Zürich Hauptbahnhof
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Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Zürich HB) | |
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 Zürich Hauptbahnhof viewed from the east. | |
| General information | |
| Coordinates | 47°22′40″N 8°32′25″E / 47.37778°N 8.54028°E |
| Owned by | SBB-CFF-FFS |
| Operated by | SBB-CFF-FFS Sihltalbahn Uetlibergbahn |
| Platforms | 26 |
| Construction | |
| Architect | Jakob Friedrich Wanner |
| History | |
| Opened | 9 August 1847 |
| Rebuilt | 1990 |
| Electrified | 5 February 1923 |
| Zürich Hauptbahnhof Statistics | |
|---|---|
| "Long Distance" tracks | 16* tracks 3 to 18, Street Level *2 tracks permanently closed |
| "S-Bahn" tracks | 10 tracks 1+2, 21 to 24 underground tracks 51–54 Street level |
| Trains (daily number of arrivals and departures) |
Long Distance: 884 (tracks 3–18) S-Bahn: 442 (tracks 51–54) 1281 (tracks 21–24) 308 (tracks 1+2, SZU) Total: 2915 trains |
| Shunting moves (daily) |
about 5000 (incl. yards) |
| Switches and Signals | Switches: 799 dwarf Signals: 791 Main Signals: 177 |
Zürich Hauptbahnhof (often shortened to Zürich HB) (English: Zürich Central Station or Zürich Main Station) is the largest railway station in Zürich and also in Switzerland. Zürich is a major railway hub, with services to and from across Switzerland and neighbouring European countries such as Germany, Italy, Austria and France. Constructed initially as the terminus of the Spanisch Brötli Bahn, which was the first railway built completely within Switzerland, it is one of the oldest railway stations in Switzerland.
It is located in the Altstadt or old town in central Zürich at the confluence of the rivers Limmat and Sihl, where the river Sihl passes the station in a tunnel between the tracks of the upper and the lower level. The track system of the station extends about 4 km (2.5 miles) to the west.
Tracks
The ground floor has 20 tracks (Track 3 - 18 and 51 - 54). Tracks 3 - 18 are used for trains coming from major areas in Switzerland as well as most, if not all, international trains, such as the EuroCity, Cisalpino, TGV and InterCityExpress. Tracks 51 - 54 are used by Zürich S-Bahn trains and extra rush hour trains travelling via Zürich Enge and/or Zürich Wipkingen.
One level below on the southern side of the station the two tracks 1 and 2 can be found, which are exclusive used by SZU S-Bahn trains, heading west and south towards Üetliberg and the Sihl valley.
On the same level on the norther side another 4 tracks for local commuter trains (mostly S-trains, mostly within the canton) can be found. The S-Bahn trains that travel via Zürich Stadelhofen use these four tracks 21 to 24. Zürich Hauptbahnhof is a nodal point where the S-Bahn Zürich lines S2, S3, S5, S6, S7, S8, S9, S12, S14, S15, S16, S21 and S24, the Sihltal Zürich Uetliberg Bahn (S4 and S10) and Zürich trams interconnect. Train connections to Zürich Stadelhofen, Zürich Hardbrücke, Zürich Oerlikon and Zürich Enge are very frequent, and the ride takes only few minutes.
Between tracks 21-24 and 1-2 another four tracks (which will probably be 31-34) are under construction.
Until 1991, this station was just a terminus station which did not permit traffic to go through the station. In 1991, an underground passage with tracks 21-24 was opened to enable S-Bahn trains to proceed to Zurich Stadelhofen.
Zurich HB is served by more than 2,900 daily trains. In 2004, it had an average of 340,000 passengers each day.[1] The station is busy at all times, with trains running from 05:00 until 01:00 during the week. From Friday night to Sunday morning, the trains run all day and all night as part of the ZVV Nachtnetz (night network).
The main station is accessible from four tram and bus stations:
- Sihlquai to the north, tram lines 4 and 13;
- Bahnhofquai to the east, tram lines 4, 11, 13 and 14 and bus 46;
- Bahnhofplatz to the south, tram lines 3, 6, 10, 14 and bus 31;
- Bahnhofstrasse just south of Bahnhofplatz, tram lines 6, 7, 11 and 13;
- Sihlpost to the south-west, tram lines 3 and 14 and bus 31.
The station is home to a large underground shopping centre called "ShopVille" of over 200 shops or other businesses. It benefits from the Swiss employment law rule that while generally labour on Sundays is not allowed, it is allowed in "centres of public transport"[2]. The huge underground "Rail City" is, therefore, usually bustling on Sundays even while the streets of Zurich are largely empty.
Gallery
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Entrance/exit onto Bahnhofstrasse -
Main hall (Haupthalle) at ground level -
Main hall -
Christmas market in the main hall -
Ground level platforms -
Underground level (Halle Landesmuseum) -
Underground -
L'Ange Protecteur in the hall of the Hauptbahnhof -
Zürich Hauptbahnhof in 1847, Limmat river in the foreground, Schanzengraben respectively (as of today) Sihl river to the left, as well as the Platzspitz park (in the background)
References
- ^ Schweizerische Bundesbahn (June 2004). "Durchmesserlinie Altstetten–Zürich HB–Oerlikon" (PDF) (in German). Retrieved 2008-08-02.
- ^ Article 27 alinea 2 letter c Swiss labour law
External links
- SBB-CFF-FFS website (Swiss rail operator)
- RailCity Zürich website Template:De icon Template:Fr icon