The Berlin Central Station in the Moabit district, on the site of the former Lehrter train station, is Berlin's most important long-distance hub and is served by all DB train categories
background
Berlin Central Station is the result of the re-planning of long-distance rail transport in the greater Berlin area after the fall of the Berlin Wall. While in old East Berlin today's "Ostbahnhof" was temporarily renamed the main station and Lichtenberg was another important hub, in the west the Zoologischer Garten station was the main end point for long-distance traffic. In the course of reunification, the reconstruction of the S-Bahn and the construction of new high-speed lines to Hanover, Hamburg, Leipzig / Halle and (still under construction) Dresden, it was decided to re-bundle long-distance traffic. According to the "mushroom concept", all long-distance trains travel to the new main station via a north-south tunnel. In addition, long-distance trains stop in Berlin-Südkreuz, Spandau or Gesundbrunnen (also called Nordkreuz), depending on the direction. The main train station is located at the former Lehrter train station, which has completely merged into the main train station. The train station is a design by the architects Gerkhan Marg und Partner and was opened just in time for the 2006 World Cup.
construction
Berlin Hauptbahnhof may seem confusing at first, but the structure is quite simple. It is a so-called "tower station", where two lines cross at right angles. These are the north-south running tunnel tracks in the lower track level (tracks 1 to 8) and the east-west running tracks of the light rail in the upper track level (tracks 11 to 14 and tracks 15/16 for the S-Bahn). In between there are three distribution levels. The lower distribution level enables the track change between the tunnel platforms, the upper distribution level accordingly between the light rail tracks. In between there is a distribution level that is at street level and enables access to the train station. All three distribution levels are equipped with numerous shops and restaurants.
Schematic structure:
Upper track level (tracks 11-14 for regional and long-distance traffic), tracks 15/16 for S-Bahn _______________________________ ________________________________
Upper distribution level, including travel center and DB lounge _______________________________ ________________________________
Street level___________________________________ Central distribution level___________________________________ Street level
Lower distribution level, including a public waiting area ______________________________ ________________________________
Lower track level (tracks 1 to 8 for regional and long-distance traffic)
getting there
Accesses
The most important access points are from the north (Europaplatz and Invalidenstrasse) and from the south (Washingtonplatz).
At Europaplatz and Invalidenstrasse there is a connection to the tram, bus and taxi. There is also a taxi stop at Washingtonplatz.
There are also numerous small entrances in different parts of the building.
Subway
Currently (January 2020) there is only one subway line from the main train station, the "Stummel U55" with the stops Hauptbahnhof, Bundestag and Brandenburg Gate, which is the product of an extension of the U5 (current terminus: Alexanderplatz) that went into operation in 2009 . A connection between U55 and U5 is under construction and should be at the end of 2020 [outdated] be handed over to traffic.
Train
Located on the Stadtbahn, the main east-west connection through the center of Berlin, the main train station has connections to the S3, S5, S7 and S9. A direct north-south S-Bahn through the main station does not yet exist, but a connection to the northern ring under the name "S21" is under construction, which is to be extended in the future towards Potsdamer Platz and further to the southern ring.
tram
Since 2014, the main station can also be reached by tram, but mainly from the east. The M10, also known as the "Party Line", stops right in front of the entrance and serves a number of important points in the center of Berlin.
public access from important transport hubs
In the street
Accessibility
All levels are connected to one another by elevators, so that there is barrier-free access. Signposts, elevators, and banisters also contain braille lettering.
A mobility service center can be reached around the clock on 0180 - 6512 512.
Park
The multi-storey car park with direct access to the train station has over 800 parking spaces. The access is from the south directly from the Tiergarten tunnel (B 96), from the other directions via Invalidenstraße / Clara-Jaschke-Straße. The parking garage has solid prices, which can cost 20 euros per day. Dropping off / picking up is free in the first quarter of an hour.
Those who are not afraid to walk a little (10 to 15 minutes) can also try their luck on the roadside, depending on the time of day and day of the week with different chances of success. Opportunities exist before Alem in the direction of the Tiergarten.
links
Long-distance national transport
- hourly ICE from / to Hamburg (1:45 hours), once a day Kiel (3:10 hours)
- every two hours EC to / from Hamburg (2:05 hours), once a day Kiel (3:15 hours)
- hourly ICE from / to Leipzig (1:15 hours), Erfurt (1:45 hours), Nuremberg (3:20 hours) Munich (4:35 hours)
- ICE Sprinter three times a day from / to Nuremberg (2:50 hours), Munich (3:55 hours)
- hourly ICE from / to Hanover (1:35 hours), Dortmund (3:20 hours), Dusseldorf (4:15 hours), Cologne (4:20 hours)
- hourly ICE from / to Braunschweig (1:25 hours), kassel (2:40 hours), Frankfurt am Main (4:15 hours), every two hours Karlsruhe (5:30 hours), Stuttgart (5:40 hours)
- Every two hours ICE Sprinter from / to Frankfurt a. M. (3:55 hours)
- every two hours EC from / to Dresden (1:45 hours)
- EC from / to five times a day Frankfurt (Oder) (1:05 hrs.)
- three times a day IC / ICE to / from Stralsund (3:10 hours), once a day Binz/ Rügen (3:50 hours)
- twice a day IC from / to Munster (Westphalia) (3: 30–3: 50 hours)
- once a day IC from / to Magdeburg (1:25 hours), Bremen (4:15 hours), Emden (6 hours); otherwise with a change in Hanover
- once a day IC from / to Rostock (2 hours.)
- once a day IC from / to cottbus (1:25 hours)
- once a day Locomore / Flixtrain from / to Hanover (2:05 hours), Kassel (3:10 hours), Frankfurt a. M. (4:40 hours), Stuttgart (6:35 hours)
- daily Nightjet (night train) from / to Karlsruhe, Freiburg i. Br.
Long-distance international transport
- ICE from / to every two hours Basel (7:15 hours), twice a day Bern (8:25 hours), Interlaken (9:30 hours)
- every two hours IC from / to Amsterdam (6:20 hours)
- every two hours EC from / to Prague (4:20 hours), once a day Bratislava (8:35 hours), Budapest (11 hours)
- EC from / to five times a day Poses (2:45 hours), four times a day Warsaw (6:25 hours), once a day Danzig (5:40 hours), Gdynia (6:05 hrs.)
- The night TrainNightjet of the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) runs daily on the routes Berlin - Frankfurt (Oder) - Wroclav - Vienna and Berlin - Göttingen - Frankfurt (Main) - Basel - Zurich.
Regional traffic
- every half hour RE from / to Potsdam (25 min), Brandenburg on the Havel (55 min), every hour Magdeburg (1:40 hours)
- every half hour RE from / to Frankfurt (Oder) (1:10 hours)
- hourly RE from / to Neustrelitz (1:15 hours), every two hours Rostock (2:40 hours), Stralsund (3:15 hrs.)
- hourly RE from / to Eberswalde (55 min), every two hours Schwedt (1:40 hours), Prenzlau (1:45 hours), Greifswald (3:05 hrs.)
- hourly RE from / to Wittenberg (1:30 hours), every two hours Schwerin (2:35 hours)
- hourly RE from / to cottbus (1:25 hours)
- hourly RE from / to Dessau (1:40 hours)
- hourly RE from / to Jueterbog (50 min), every two hours Wittenberg (1:20 hours), Falkenberg (Elster) (1:35 hours)
- hourly RE from / to Wünsdorf-Waldstadt (55 min), every two hours Elsterwerda (2 hours.)
- hourly RE from / to Rathenow (55 min)
- every half hour RB from / to Nauen (40 min)
- hourly RB from / to Berlin Brandenburg Airport (30 min)
- hourly RB from / to Wustermark (55 min)
kitchen
In and in front of the train station there is a wide range of bakeries, snacks, kebabs, hamburgers and upscale restaurants (Vapiano, Gosch) with slightly higher prices, which is typical of the train station.
The McDonalds on the lower distribution level and a BackWerk on the upper level are open around the clock.
accommodation
There are several hotels in the immediate vicinity of the main train station.
- 1 Hotel AMANO Grand Central, Heidestrasse 62, 10557 Berlin. Tel.: (0)30 4003000. Price: from 110 €.
- 2 Ibis Berlin Central Station, Invalidenstrasse 53, 10557 Berlin. Tel.: (0)30 7109600. Price: from 70 €.
- 3 IntercityHotel Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Katharina-Paulus-Strasse 5, 10557 Berlin. Tel.: (0)30 2887550. Price: from 80 €.
- 4 Meiniger Berlin Central Station, Ella-Trebe-Strasse 9, 10557 Berlin. Tel.: (0)30 98321073. Hostel standard.Price: from 40 €.
- 5 Motel one Berlin Central Station, Invalidenstrasse 54, 10557 Berlin. Tel.: (0)30 36410050. Price: from 90 €.
- 6 Steigenberger at the Chancellery, Ella-Trebe-Strasse 5, 10557 Berlin. Tel.: (0)30 7407430. Price: from 140 €.
Waiting
There is a public waiting area on the lower distribution level at the southern end, which is equipped with benches, a windshield and a few heating elements. Officially, it is only released for travelers with a valid ticket. It's not too cozy, and it shouldn't be, regular patrols by security and / or police ensure that.
The DB lounge with a separate first-class area is located on the upper distribution level, west side, approximately below tracks 11/12. Open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The lounge is only accessible to passengers with a first-class ticket outside the VBB network area (i.e. with a destination outside the state of Brandenburg) or Bahn-Comfort customers.
shop
The distribution levels are equipped with numerous shops that not only sell travel items, but also drugstores, groceries, luxury goods, souvenirs and clothing. Opening times are until around 9 p.m. and the food market is open until midnight.
Practical advice
The Luggage storage is located on the east side of the main train station on the first floor and is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Each piece of luggage costs € 5 per day. Luggage lockers are located in the parking garage outside the main building in area C, levels 1, 2, 3. The lockers cost between € 3 and € 6 per day.
Each one DB travel center are located on the upper and lower mezzanine floors. The S-Bahn travel center is also located on the upper mezzanine floor.
At the north exit is on the left Tourist information which is open daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Entry tickets for the Neues Museum can also be booked there. Tel .: 030 - 25 00 25
Help and health
A pharmacy open around the clock is located on the upper distribution level on the east side, approximately below the S-Bahn tracks.
