lower Elbe Railway; Lübeck–Hamburg railway; Hamburg-Altona link line;
Platforms	8 main line; 4 S-Bahn; 8 U-Bahn (6 in usage);
Other information
Station code	2514
DS100 code	AH
Category	1
Website	www.bahnhof.de
History
Opened	1906
Passengers
	480,000 daily
Location
Location
	Hamburg Hauptbahnhof Location within Hamburg

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof (abbrev. Hamburg Hbf or Hambg Hbf) is the main train station station for the German city of Hamburg and is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 1 station.^[1] It was opened in 1906 to replace 4 terminal stations. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is operated by DB Station&Service AG. With an average of 480,000 passengers a day, the station is the busiest in Germany and after the Gare du Nord in Paris, the second busiest in Europe.^[3]

The station is a through station with island platforms and is a major transportation hub, connecting long distance trains, like some Intercity-Express lines, to the underground rail network of the Hamburg U-Bahn and S-Bahn. It is situated in the city centre, in the Hamburg-Mitte borough. A part of the building is a shopping centre.

History

Before today's central station was opened, Hamburg had several smaller stations located around the city centre. The first railway line (between Hamburg and Bergedorf) was opened on 5 May 1842, coincidentally the same day the "great fire" (in German Der große Brand) ruined most of the historic city centre. The stations were (each of them only a few hundred metres away from the others):

Berliner Bahnhof (1846), located at the place where the Deichtorhallen can be found today, on the right bank of the Elbe river; terminus of the line to Berlin
Lübecker Bahnhof (1865), terminus of the line to Lübeck
Klosterthor Bahnhof (1866), eastern terminus of the Hamburg-Altona link line
Venloer Bahnhof (1872), since 1892 named "Hannoverscher Bahnhof", on the line across river Elbe, in Harburg split in the lines to Venlo and to Hanover

1870s: passenger train on the communication line to Venloer Bahnhof in the street in front of Berliner Bahnhof

The communication lines between the stations partly were built in squares and streets, provisionally. After the decision to create a common station for all lines, a competition was arranged in 1900. Built from 1902 to 1906, the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof was designed by the architects Heinrich Reinhardt and Georg Süßenguth, modeled after the Galerie des machines by Louis Béroud of the World's Fair of 1889 in Paris.^[4] The German emperor William II declared the first draft as "simply horrible",^{[citation needed]} but the second draft was eventually constructed. The emperor personally changed the Art Nouveau style elements into Neo-Renaissance, giving the station a fortification like character.^[5] The station was opened for visiting on 4 December 1906, the first train arrived the next day, and scheduled trains started on 6 December 1906.^[4]

During the Second World War on 9 November 1941, the station was hit seriously by Allied bombing. Several areas needed to be rebuilt completely, like the baggage check and the eastern ticket counters. One of the clock towers was destroyed in 1943.^[4]

From 1985 to 1991 the station was renovated.^[4]

Facilities

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is 206 m (676 ft) long, 135 m (443 ft) wide, and 37 m (121 ft) high. It has 8,200 m² (88,000 sq ft) rentable area and 27,810 m² (299,300 sq ft) in total. The clock towers at the station building are 45 m (148 ft), and the clocks have a diameter of 2.2 m (7 ft 3 in). Adjoining the station building, the track hall is constructed of iron and glass and spans the main line platforms and two S-Bahn tracks. The platforms are reached from two bridges on street level, one at each end of the track hall, from the northern bridge on stairs and by lifts, from the southern bridge by escalators. Two other S-Bahn tracks and the subway tracks are in a connected tunnel system.

The Wandelhalle (Promenade Hall) in the station building is a small shopping centre with extended opening hours. It was built in 1991 during the renewal of the beam construction. It is located on the northern bridge and includes restaurants, flower shops, kiosks, a pharmacy, service centres and more. The upper floor also has a gallery surrounding the hall.^[4]

Since 2008, in an effort to disperse drug dealers and users from the area, Deutsche Bahn has been playing classical music like Vivaldi's The Four Seasons. According to the German newspaper Hamburger Abendblatt it is a success.^[6]

Since 2009 the station switched all its toilets to water-saving 3.5l toilets. 2012 they started producing Terra Preta in the basement by filtering the excrements and mixing them with charcoal and microbes. The fluids are cleaned and nutrients are extracted. Even medical ingredients can be filtered out. [1]

Train services

In 2008, 720 regional and long distance trains, and 982 S-Bahn trains served the station per day. There were 6 platforms for the main lines.

The station is served by the following services:^[7]

Long distance trains

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is one of the largest stations in northern Germany and connects Denmark with central Europe. There are permanent InterCityExpress lines to Berlin, Frankfurt (Main), continuing to Stuttgart and Munich, and Bremen, continuing to the Ruhr Area and Cologne. To the north ICE trains connect Hamburg with Aarhus and Copenhagen in Denmark and Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein.^[8] There are also several InterCity- and EuroCity- passenger train connections.^[9] The station is a hub for international travel, and most passengers to or from Scandinavia must change in Hamburg.

The following lines connect to the station:

Berlin–Hamburg railway
Hanover–Hamburg railway
Wanne-Eickel–Hamburg railway (to Bremen and the Ruhr)
Lower Elbe Railway
Lübeck–Hamburg railway
Hamburg-Altona link line (connecting to Hamburg-Altona–Kiel railway)
Intercity Express services (ICE 28) Hamburg - Berlin – Leipzig - Jena - Nürnberg - Munich (- Innsbruck)
Intercity Express services (ICE 75) Copenhagen - Lübeck - Hamburg - Berlin
Intercity Express services (ICE 76) Aarhus - Padborg - Flensburg - Hamburg - Berlin
EuroCity services (EC 7) Hamburg - Bremen - Münster - Dortmund - Düsseldorf - Köln - Bonn - Karlsruhe - Freiburg - Basel - Zürich - Chur
EuroCity services (EC 27) Hamburg - Berlin - Dresden - Prague - Brno - Bratislava - Budapest
Intercity services (IC 30) Hamburg - Bremen - Münster - Essen - Düsseldorf - Köln - Bonn - Stuttgart
Intercity services (IC 31) Hamburg - Bremen - Münster - Dortmund - Wuppertal - Köln - Bonn - Frankfurt

Preceding station	Deutsche Bahn	Following station
Template:DB-ICE stations toward Template:DB-ICE stations	Template:DB-ICE lines	Template:DB-ICE stations toward Template:DB-ICE stations
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Terminus	Template:DB-ICE lines	Template:DB-ICE stations toward Template:DB-ICE stations
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Terminus	Template:DB-ICE lines	Template:DB-ICE stations toward Template:DB-ICE stations
Template:DB-IC stations toward Template:DB-IC stations	Template:DB-IC lines Karlsruhe	Template:DB-IC stations toward Template:DB-IC stations
Hamburg Dammtor toward [[Template:S-line/EuroCity left/27 station\|Template:S-line/EuroCity left/27]]	EuroCity	Büchen toward [[Template:S-line/EuroCity right/27 station\|Template:S-line/EuroCity right/27]]
Template:DB-IC stations toward Template:DB-IC stations	Template:DB-IC lines	Template:DB-IC stations toward Template:DB-IC stations
Preceding station	Hamburg-Köln-Express	Following station
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Regional trains

There are numerous RegionalExpress and RegionalBahn services to Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Bremen.

Line	Route
RE 1	Hamburg Hbf - Schwerin - Rostock
RE 3	Hamburg Hbf - Lüneburg - Uelzen
RE 4	Bremen - Rotenburg - Buchholz - Hamburg Hbf
RE 5	Cuxhaven - Stade - Buxtehude - Hamburg Hbf
RE 7	Hamburg Hbf – Neumünster – Flensburg
RE 8	Hamburg Hbf - Bad Oldesloe - Lübeck - Travemünde
RE 70	Hamburg Hbf - Pinneberg – Neumünster – Kiel
RE 80	Hamburg Hbf – Ahrensburg – Lübeck
RB 41	Bremen - Rotenburg - Buchholz - Hamburg Hbf
RB 61	Hamburg Hbf – Pinneberg – Glückstadt – Itzehoe
RB 81	Hamburg Hbf – Ahrensburg – Bad Oldesloe

Preceding station	Deutsche Bahn	Following station
Terminus	Template:RE-MV lines	Template:RE-MV stations toward Template:RE-MV stations
Preceding station	Metronom	Following station
Terminus	Template:RE-NI lines	Template:RE-NI stations toward Template:RE-NI stations
Terminus	Template:RE-NI lines	Template:RE-NI stations toward Template:RE-NI stations
Terminus	Template:RE-NI lines	Template:RE-NI stations toward Template:RE-NI stations
Terminus	Template:RB-NI lines	Template:RB-NI stations toward Template:RB-NI stations
Preceding station	HVV	Following station
Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations	Template:HVV lines	Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations
Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations	Template:HVV lines	Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations
Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations	Template:HVV lines	Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations
Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations	Template:HVV lines	Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations
Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations	Template:HVV lines	Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations
Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations	Template:HVV lines	Template:HVV stations toward Template:HVV stations
Preceding station	AKN	Following station
Template:AKN stations toward Template:AKN stations	Template:AKN lines	Terminus

Rapid transit

Hauptbahnhof Nord

General information
Location	Hamburg, Germany
Operated by	Hamburger Hochbahn AG
Line(s)	Template:ÖPNV Hamburg Template:ÖPNV Hamburg
Platforms	2 island platforms
Tracks	2
Construction
Accessible	Yes
History
Opened	1968

Beside the inter-urban rail services, the Hauptbahnhof is also the central intersection for two of the three rapid transport systems in the city: the Hamburg S-Bahn (suburban railway) and the Hamburg U-Bahn (underground network).^[10]

The S-Bahn platforms are located inside the station itself (platforms 3 and 4, going eastwards to Barmbek, Harburg and Bergedorf) and in a separate tunnel, adjacent to the station building (platforms 1 and 2, going westwards to Altona, Wedel and Eidelstedt).

The U-Bahn is split in two stations: Hauptbahnhof Süd (south) and serving the lines U1 and U3. This part of the station had been included in the 1900 planning for the new station (the construction for the subway started in 1906, the "ring" was opened in 1911). Until 1960, this station was simply called Hauptbahnhof without any suffix. From the beginning until the end of 1943, there were two lines: the original Ring and the southeastern branch line leading to Rothenburgsort which tracks has been destroyed due to World War II and never been rebuilt.

Preceding station		HVV2		Following station
Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations		Template:HVV2 lines		Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations
Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations		Template:HVV2 lines		Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations

The station Hauptbahnhof Nord (north) serves the line U2, but only using the two middle tunnels (out of four). The two outer tunnels were built in advance for a future line U4 (which has never been constructed) and are currently used for a visual arts installation.

Preceding station		HVV2		Following station
Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations		Template:HVV2 lines		Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations
Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations		Template:HVV2 lines		Template:HVV2 stations toward Template:HVV2 stations

Neighbourhood

The station is located on the Wallring in Hamburg's city centre, between the districts Altstadt and St. Georg. Directly nearby are the Deutsches Schauspielhaus theatre in the St. Georg quarter, one of Hamburg's a state theatres, the Kunsthalle, an art gallery, and the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg,^[11] a museum for applied arts. The Hamburg Rathaus is down Mönckebergstraße, centre of a busy shopping district.

References

Notes

^ ^a ^b "Stationspreisliste 2025" [Station price list 2025] (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
^ ' "Bindeglied zwischen Süd- und Osteuropa (Link to Southern and Eastern Europe)" (in German). Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved 22 February 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
^ Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring 2005 Page 511 "TRAIN Hamburg's Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest in Germany."
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "100 Jahre Hamburger Hauptbahnhof" (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 2006. Retrieved 2009-09-07.
^ Todt, Hartwig (2005). "Hauptbahnhof". Hamburg Lexikon (in German) (3 ed.). Ellert&Richter. p. 232. ISBN 3-8319-0179-1.
^ Erlanger, Steven (2002-01-23). "Hamburg Journal; 'Judge Merciless' Thinks All Germany Needs Him" (Document). New York Times. {{cite document}}: Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help)
^ Timetables for Hamburg Hbf station Template:De icon
^ ICE Netz 2008, DB Netz AG, Zentrale, Frankfurt am Main
^ IC Netz 2008, DB Netz AG, Zentrale, Frankfurt am Main
^ Network plan HVV (pdf) 560 KiB
^ "WELCOME TO: MUSEUM FÜR KUNST UND GEWERBE HAMBURG". Retrieved 2009-09-13.

External links

"Current departure time in Hamburg Hbf". Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
Hamburg Central Station at Structurae
Template:De icon DB station information
Template:De icon Picture of the Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
Template:De icon shopping center Wandelhalle Hamburg Hauptbahnhof

[categories-1] "Stationspreisliste 2025" [Station price list 2025] (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.

[db-2] ' "Bindeglied zwischen Süd- und Osteuropa (Link to Southern and Eastern Europe)" (in German). Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved 22 February 2010. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)

[3] Lonely Planet Europe on a Shoestring 2005 Page 511 "TRAIN Hamburg's Hauptbahnhof is one of the busiest in Germany."

[hbf2-4] "100 Jahre Hamburger Hauptbahnhof" (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 2006. Retrieved 2009-09-07.

[hhlex2-5] Todt, Hartwig (2005). "Hauptbahnhof". Hamburg Lexikon (in German) (3 ed.). Ellert&Richter. p. 232. ISBN 3-8319-0179-1.

[6] Erlanger, Steven (2002-01-23). "Hamburg Journal; 'Judge Merciless' Thinks All Germany Needs Him" (Document). New York Times. {{cite document}}: Unknown parameter |accessdate= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |url= ignored (help)

[7] Timetables for Hamburg Hbf station Template:De icon

[8] ICE Netz 2008, DB Netz AG, Zentrale, Frankfurt am Main

[9] IC Netz 2008, DB Netz AG, Zentrale, Frankfurt am Main

[10] Network plan HVV (pdf) 560 KiB

[11] "WELCOME TO: MUSEUM FÜR KUNST UND GEWERBE HAMBURG". Retrieved 2009-09-13.

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v t e Rapid transit and commuter rail in Hamburg
Hamburger Verkehrsverbund (HVV) Public transport rail systems and operators in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region
Systems	U-Bahn lines: U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 S-Bahn A-Bahn R-Bahn
Operators	U-Bahn Hamburger Hochbahn S-Bahn S-Bahn Hamburg GmbH A-Bahn AKN Eisenbahn R-Bahn DB Regio Erixx evb Metronom Nordbahn Start
	Wedel Rissen Sülldorf Iserbrook Blankenese Hochkamp Klein Flottbek (Botanischer Garten) Othmarschen Bahrenfeld Ottensen Altona Königstraße Reeperbahn Landungsbrücken Stadthausbrücke Jungfernstieg Hauptbahnhof Berliner Tor Landwehr Hasselbrook Wandsbeker Chaussee Friedrichsberg Barmbek Alte Wöhr (Stadtpark) Rübenkamp (City Nord) Ohlsdorf Hamburg Airport (Flughafen) Branch: Hamburg Airport (Flughafen) Poppenbüttel Branch: Kornweg (Klein Borstel) Hoheneichen Wellingsbüttel Poppenbüttel
	Altona Holstenstraße Sternschanze Dammtor Hauptbahnhof Berliner Tor Rothenburgsort Tiefstack Billwerder-Moorfleet Mittlerer Landweg Allermöhe Nettelnburg Bergedorf Reinbek Wohltorf Aumühle
	Pinneberg Thesdorf Halstenbek Krupunder Elbgaustraße Eidelstedt Stellingen (Arena) Langenfelde Diebsteich Altona Königstraße Reeperbahn Landungsbrücken Stadthausbrücke Jungfernstieg Hauptbahnhof Hammerbrook (City Süd) Elbbrücken Veddel (BallinStadt) Wilhelmsburg Harburg Harburg Rathaus Heimfeld Neuwiedenthal Neugraben
	Norderstedt Mitte Richtweg Garstedt Ochsenzoll Kiwittsmoor Langenhorn Nord Langenhorn Markt Fuhlsbüttel Nord Fuhlsbüttel Klein Borstel Ohlsdorf Sengelmannstraße Alsterdorf Lattenkamp Hudtwalckerstraße Kellinghusenstraße Klosterstern Hallerstraße Stephansplatz Jungfernstieg Meßberg Steinstraße Hauptbahnhof Süd Lohmühlenstraße Lübecker Straße Wartenau Ritterstraße Wandsbeker Chaussee Wandsbek Markt Straßburger Straße Alter Teichweg Wandsbek-Gartenstadt Trabrennbahn Farmsen Oldenfelde Berne Meiendorfer Weg Volksdorf Ohlstedt Branch: Buckhorn Hoisbüttel Ohlstedt Großhansdorf Branch: Buchenkamp Ahrensburg West Ahrensburg Ost Schmalenbeck Kiekut Großhansdorf
	Niendorf Nord Schippelsweg Joachim-Mähl-Straße Niendorf Markt Hagendeel Hagenbecks Tierpark Lutterothstraße Osterstraße Emilienstraße Christuskirche Schlump Messehallen Gänsemarkt (Oper) Jungfernstieg Hauptbahnhof Nord Berliner Tor Burgstraße Hammer Kirche Rauhes Haus Horner Rennbahn Legienstraße Billstedt Merkenstraße Steinfurther Allee Mümmelmannsberg
	Barmbek Saarlandstraße Borgweg (Stadtpark) Sierichstraße Kellinghusenstraße Eppendorfer Baum Hoheluftbrücke Schlump Sternschanze Feldstraße St. Pauli Landungsbrücken Baumwall Rödingsmarkt Rathaus Mönckebergstraße Hauptbahnhof Süd Berliner Tor Lübecker Straße Uhlandstraße Mundsburg Hamburger Straße Dehnhaide Barmbek Habichtstraße Wandsbek-Gartenstadt
	Elbbrücken HafenCity Universität Überseequartier Jungfernstieg Hauptbahnhof Nord Berliner Tor Burgstraße Hammer Kirche Rauhes Haus Horner Rennbahn Legienstraße Billstedt
Long distance railway stations Hamburg Hauptbahnhof Hamburg-Altona Hamburg Dammtor Hamburg-Harburg List of Hamburg U-Bahn stations List of Hamburg S-Bahn stations

Authority control databases
International	VIAF WorldCat
National	Germany United States Israel
Geographic	Structurae
Other	Deutsche Bahn