Meh, the germans copied it from the dutch. Visit the Hague Central station. It's as open as this one, it has trams at the top level, trains on the regular level, and subways at the basement level. And bicycle parking and busses too! And we didn't need a huge capital city to build it.
Favourite stations. York for its beauty, Paris Nord for size and diversity of service (from RER, Transillien, Ter, TGV-Nord Europ, SNCF intercities, Thalys and Eurostar) I still used to love getting a late evening Eurostar back from work and looking at the Grande Departs board to see 'Moscou' a few departures below mine.
I’m a sucker for Paddington. I know it’s a tad cliche, but I think it’s timeless. You should definitely do more videos like this for other stations, Reece. This was an excellent video.
The layout of Berlin’s S-Bahn system, with a North-South corridor, an East-West corridor (intersecting at Friedrichstraße), and the “Ringbahn” circling around the edges of the city and linking it all together is just so genius
You perfectly captured major features of S-Bahn Berlin network, guess many Urban Subway has taken inspiration from this and this exist for almost 90 yrs. Ringbahn recently celebrated 150 yrs of it’s operation, Nord-Süd tunnel was inaugurated in 1930s Stadtbahn Trunk connecting East West is 140 yrs old. Am amazed how good were City planners in 1800s Berlin and thank them every time when I hop on a train.
@@divanshugupta4096 and 140-150 years ago Berlin wasn't even unified. Grater Berlin united only about 100 years ago. So the Ringbahn and Stadtbahn went through a couple of towns surounding Berlin at that time.
@@derorje2035 It didn't stop them from thinking ahead of time, Berlin S- Bahn actually serves many towns like Oranienburg, Strausberg, Bernau, Erkner etc in Brandenburg state and Potsdam.
4:16 Originally it was planned to put canopies over all the outside platforms but since the tracks are curved it proved more time (and money, of course) consuming because every single glass panel was unique. But the station had to be finished for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany so they simply declared it finished with the main hall built and never bothered to complete the covers afterwards... Edit: Oh, and the model you show later actually shows the original design of the covered platforms of the Stadtbahn.
It's a good thing, that it was never completed as planed. You have a great view over the center of Berlin from the eastern end of the plattform. Also you get some fresh air while waiting. Only a few trains are so long, that they don't fit under the roof.
Рік тому+39
The architect won its court case against DB because his work has not been built as designed. IIRC this has been settled with a 20M€ payment. The proportions of the building without the full length canopies is indeed somewhat questioning for any contemporary architecture amateur.
Fun fact: the metal parts for the extended canopies have already been fabricated and are currently in storage below the platforms. Unfortunately installing them would mean halting traffic on the Stadtbahn for a few weeks, and that's not something anybody would want just for that.
@Apparently, von Gerkan won the original competition with a roof that was about as long as the one currently standing. He then later lengthened it, only for it to be shortened back to its original size due to DB wanting to meet a 2006 opening date. The actual court case was filed against the flat ceiling on the lower level. As opposed to the roof on the top level, DB hired an external architect to mess with von Gerkan‘s original (and dare I say much, much better) design.
As somebody who lives in Berlin, and uses Berlin Hbf all the time: Yes, it's a nice station, but the three drawbacks you mention are serious. Especially the lack of a waiting area where you can just sit down for half an hour or so before getting on a train. I imagine part of the reason why it doesn't exist is that they don't want homeless people there, but how about actually addressing the issue of homelessness instead of making public spaces less inviting for everybody? Or even simpler: how about simply improving public spaces everywhere so not all people in need of them will flock to the same places? The elevators are indeed painfully slow, which means that traveling with a stroller, a wheelchair, a bike, etc. takes forever. And the elevators usually stop at every level, often without people getting in or out, because somebody pressed the button five minutes ago, but then gave up and left. I think they're slow on purpose so they aren't the fastest means for getting around, which would make them overcrowded. But they don't need to be as comically slow. The toilet situation is a common issue in Germany. Very annoying. I've actually taken trains just to use the toilet (which is free in the train, but costs money in stations). Since stops aren't far apart within Berlin and trains are frequent, you can just get out at the next stop and head right back.
Waiting rooms are less important when frequencies are this high, but I agree, waiting for the once a day night train to Budapest or Vienna is something you'd want to be on time for, and without many alternatives. There is the DB Lounge for 1st class passengers, though, and there are quite a bunch of shops where you can hang out with a coffee or beer. I understand your view on the lifts, but I agree with Reece, here, that they are more a nuisance than a real problem. Extra lifts would be nice, though. The toilets are a bigger issue, I agree. Yes, we've all taken trains just to relieve ourselves when we had the time, but honestly, that's not how it should be. More toilets are a necessity.
@@barvdw I don't know if you have traveled with small children. I have. Bad elevators are a minor nuisance for people who don't need them. But when you have a toddler in a stroller, and you need to go from the top to the bottom level to make a connection, the slow speed can be truly nerve wrecking. Likewise the lack of a waiting area, or just in general seats. When you're a healthy young adult by yourself that may be a slight inconvenience, but when you're traveling with a little child, you absolutely do need those spaces. I assume the same goes for seniors. And no, high frequencies don't change that. When you have a seat reservation for a specific train, and you need to take a few other means of transportation to get to Hbf, you want to add some extra buffer time to make sure you catch the train. Especially when traveling with a toddler. IMHO the toilet situation is a much smaller problem, though it's still a problem.
@@fritzp9916 not saying it's not an annoyance, as you say, those lifts are too slow, and there are too few. But that's also one of the reasons why you want to arrive a little earlier, and why more waiting areas would be appreciated, although, I didn't have that much of a problem, there are quite a few cafes and bars were you can linger when you buy a beverage.
Public washrooms are all over the place in North America. Free to use. Its part of the requirement to open a cafe or resturant. And now its moving on from male and female to simply two toilets and sinks in separate rooms.
After living in Berlin for a semester, I can confidently say Berlin really is a rail city and it’s main station is amazing. Shout out to Sudkreuz too!!!Though I do have one gripe with the central station, which is also ironically one of its strengths……it can be a bit too big and overwhelming for first time and once in a blue moon passengers. For regulars it is easy, but the fact it is so big makes it easy to turn yourself around, especially if you go up the wrong escalator and have to turn around. But overall, it is great and I would trade NY Penn Station for it any day of the week.
Arriving at Berlin HbF for the first time on a busy Friday afternoon..with luggage…and trying to negotiate your way out of the station can be quite daunting…however …using it on a daily basis (without luggage!) during your stay in Berlin was relatively easy once you got your head around the various levels…(I mainly used it for the SBahn )…
I totally agree, it could be overwhelming for a first timer and if one is from small city like myself. Berlin for sure has a impressive City Transport Network, would love expansion of Trams in West Berlin though(M10 has been extenses to U bhf Turmstrasse). I never realized this but heck yeah Sudkreuz is really impressive too just like Hbf.
@@divanshugupta4096Cant mention Südkreuz without mentioning the new Ostkreuz. On personal level i think Alexanderplatz and Friedriechstraße have their own unique flair as well.
Berlin Hautbahnhof was the first major train station in Europe I ever visited and I was stunned, I spent hours walking around the station as I just couldn’t believe a transportation hub this amazing could exist
@@tilmanarchivar8945 Sure about that? As far as I remember the station is served by some "Flix-Bus" lines. Also Berlin just announced to build a maglev, so they can show how modern they are (others say to avoid spending the money for usable stuff bike infrastructure). While there is no plan where it will be built yet, we might even get some sort of monorail. OK, on paper, I really hope they're not that stupid to acutally use a short-distance-maglev.
One detail I only noticed when I visited myself and that I love is that on the high level platforms, the station signage says "Hauptbahnhof (Lehrter Bahnhof)", which acknowledges the former, much smaller station that once stood there and was demolished to make room for the new Hauptbahnhof. The last Lehrter Bahnhof was just an S-Bahn station, but there was once a big intercity terminus there, which was closed even earlier. The line that terminated there was the Berlin-Lehrter Bahn, which to this day connects Berlin to Lehrte by Hannover, one of the most important east-west connections in Germany. So the name Lehrter Bahnhof is very on the nose, it's the station you'd get on if you want to get on the line to Lehrte.
Thank goodness they didn't call it Lehrter Bahnhof as they were apparently going to until fairly late in the planning. I love railway history, but it had to be just Hauptbahnhof due to its importance. The S-Bahn platforms were the first in use, and they still show the name.
@@divanshugupta4096 Yeah, the 8 different terminus stations are impressive, but I glad that I didn't stay that way. It's so much better to change trains in Berlin than in London or Paris, two cities that didn't get rid of their many terminus stations.
@@hendrikvankampen8053 Am assuming Paris n London‘s terminal stations were built really long time ago. Haven’t been to UK And Paris, but can say it won’t be that bad! German Railway companies were really smart in designing Stations and connecting them with City transport smoothly. That‘s is something that people in Delhi Metropolitan areas can’t say, changing lines or transferring to long distance station in Delhi Metro is such a pain.
When I first came to Berlin, inside of this station was my first sight after setting foot on Berlin. And a architecture, building, city planning enthusiast. It was candy for my eyes. I was thinking this feels like an airport terminal but for trains.
The biggest functional problem with the station is actually that the platforms upstairs are too narrow to deal with the increasing passenger numbers. In the medium term, DB plans to reconstruct them. While it is not yet sure when and how, one thing that is for sure is that the holes will probably be removed to free up some space.
Jep it's a big issue, and the plans for narrowing the holes are there. Last year when the 9-Euro-Ticket was there (and therefore the platforms extremely crowded), they stopped the train not in the (narrow) middle part of the platform between the stairs, but more to the west where there's more space for people. I think this should be done this way in general, but needs a better signage for that solution.
Absolutely.. they are far too narrow. If you have one confused tourist standing in the wrong place they block a whole part of the platform. Also the lack of seating is really really bad. If your train is late and there is only 12 seats per platform, that is a design fault.
@@1968Christiaan Yep, and add to that the Deutsche Bahn's inability to do... trains, there are always several trainloads of passengers standing for hours.
@@RMTransit in the middle section of the platforms where they intersect the main concourse, there are large gaps to let light and air through to the lower levels. They take up about two-thirds of the platform width, which makes those parts of the platforms really narrow - there's basically room for one person to stand and one person to pass before you start having to cross into the safety buffer. Those holes could be narrowed or covered (frosted glass would be an option that would at least let through some light). I don't know what consequence that would have for the lower levels though, they might have to redo the entire ventilation system which would be really expensive.
I visited Berlin for the first time this past September, arriving via ICE from Wolfsburg. I was blown away by this station. No matter where you looked, there's a track! I had looked at DB's station map prior to arriving, but it didn't get close to preparing me for the actual station. I had time to wander around, and was very impressed by the station in general. I took the S-bahn out and the U-bahn back before taking the ICE back to Wolfsburg, so I got to use all parts of the station. Yes, it is a bit of a hike from one level to another, but that's nothing compared to so many other locations where the hike takes you outside, or to another station altogether (hello Paris).
Yeah, I think most of the bad things about Berlin HBF are sort of inevitable give its size, and are *worse* at other major stations like it in other cities!
Berlin has a lot of nice stations, and with all kinds of styles. Some are modern glass and stainless steel like Hauptbahnhof, some are that classic green riveted steel like Eberswalder Str., some are fancy brick like Hackescher Markt. And those are just the above-ground stations.
I'm super excited about Bismarckstraße U-Bahn station which recently got renovated and has hand made emerald colored replica tiles that bend round the columns.
The northern plaza, Europaplatz, will get a total overhaul in a few years. They are ongoing construction works for the new S-Bahn tunnel, so it was always planned to finalize the Europaplatz after those construction works finished.
The plaza overhaul will be completed by 2025. Right to Europaplatz, literally on the new S-Bahn tunnel, a 100m+ high-rise will be constructed. Several high-rise buildings will be built to the north and west (after the demolition of that old dark green bulding..) of Hauptbahnhof.
@@OchNe926 The reconstruction of the ULAP-Quartier will not be finished in the next 20 years for sure, I've been to the Bürgerforums on that topic 🙂 I would love to see a big bike garage included in the highrise-tower on top of the S-Bahn-Line similar to what it is in Amsterdam, as it's the last way of transport thats missing on the main station.
I think Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Main Station) comes quite close. I personally really like it! It has a big Bus terminal, elevated and underground Tracks and platforms, U-Bahn, At grade and underground trams and it's connected to neighboring office towers. It also offers a large variety of shops and restaurants and it's very well served by trains from all over Europe
@@liamtahaney713 this definitely is the biggest problem of the station. Although I don't think it's that bad, the station is connected by U1, the S-Bahn Stammstrecke, Tram lines 18, O and D, and multiple bus lines. You can get to a lot of places without transfers, it's just that it will take you longer than in other cities because the trams and busses are quite congested...
I also prefer the Vienna Wedge Shape, to that Multilayer Bonanza Lasagna Berlin is. Whenever i want to store things, there isn't enough lockers in the Main-Hall and i have to go to the Car-Park lockers through smelly (piss?) small overcrowded stairs. No, thanks.
@@karlkarlos3545 I meant that it suffers from a lack of anchoring into its location and of the softening that trees give to the bulky mass of such buildings. Right outside it.
❤❤❤❤ As a German, Berliner and train lover you melt my heart with this. Not only isn’t Berlin necessarly held in high regard amongst Germans, I never thought Berlin would “beat” cities like Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam in terms of their central station 🎉
I'm Dutch and I really wouldn't consider Amsterdam central that good! It is quite old without space to expand, with narrow platsform and stairs and therefore not suited at all for the amount of people who use it these days. Also, as a transport hub, stations like Zuid and Sloterdijk are better. It has become a nicer place lately, though, with more shops and restaurants added. I'd say that Utrecht, Rotterdam and Den Haag are our best stations. Not as huge and impressive as Berlin HBH of course, but cool places with nice facilities and good connectivity
visited Berlin this summer, and the rail system was really cool. Where ever we wanted to go, there was an S-Bahn or U-Bahn station in the vicinity of everything we wanted to visit
"And the level you enter on off the street is right in the middle of what can only be called a delicious transit sandwich" a hilarious but perfect description! The modern and effective design of Berlin Hauptbahnhof is incredible! Berlin Hauptbahnhof was designed by Meinhard von Gerkan of Gerkan, Marg and Partners. Before the station, Meinhard was the architect of the former Berlin Tegel Airport. The Hamburg-based firm in general has also worked on the National Assembly Building of Vietnam in Hanoi as well as different venues like the Baku Crystal Hall used for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, Arena Națională in Bucharest, Arena da Amazônia in Manaus, and the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília. However, my favorite train station of all time remains the Grand Central Terminal because I grew up riding the Metro-North Hudson Line as a kid and seeing Grand Central in all its glory whenever I exited the platforms always took my breath away and still does! The constellations on the ceiling are an amazing touch. An interesting fact: Less than two months after the terminal opened, one commuter noticed that the ceiling's design was actually backwards, west is east and east is west. Even though all the constellations are now where they should be, Orion is still reversed! He's in the correct location, the constellation itself is backwards!
As a Berliner, the best thing about Hauptbahnhof is that I actually don't have to use it very often. Most long distance and regional trains also stop in a station closer to where I live. It's an okay station, but I never found it particularly remarkable. It's great that most long distance trains stop in two or three stations within the city. Compare that to e.g. Paris, where you sometimes even have to use the metro to change between two long distance trains because they don't stop at the same stations.
that's the central point he failed to mention really, the "mushroom grid" like reshaping of rail infra that redefined how trains enter and exit Berlin post reunification and WW2. Historically Berlin was like London or Paris with a multitude of terminal stations named after the city where that line would take you (Anhalt, Hamburg, Lehrte etc.). To truly appreciate the once-in-a-century window of opportunity to have lines passing through the city EastWest and NorthSouth you only need to look at the prospect of still having to go to a different station instead of being able to go HSR Manchester to Paris directly upon completion of HS2 (or the ordeal when planning to go to Marseille via Paris coming from Benelux or Germany for that matter)
Thanks for the review Reece! Thanks for reminding us what we have here and also for acknowledging the problems this station has. And yes, I think they are fixable. I don't get the holes in the top-level platforms. I hope they cover them, fix the elevators or put more in, and yes, deal with the ... suboptimal bathroom situation. The surrounding area is still way too car-centric, and even a very recent development north of the station was built in a straight-up car-centric way. Unbelievable. I am thrilled for the new north-south S-Bahn line. The best part is arriving by ICE from the South. First you enter the city, get some glimpses of Kreuzberg and some cool recent developments, then down in the tunnel it goes, through Potsdamer Platz station which is completely underground, and then your at Hauptbahnhof. I for one, whenever the connection allows it, stay put while everyone trips over themselves trying to get out. Because when the train leaves Hauptbahnhof, it surfaces and immediately climbes up to this cool above roof-level bridge construction, makes a spectacular turn and you're on the northern part of the Ring viaduct. There I am treated to a smooth panaroma ride through my neighbourhood before disembarking at Gesundbrunnen station.
yup, the northern entrance leaves lots to be desired. But I'm certain that this area is still in a temporary state and will be redesigned upon completion of the whole Europacity development nearby. What really needs to happen is safe bicycle storage, not sure if it needs to be on the same scale as Amsterdam or Utrecht but currently it's disgraceful, especially given the large unbuilt areas. same would be true for Munich, Frankfurt Hbf which have nothing comparable to tiny Kiel which has had multi level bike parking with rental and service point for over a decade now.
The nothern entrance will be redesigned, plans are finished and they will start in 2024 with the construction. As first step, a few weeks ago they forbid the cars and taxis to enter the plaza in front of the station - unfortunately, some are still going there (as you can see in 2:35) or - even worse - stopping now at the bus station line in front of the plaza. Unfortunately, nothing will change in regards to the general car situation with the redevelopment, as I think they should try to get rid of the big street in front of the northern entrance. On busy days, the street crossing to the tram and bus stops is very crowded, easily 100 people waiting for 2 or 3 cars passing by until the lights get green. I live just 10mins walking distance off the main station, and yes, a secure and safe bike storage facility is another big missing thing making it truly a transport hub, and I think there would be multiple possible places to build one.
My first visit to Berlin was in 1997 when Berlin Hbf was only a blueprint. The Sbahn stopped at Lehrter, adjacent to the new station, and the long distance tracks on the Stadtbahn were still being rebuilt. I visited again in 2002 when Hbf was under construction. Some of my film pictures taken through the Sbahn windows are super cool. Then, visiting again in 2008 with the station complete was a revelation!
Hi, German Citizen here who visited berlin Main Station a couple of times, even twice quite recently. I do agree with everything mentioned/said in the Video. When i first saw Berlin Main station i was very impressed and proud, because this shows how practical architects, engineers and whoever was involved in planning and actually building this Station think and i think it represents german engeneering and thinking in general. I cant really say anything about the positive things you said in the video, because they are all true and i agree with them, but i want to comment on a few "negative" comments. First, I do agree that the elevators are fairly slow, but to be fair normally we dont use elevators unless we have to. I know there are exceptions and probably in Berlin there are many Toruists and Foreigners visiting, but still here in Germany, unless you have much luggage, a bike or you sit in a wheelchair you wouldn´t use an elevator in the first place. Also by making them slower there is 2 positive effects resulting: Elevators are not frequently used, so when a Person who actually needs an elevator encounters one, he/she doesnt have to wait long and is able to change floors rather quickly. On the other hand, and this is just an assumption, by making elevators slower you motivate people to use the stairs/escalator which is healthier and the reason for which these were built has been fulfilled. Second, I also agree that the bus "Station" is neglected, but i think that this also has a reason which isnt lazyness or missing funding. If you think about how Public transport is used and who uses it then it makes sense that you dont invest in a big or nice looking bus station, at least at the Train main station. If you are a tourist/visitor at the main station you probably just arrived in Berlin or you are about to leave it. Either way, you are likely to have much luggage. Most Hotels/Hostels/similar are close to the train station or a train stop (Straßenbahn) is nearby. In that case you wouldnt ride the bus. Most of the time riding the bus with luggage is annoying anyways. If you are a "Berliner", a Berlin citizen, a bus ride to the main station wouldn´t make much sense because most of the time you have a train station, either u bahn, sbahn or straßen bahn nearby and your destination most likely isnt the main station. Most of the times you want to get around in the city, so a "main'" bus station in other parts of the city or atleast at other big train stations make much more sense. Lastly, if you think about how much traffic is infront and around the main station, you will agree that a big bus station which serves a couple if not all the lines in Berlin would make the streets even more crowded, which isnt just annoying, loud and pollutes the air much more (fine dust increases because of cars/buses standing longer) but also dangerous, not only for pedestrians but for everyone (cyclists, scooters, cars, trains and buses). The only reason a well built bus station would make sense is if the long distance buses would destinate at the hbf. As for now, this isnt the case so for given reasons i dont think renewing or expanding the bus station at berlin hbf (now) would be reasonable. As mentioned earlier, i agree with anything else you said. I just want to add some points to your critic like the waiting area and another thing i dont think you mentioned (maybe i overheared it). First, its not just a Berlin Problem but all across germany that there isnt enough space to wait for trains. In general, there is a significant lack of benches or equal sitting opportunities. I think the reason why is either anti-Homeless thinking which sadly is widespread in germany (at least in public places) or the costs of maintenance, which sounds ridiculous but i could imagine that this is the case. Second, i think that there are not enough shopping options when it comes to buying cheap/cheaper food/drinks. With that i dont mean fast food like subway or curry36 but actual supermarkets/stores you would use in your daily routine normally. I know that there is a Rossman and a Rewe city, but most of the time those are massively overcrowded and apart from that i think that they are too small. If i would like to buy a water for my 6 hour long train ride from berlin to Mannheim (or other shorter or longer rides like berlin amsterdam or berlin basel) i have to buy multiple 0,3 drinks at fast food chains/caffes (which isnt just annoying but also expensive) or i need to have luck that rewe and rossman are not as overcrowded as they use to be. Same goes for food. I have to rely on either expensive healthy(/-er) food or on "cheap" fast food like subway or curry36, adding the fact that those meals wouldnt taste good after 4 hours in the train compared to a sandwich bought from rewe. I know a train station isnt a shopping mall or a grocery store, but the basic stuff you need for a longer ride should be accesible rather fast and without big detours. Thanks for reading this far
I wonder have you ever talked about Tokyo Station itself. Tokyo Station not only accommodates the high-speed _Shinkansen_ trains, but also a lot of JR East commuter rail and even has a subway station for the Tokyo Metro Marunochi Line. And it has a huge shopping area above and below ground (including a Daimaru department store attached to the station) and connections to nearby office buildings. And even a historical buildings on the west side of the station. In short, the only other stations probably similar to Berlin Hauptbahnhof are Tokyo Station, St. Pancras in London and Gare du Nord in Paris.
Not to mention Tokyo is visually impressive. Historic on one side, extremely modern on the other and also very well integrated into the fabric of the city.
Actually lots of Europe's main stations got HS trains, intercity and commuter trains, metro connections (and in many cases even tram connections) and malls. Berlin is not that unique, according to those parameters. Its 'uniqueness' is more about its architecture and typology, which essentially is two stations interchanging cross. And tbh is a quite typical typology in Berlin itself, as there are other stations in the city designed that way
I would argue that London's St Pancras is up there as well. The concourse is in the old train shed, but with no platforms above it making it feel very open and bright and allowing you to appreciate the scale of the building, and has lots of cafes and shops down there. It's well connected to Thameslink and the tube as well. Also has a lot of history and the architecture of the original station is beautiful. It has a very different design ethos to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin being an example of designing a great modern station from scratch, whereas St Pancras took an old station and reworked it into a fantastic space and hub.
also the Eurostar terminal is hugely overcrowded, the station is just not big enough. Sure, it's gorgeous, and if it's about beauty, I'm with you, it's one of the world's nicest looking stations, but functionality is important in grading stations, and I feel like that was not really a priority, there.
My memory of Berlin Hauptbahnhof is sitting there for several hours waiting on a sleeper train to Stockholm. I had planned to do more before coming to the station but suffered a serious foot injury the day before and could barely walk. So I absolutely lamented those awful elevators. It wasn't a great place to hang out, but that was probably coloured by my mood and medical state.
I'd add another issue with Berlin Hbf, wayfinding. If you're in a hurry to get from platform A to platform B, you need easy signs to guide you, and easy routes to follow. While a daily commuter might know the way by now, that's not the case for many of the international visitors, and it can cost you your transfer. Easy routes will always be a bit hard because of the nature of a multi-level station, but better signalisation shouldn't be too hard to improve.
Agree on the signage, but in general I think it's quite okay in regards to the platform signs - but especially 1-2 and 7-8 could be improved on the -1 level, also a clarer guidance to the U-Bahn.
I totally agree! The first few times I got totally lost and kept going up and down looking for the right platform, it took a while to get a hang of it. (I live in Berlin.)
I agree, this is the most impressive building of any kind I have seen so far. Comparing it to my country's main station is like comparing a mud hut to an emperor's palace
2:42 The "above ground utilities" you are referring to are a staple of construction sites in Berlin. They are not redirected utilities, but pipes to remove water from construction sites, because Berlin is built on swampland and any foundation work requires pumping the water away.
The blue pipes actually enable construction pits to be flooded using high-performance pumps in the event of a so-called ground failure, when groundwater penetrates into the otherwise sealed construction pit. In such an accident, soil is carried away from the outside into the excavation pit, which can cause the surrounding terrain to sink and, in extreme cases, surrounding buildings to collapse. By flooding the pit with water from the Spree or from a canal, pressure is equalized and the further penetration of groundwater is stopped.
The station is under appreciated by Berliners. Just like with the Berlin airport its construction had its problems and has left the public with a negative attitude right from the start, people hate the elevators and the fact that the roof has been manufactured but not fully installed so that 1st class passengers have to exit trains in the rain has made it a target for ridicule. So in that sense it is one thing: its typical for Berlin
If you like the Berlin Main Station so much, I suggest you look at Leipzig Main Station if you ever get to. It's 1 hour away from Berlin using an ICE train to East Germany's second biggest city. The station is Europe's biggest and I'd say one of the most beautiful. It was built during times where Leipzig was Germany's most important transportation hub and it shows, with tons of trains still passing there. The station has all the positives you mentioned here, however it has way less problems. You have an integrated mall with tons of stores and restaurants, which is always very well visited. You can get basically everywhere from the station, since the city is well connected by tram and S-Bahn, which both pass through here. And most importantly, it doesn't have this negative vibe to it like Berlin Hbf does. Whenever I am in Berlin's main station, it feels very grim and people advise you to avoid it at dark if possible. It's dirty, it smells bad, it's surrounded by a relatively unpleasent area. Leipzig has none of those, the station is always clean and safe and right next to the historic center. Leipzig has been called Germany's most hip town even surpassing Berlin, so I can recommend all of you to visit and see for yourself, starting a trip in what people love to call "The railway cathedral"
"The station is Europe's biggest " only concerning its floor area, and that's only due to a 3 level mall being part of the station. It's neither the largest in terms of actual station size, nor number of tracks, nor trains per day or passengers per day.
I like Cracow Main Train Station a lot too (even though it's pretty small and the building itself doesn't make such impression as the Berlin one, which I also happened to see in person). It's connected to a big shopping mall, main Cracow bus terminal is right next to it, there are trams and buses close to it that will take you to most places in the city and it's placed within 5-10 min walking distance to The Main Square.
The genius about the elevator is in thier positioning in the intersections between the top and bottom platforms. This means that if you know where wich platform you need to go next, you can exchange directly to the exact departure platform simply by choosing the correct elevator on your arrival platform. and i love that. for three years crossing through Hauptbahnhof and having to exchange trains from top to bottom and the other way around i really came to appreciate thier placement and design intend.
As a Berliner, I appreciate this video :). I also enjoy our main station and its scale and grand-ness, and I think Berlin has one of the best public transit systems (at least in theory) I have seen (and been to) so far.
Me going to Berlin only once, the moment I reach the Hautbahnhof I was amazed at the size and the connectivity of it. I wish I had the chance to stay longer and explore more of Berlin. Majestic station
A few additions: the glass roof was planned over the entire length and was shortened to be ready for the 2006 World Cup. All the elements had already been produced! In addition, the ceiling of the basement was only built in a simplified form. There was a huge legal dispute with the architects about this, which the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners won. (The same architects from Berlin Spandau, but also Tegel Airport and Berlin-Brandenburg. A competition has now been decided on the northern outdoor facilities.
Stayed at the youth hostel right outside of it when i was in berlin. Being so close to so much transit option was incredible. Window view on the tracks was cool too
2:36 thankfully, the northern Plaza will get a redesign! Those utilities are only temporary, those pipes are all over Berlin to pump away groundwater from construction sites. Once construction is finished, there's no need for them anymore. 4:25 this is unfortunately a historical error that was never intended. The station canopy was shortened during construction, so that it could open in time for the 2006 World cup. It was Always supposed to get legnthened later on but DB never wanted to close the Stadtbahn to do it. Thea still had the parts for construction laying around until not top long ago, when they finally decided to not so it after all.
The story behind is way less cool. They decided to build a station in the middle of nowhere - as an idea to get businesses and life around that dead land around Anhalter Bahnhof - it was empty due to the West/East-Berlin divide. Then they had that extravagant idea of this cuppolas and those heavy stones outside. Very expensive, very classy, but not bringing anything to the transit situation. Then it began to fall slowly apart already some years after opening - stones fell down. It was a pure nightmare and mess (I will not mention BERlin Airport...). So essentially after 10 years of being built it had to go through major overhaul already because of heavy construction errors. And: People hated that station in the middle of nowhere, as it was not really connected. People still were boarding trains at Bahnhof Zoo and Friedrichstrasse. So actually the Deutsche Bahn FORCED people to get to the new Main Station to catch international and longer distance trains. Now at least it works somehow and now there are buildings around. So the effect like in Montabaur (build a station for high speed rail in the middle of nowhere and businesses will go there - in Montabaur it worked and it is now a complete new city district!).
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that includes you too. Berlin hbf is for a daily or frequent commuter not very practical and a lot of time is lost in the transit between the top and bottom levels. Also, it’s a pain finding platforms 1,2 & 7,8. if you’re new to the station then good luck. I happened to miss a connection because I couldn’t find the platform. That aside, there is too little furniture in the station and the ones that are there are outright uncomfortable. Besides, the station is very cold and waiting in winter is a torture. So, although the views are great, the station itself is not. Btw, check out Salzburg hbf and Wien by Hbf. Architecturally, they are amazing.
well take Munich Central Station as another large German station to compare to. The furthest distance you might have to walk from train to train is more than 1 km ... an issue you won't face in Berlin. No need to walk 15 to 20 minutes. It might not be a great station for commuters ... so what? Does it have to be? No, absolutely not. But it's indeed a good station for people heading to Berlin, or changing trains in Berlin to proceed further on another line
Of course, most of the station in Germany were destroyed in WWII Air raids. Munich Hbf is nice in terms of sheer size and due to its location becomes quite important, it’s Central Europe. Being a major hub, it has tons of Munich’s U Bahn, S Bahn n Tram connections which is something we miss in Berlin Hbf
The one thing this station does not have is live departure boards! Took about 15 minutes to find out where to catch our train. And it was a € to use the toilet.
i moved to germany almost two years ago, and live like 1-2 regional stations from berlin. coming from ukraine and having never travelled before, when i first came there i was stunned and confused at the same time. i go to berlin really frequently, and although i dont stop at berlin Hbf anymore because of my routes and where should i go(because it would be inefficient, due to lack of some S-Bahn routes, like S1 or Ringbahn), but at first year or half a year i used to go there everytime i needed to do anything in berlin. i still love this station. coming from odesa, considering it's main station and the lack of any shops directly there from my memory, i never thought that there would be even anything to do in a station and that i would visit one frequently. berlin Hbf really stuck to me, because learning how to orientate in it was a great experience. i think that even when i move from my recent place, i will still miss berlin Hbf and will consider it one of my favourite stations. it holds a special place in my heart i think. of course, there are problems, like someone said in the comments already: lack of waiting areas and seats. i use regional trains everytime which come only every hour, and considering that it would be nice to sit somewhere and wait. also, when you are stuck on hbf because you missed your last train or because it was cancelled and you need to wait at least until 5 am to get home, this problem gets more visible. yes, there are some "Wartenbereich"-s, but to be honest their quality is questionable and i needed to worry everytime about me not being kicked out from there, because i have a D-ticket and it stated nowhere, if i can or i can not stay there(because to stay, you need to have a valid ticket.) also, a complete lack of charging stations is also a big problem. if you go to berlin for a whole day and you do not live in it, it would be nice to charge your phone there. when i stayed the night in berlin hbf, i searched all of it to find a single socket, but i failed. yes, you can charge your phone in a regional train, but the presence of sockets there is not frequent and you may get on a train without sockets, or the train will be completely overcrowded without you having an access to those sockets. also, the size of this station is a plus, but in the same time a minus for me. once again, learning how to orientate there because of this size was a great experience for me, but when you need to get from an S-Bahn all the way down to the bottom platforms in a short period of time, it gets really nerve wrecking because you are running like a sonic through all of the station and then die out of lack of breath. even if you are not running everytime, just going through it everytime is annoying. for example, in Gesundbrunnen it would be a little bit easier, since the stations are not in a far distance from one another and you can even have a smoke between your journey from one platform to another, which is not the case for berlin hbf. another problem, albeit not the station's fault, is the amount of begging people. if you go outside to have a smoke, at least 2-3 people will either ask you for money, cigarettes or to buy their newspaper, which is annoying everytime it happens. but even considering all that, i still love berlin hbf. there is just some kind of atmosphere/vibe that hits just right for me. overall, i love how berlin's transportation is structured with the S-Bahns, i find it very convenient and maybe even genius to some point, considering the Ringbahn system and etc.
Victorian here. It's better because you have restaurants, more space, more facilities, large coach terminal, and even a shopping centre attached to it. If only it were the metro terminal...
I do like SC Station….however…it doesn’t have “restaurants”…it has fast food joints most of which have closed down…the coach terminal is functional but that whole building which also houses the DFO shopping centre is bland and one of the ugliest buildings in Melbourne…it was built on the cheap and looks it….the Station itself could do with a good clean imo….I agree with your thoughts on the metro……one can only dream!..@@YeahIDontKn0wEither
@@YeahIDontKn0wEither Flinders St has all the unused office space in the station building that makes the whole place seem partially derelict. You're right that Southern Cross has all of the businesses to support the feeling of the place being alive.
My uncle was a lead engineer at DB during the construction of the hauptbahnhof! I have had many tours of the building and love going there just for fun even.
Great video as usual Reece. I myself am planning my 1st ever trip to Europe in 2024, with Berlin being one of the stops. The thought of it all is overwhelming, but I definitely look forward to experiencing this station when I'm in Berlin.
Was there 2 times probably the “airiest” station I’ve been too just feel so spacious. Maybe Antwerp Centraal could be a close contender for a match. Also as far as i know it was actually planned to have the top level roof to span over the full lenght of the platforms but it got left unfinished. Sadly the bathroom stuation isnt unique to berlin central or germn stations in general belgium and nl are the same. when i went to breda at night with a friend they even locked down the bathrooms and we had to wait till our train arrived and its a huge station
Berlin Hbf may be fancy and "cool", but nowhere close to the best. Its confusing, slow and unpractical. Platform changes take ages, and its made worse by height difference between levels. Almost any path has to cross through the mall area and relies on multiple escalators. The Station was also insanely expensive, still has issues with the roof. Also its location is not really anywhere useful, unlike many other Hbfs. I would argue the stations in Cologne, Hamburg and Munich are better, if maybe not quite as flashy.
08:18 I always use the S-Bahn (East-West) and change at Friedrichstraße. Though I have to get from all the way up to all they way down at Friedrichstraße, it is still more convenient and faster for me. So, looking indeed forward to the integration of the Hauptbahnhof into the North-South connection of the S-Bahn.
It is also a relatively small station for such a large metropolis, with only 14 platforms, but yet manages a very high passenger throughput due to all trains through-running at the station. I can think of many terminus stations in smaller cities that are much larger.
Since we are a bit on a fav station station sharing: Zurich HB! The most functional terminus in the world i guess. Something about a line of stub ends make you feel a bit more like a friend of a train which shows face to face to pick you. Operationally both through and terminus, with both topologies serving what they serve best. Concourse open on sides to streets - in itself a pedestrian street. Old train-shed now historic circulation hall and convention grounds. River flowing through the station in the most literal sense. Has historic character and modernity balanced perfectly. Outermost end platforms are full length open to the street on the same level. To board a train there is not so much an airport experience - its a vibe of a bygone more romantic era of train travel which i miss a lot with modern approach of grey functionality and nothing else. What it lacks is space underground, would be nice to have caverns like in Berlin above 2 through stations there, but that`s a minor thing. For some swiss reason you dont need a map there despite complexity.
I like Munich Hbf more from the functional point o view. There are not only 4 U-Bahns, 7 S-Bahns and several tram- and bus lines, but it has so many tracks, that trains are available for boarding quite a time, before they leave. This makes this giant station quite calm and one can focus on a good bye instead of finding the right coach in no time. Of course the size has its downsides: You better plan a transfer time of 15 minutes instead of 4-6 minutes to go from track 1 to track 32...
We agree. My husband and I LOVE this station. We discovered it during our first (and only) trip to Berlin. We liked it so much we went to visit it three times while we were there. It is one of our favorite train stations in the world as well. Although, the one in The Hague in the Netherlands is pretty cool too.
It's an amazingly functional transfer station let down by the land use around it. The "walk out" factor of stations is often overlooked. Would love this station surrounded by dense job centers, in place of the dreary plazas.
Actually the plan was to make the roof much longer and even the beams for that have already been produced, but then the plan was to get the station complete before the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Not sure though why they did not complete the roof later. It seems like a minor expense. The underground train level also experienced significant cuts, which even led to a lawsuit by the architect. In Germany copyright law is so strong that an architect can sue a developer, if changes are made without the consent of the architect. Not sure if they came to an agreement. The original plan showed a much more beautiful ceiling, but now there is that ugly flat one. The locker situation has been very bad at this station. A a large bomb could bring parts of the station to a collapse, you couldn't just put your luggage into a locker like at any other German train station. Instead all luggage had to be x-rayed before you could lock it away. That led to queues and inconvenience. My solution to that was taking the S-Bahn to the next station to the east or south and lock my luggage there. That still saved time, because S-Bahns are so frequent. Not sure if they solved the problem in the mean time. The station also had some structural issues. Some beams already had to be replaced after a few years. And if the elevators do not work or are full, you might miss a train, if you arrive shortly before departure. At basically any German train station it is enough to arrive at the station five minutes before your train leaves. Not so at this station. I once missed an ICE for that reason. Still much better of course than some train stations in other countries like China or the US, where you have to be at the train station long before the train leaves because of the security and ticket checks.
They would have had to close the Stadtbahn to finish the roof. The parts where actually stored for 10 years, but the roof was never finished, even when the Stadtbahn had been closed for some weeks due to necessary maintenance of the viaduct. Funny aspect: First class passengers are the biggest vicitims of the shorted roof, because first class carriages are always at one the end of the train, so they have the lognest way through the rain.
It's cool, it stands out, but I'm not such a big fan of it for a very simple reason: in the winter it gets freezing cold inside, and unlike at other stations where the entire waiting hall is kept warm, it can't be kept warm at Berlin Central Station. You can only warm up by walking into one of the rather few shops
As a former resident in Berlin, this is such a wonderful video that showcases awesome design features of HBf. I definitely didn't give it the full appreciation it deserved. It stands out even more as a modern landmark when juxtaposed against all the bland shoeboxes that surround it.
I think a big drawback is the orientation inside, especially underground. I use it often, however I often don't know where north and south are (I always leave south). I would love to see more colour-coded infrastructure. So the North side could have blue colouring elements (Art, escelators, walls) and the southern side having green colouring. This is very intuitive and helps orientation a lot. Also the northern enterance with the bus station, which you mentioned being ugly is planned to be redesigned in the next few years
Fully agree. Even though I have been to HBF dozens of times, I still get lost sometimes. For example, I don't actually know where the U-Bahn platforms are.. Today for the first time ever I managed to find my bus without getting lost! To compare to other stations: Ostbahnhof is very easy to navigate, but it has it's own issues (ugly, dirty, tiny platforms during this construction) Ostkreuz and Sudkreuz are both fairly symetrical but by now I know which amenities are north/south Gesundbrunnen is a bit of an underground maze especially if you need to switch to the U8 for the first time, but I found it easy to get used to
haha, I've been using Hbf regularly since 2006 and still end up heading towards the wrong side coming up from "tief". Famously German John Oliver equivalent Jan Böhmermann complained in his podcast Fest&Flauschig that indicating which side is facing Reichstagsgebäude (seat of German Parliament Bundestag, the view of which should have been included as it is the most stunning feature arriving right in the heart of Berlin imho) would be much more helpful than referring to Europa and Washingtonplatz which most people couldn't place correctly if asked which is on what side.
@@mennonis or where the right entrance is, one side of the U5 platform only has stairs which can be a bit challenging when arriving with heavy luggage.
@@velotill after exiting the wrong side a dozen times, the only way I could remember: Washington DC has the Capitol Building, so Washingtonplatz is the direction of the German capitol building (Reichstag).
What I love so much about this station is how easy it is to navigate. It’s basically 4 levels of crossover rails sprawling with people going their ways. Yet, if you know your desired track number, you can get ANYWHERE within 3 minutes. Try going from the S-Bahn track 15 all the way up top to regional track 1, at the very bottom of the station. If you’re really quick, you can do it within 2 minutes.
Thank you, as an employee of DB I spend a lot of time working at Berlin Hbf and it is a station I enjoy working in. There are many pros about this place but I do agree with you on your viewpoints on the Europaplatz exit which really isn't a sight to see, on the slow elevators and the narrow space on the upper platforms. The curvature also might be a nice thing to look at but for train personnel it's not very practical because the pre departure check that no that no one is stuck between the doors and the platform and such is very difficult, especially when the platform is still full of people. I have one thing to add concerning the lower platforms: While it is true, that each of the two upper platforms for the regional and long distance trains are only accessible from one of the from one of the track leading into the station (the tracks to/from Berlin Friedrichstraße or Zoologischer Garten are not connected), all of the lower platforms can be approached from each of the four tracks to/from South or North. In the everyday operations of the station with trains ending there or switching lines, this is very much necessary.
As a person from berlin i ususally hate to transfer here beceause its so busy but i do agree that for the enormous scope of possibilities its packing into one singular station here it works very well. One time i arrived in the middle of the night at the top level on an S-Bahn and the last connection to where i live was scheduled to leave in a minute from the bottom floor. The Station was pretty much empty and there was one other guy on my train who was getting ready to run to make that connection. I didnt know on what level my conection would be and i didnt know the way to get there quickly so i just followed him as we ran across the entirety of the station and made the connection, panting, just before the door closed. Will forever be my favorite memory here...
Berlin Hbf is actually two separate stations, comprising the top platforms and the bottom platforms (U-Bahn and the new S21 tunnel may be separate too, let's ignore that for now). This is because it is a replacement for the former Lehrter Bahnhof and Lehrter Stadtbahnhof, which were close together, but separate. Railway enthusiasts like to call the top platforms the “Berlin Haupthaltepunkt” (Berlin main stop) as it doesn't have any switches and thus does not qualify as a proper station.
Pictures and videos can hardly convey how impressive it really is, as is so often the case. When you see the video, you might think, what's so special about it, trains often run elevated above you, but when you're in this enclosed building that feels like a shopping mall and trains are running crisscross above and below you, you're simply paralyzed when you see it for the first time, and you feel like you're in a science fiction train station on Mars under a biosphere dome. It feels so unreal.
i love the berlin main train station. the view of trains moving on top platform and underground at the same time is so unique (i love it). for me main issue is lack of sitting area and no lounge so if you have to wait in winter it is very difficult. second issue is lack of restroom. so many people use stairs of car parking and it is awful.
i visited berlin last year, and even though i got off at ostbahnhof i later went by u-bahn to see the hbf, and while it's very impressive, i didn't like it that much, it was too overwhelming to me
Some years ago some heavy metal parts got lose and crashed on the ground. They have not completed the roof of the top levels despite the necessary parts had been produced. But adding these missing roof parts would have consumed more money and would have led to a temporary closing of the East-West lines. A new North-South S-Bahn using this station is in construction. It might be fished in 20 years.
One of my favorite stations is DC's Union Station. Definitely one of the most beautiful stations in North America alongside Philadelphia 30th Street, Toronto Union, Chicago Union, and of course Grand Central Terminal. DC Union Station was opened in 1907 and was designed by Daniel Burnham who also worked on the Flatiron Building, plans for Manila and Baguio during the American colonization of the Philippines, the Plan of Chicago, and the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition! Before Union Station opened, the B&O operated out of New Jersey Ave station while the B&P (a Penn subsidiary) had another station formerly at the intersection of B Street (now Constitution Ave) NW & 6th Street NW. The decision of the Penn RR and B&O to build a union station together allowed the creation of the Mall as it appears today. Having it under one roof promised that Washington would finally have a station both large enough to handle large crowds and impressive enough to befit the city's role as the federal capital. Daniel was assisted by Pierce Anderson and he was inspired by a number of architectural styles. Classical elements included the Arch of Constantine (for the main façade) and the great vaulted spaces of the Baths of Diocletian (for the interior). He wanted it to be in a monumental manner so it could be the vestibule of the capital, a grand station for a grand city.
The Milan Central Station is a spitting image of DC Union Station . However the italian station is more fuctional than the DC one and has much more passengers.
I think that Berlin station is where a couple summers ago, some hooligans got on top of the train while moving and one jumped off the top of the train into the water lol. Pretty sure it’s from channel:Dying Llama
I as a Berliner see so many people who can't navigate it. So here's a little guide: platforms 1-8 are in the basement. Platforms 11-16 are on the first floor. There's a foodcourt, and a small shoping centre on the ground floor and basement. If you want to catch a tram you have to head to the underground station and take the tunnel. Out to the parlament is a taxi station.
Epic place. I happened to visit a couple of times, once when the old Lehrter Bahnhof was just in the process of being realigned (and UA-cam didn't exist and I had no clue what fancy an infrastructure bonk was about to unfold) and then years later with this glass colossus finished. Got some really tasty fish & chips in one of those eateries.
Great video of the most important station of my hometown. If you're interested in more great stations across Germany, I'd recommend you to check out Erfurt Hauptbahnhof. It's a relatively huge and modern station for such a small city with an interesting platform allignment, which enables multiple trains to stop at the same platform. Maximum efficiency, short walking distances to other modes of transit (especially trams) and many stores to grab something to eat while waiting for the next ICE train.
Good to know that, am planning to visit Erfurt next year, have to spend some time at the Hbf too. German has many cities with impressive Bhfs, Leipzig, Dresden, Hamburg Hbf, Hamburg Altona, München Bhf, Berlin Südkreuz, Nürnberg Hbf, Frankfurt Hbf to name a few.
@@divanshugupta4096 and I can recommend you to take a ride on the "Katerexpress" while you're there. It's a historic tram from the GDR. This model (G4) has become very rare as there are only a few models left. The ride is even more stunning during christmas season.
As a native Berliner, I find my way around the station well, but many tourists are confused by the many levels. One disadvantage of Berlin Central Station is that the transfer routes are very long if you want to avoid the elevators, which are usually at full capacity. For example, the way from the subway to the upper floor to the S-Bahn. Very good video. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 Übersetzt mit DeepL (
I highly advice people(non Berliners) to arrive early when they r taking a train out of Berlin. It is quite overwhelming with the sheer size of the station, one should always have extra 15 mins when catching long distance trains from a Central station, in case of Berlin keep 25-30 mins extra.
The first time I saw and used that station in 2016 aI was in awe. I couldn’t believe how many different kinds of trains and buses and streetcars were available here. It’s an amazing place. I remember, however, trying to find a restroom while there. It was a challenge to find.
Beautiful! I think the slow speed of the elevators are not a flaw but a deliberate feature. Elevators are expensive to operate and maintain, so the designers want to promote the use of the escalators. While they want the elevators only used by wheelchairs and baby strollers.
4:32 The roof was supposed to be much longer, it was shortened because otherwise the target of completion before the 2006 FIFA World Cup would not have been reached. The custom-made panels for the extended roof were produced at the time because they wanted to extend the roof at a later date. This has not happened even after 17 years and the panels are still in storage.
I live in Berlin and have to use this station multiple times a month and I hate it deeply!! There are so many flaws regarding the signage and direction of traffic flow within the station - its very frustrating! Literally if you arrive from the street into the station, the most important thing is missing: A big screen which tells you were your train is going and with how much delay. This is such a weird failure, because it is literally standard in basically every other station in Germany! If you arrive on top with the S-Bahn, it will take almost 10 minutes to go to the trains in the basement floor. Technically you could take an elevator from the top right to the bottom - which is a great idea - but those are so incredible slow that usually walking through all the levels + escalators is much "quicker" - which is ridiculous given the existence of those elevators! I used to live in NYC and to be fair, Penn Station is worse, yes, but that is a low bar.. Please do not say that the Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the best in world? That would make me question your judgement alot! I literally have to go there tomorrow, I'm not looking forward to...
Yeah, I live in Berlin, too, and while I'm not as bitter about it as you are, it's definitely a flawed design. The escalators are confusing. Finding your platform is not easy for someone who has never done it before, and it's even worse if it changed and you can't find an information screen. It's also always a gamble finding food. I have to go to Stuttgart regularly, and since food on the train itself is so expensive (and sometimes not available), I try to buy something beforehand. But good luck finding a bakery that's open in that maze. I always manage to find it, but I'm also never in a hurry and pretty good on my feet. The bathroom situation is dumb as well but Reece mentioned that in the video. Seating sucks, that's because they want people to sit down in the restaurants. Which is a bad move imho. Not everything should be commercialized all the time. As Reece also mentioned, you can look down from the elevated platform. And I have no idea whether anyone ever fell down, but I feel like the 1.2 meter glass railings are not safe. Imagine getting there drunk on a Saturday night and stumbling off the S8, accidentally falling onto that railing... With 40 m of nothingness below...
@@martinn.6082 Very good points - I totally agree! Especially the seating/resting situation indeed is atrocious and even the existing restaurants have not much seating space to offer, with the exception of McDonalds..
Being a Berliner myself I feel immensely proud. Given the fact that it has opened not very long ago(in terms of other European cities), yes it boasts more of a modern architecture but nonetheless very impressive Modern Design with lots of thoughts went in utilizing maximum use of the area for Transport & Commercial use. Transfering to the City commute is really smooth but can be overwhelming for the very first time and if you come from a small town. The current site used to be one of the long distance Terminus station called Lehrter Bahnhof(Before WWII there were actually 8 of those in Berlin) which was equally impressive with stunning Architecture. Would definitely agree on Toilet situation though and other improvement ideas. Vielen Dank @RMTransit
I sat in the white office building on the left of your opening shot (with a direct view on the station) when this video got recommended to me. Coincidence? I don't think so. Great to see a video on this awesome station!
From the laste couple of times I transferred at Berlin Hauptbahnhof I do remember that the signage there is a pain: due to the non- linear layout getting from say track 14 (which is situated at the top level) to track 3 (lowest level) was so frustrating. Once you get down from the track it more or less „spits“ you out to the concourse and due to the non existent direction (arrows, maps etc.) where to go to get to track 3, you have to guess to go left or right from there. I don‘t even remember any signs which say what tracks are at what level. Due to the lack of space there is almost no good place to stand around and get your bearings. I‘m curious to know how people with mobility issues or visual impairments „prepare“ their visit at Hauptbahnhof…🤔
Haha, my office is exactly there. The north entrance used to have a proper pickup-parking lot and taxi spaces. The whole space had been ripped up because of works on the foundation and an additional tunnel, connecting new S Bahn lines underground,.. like since 2014. The lack of canopy at the upper platform was made due to cost-cutting and finishing the project on time for the soccer world championship in Germany in 2006.
As someone from southern Germany, I've only been to Berlin once and I didn't visit the station, I could only see it from the Chancellor's Office, but I will go again and explore the station.
My office was in that building (unfortunately facing the less nice Europaplatz). The square will be redeveloped once the works for the new City S-Bahn are done.
I don't know how a train station having "offices" is considered a positive here. The building itself also isn't really that special, its huge glass box architecture which you can find all around the globe..
0:18 Shinjuku station (well the 7 stations that all call themselves Shinjuku) is a complete maze. Fun for a transit nerd, but otherwise not that good imo.
@@puccaland JR East Shinjuku, Odakyu Shinjuku, Keio/Toei Shinjuku, Toei Shinjuku 2, Tokyo Metro Shinjuku, Shinjuku-3 chome are basically the same station. Seibu-Shinjuku and Shinjuku-nishiguchi are separate separate, but are just across the road
@illiiilli24601 All but Shinjuku 3 chome and Shinjuku nishiguchi aren't train stations, they are train lines. The Seibu Shinjuku line isn't in Shinjuku station and nobody said it was. Shinjuku nishiguchi is in Shinjuku station it literally means Shinjuku West exit. Shinjuku 3 Chome isn't far either, that's just a 5 minute walk from Shinjuku station and it's connected to it with an underground path. Same with Seibu Shinjuku but you need to exit the station.
As a resident of Berlin, my one quibble with the station is one of my own personal æsthetics. Berlin has so much beautiful classical architecture, it makes the bland gray scaffold and glass panels design look … well, bland. Imagine, if you will, the exact same basic structure, but using masonry, decorative elements, stone facades, and all the rest, to match the Bundestag, Berlin Palast, or the Dom. But I realize that's not everybody's taste, so I mostly keep it to myself. You are right about the design of the station itself, though: it's masterfully laid out, and functions incredibly well for the extremely high usage it sees. Thanks for the video!
I hate this station: paths are way too long, stairs/escalators don't lead to each other. (can take 10 minutes to get from an upper platform to a lower one, 45minutes if you need an elevator. tbh jk, tbf not much tho) platforms have too few stairs, narrow to
Obviously no where near the same or the same scale, but utahs city creek mall is almost like this with the rail stop in the middle served by blue and green line trains. And then surrounded by a large structure connecting the open mall and residential/office towers.
just stopping at Berlin Hbf on a regional train travelling to work. it's an absolute marvel of engineering and I wish I had an excuse to use it more often!
Berlin Hauptbahnhof is only train station in the world to have north-south and west-east corridors for the long-distance train travel (other cross-form stations are for the local and commuter trains). I have visited Berlin many times and used the Hauptbahnhof as the arrival and departure point for the long-distance train travel. Three biggest peeves of mine are: lack of waiting rooms (unless you happen to have Deutsche Bahn's "Bahn Comfort" card or "1. Klasse" ticket, which grants you the free use of its lounge); the lifts take forever to board as there are not many of them if you cannot use the escalators; and the storage lockers are always occupied fast (you can pay extra cost to hand in the luggage to the service centre).
2:44 those are mostly not utility pipes for everyday water usage but used to siphon water out of construction sites. Berlin is famous for being built in a swamp and that comes with the feature of having to drain water out constantly or the unfinished concrete buildings would wash up out of the ground. I once visited a site in Munich, where that problem only exists in deep digs, where a torrent of rain lead to the same situation for a single family house under construction, having the ground water rise up dangerously. Luckily an engineer was monitoring the situation so in the streaming rain two workers had to jump down into the unfinished concrete basement around which in the soil the water was rising and they smashes holes in the walls, boring them, letting the basement flood so the structure would be weighed down. That's definitly one of the jobs I do NOT want to do in my life.
Make sure to share this video if you enjoyed it! Let me know your favourite rail stations down in the comments below ⬇
Meh, the germans copied it from the dutch. Visit the Hague Central station. It's as open as this one, it has trams at the top level, trains on the regular level, and subways at the basement level. And bicycle parking and busses too! And we didn't need a huge capital city to build it.
0:04 is a beautiful shot
I don't think the Hagues station is quite as impressive honestly@@MarijnRoorda, IIRC its also not through running for mainline services?
Favourite stations. York for its beauty, Paris Nord for size and diversity of service (from RER, Transillien, Ter, TGV-Nord Europ, SNCF intercities, Thalys and Eurostar) I still used to love getting a late evening Eurostar back from work and looking at the Grande Departs board to see 'Moscou' a few departures below mine.
I’m a sucker for Paddington. I know it’s a tad cliche, but I think it’s timeless.
You should definitely do more videos like this for other stations, Reece.
This was an excellent video.
The layout of Berlin’s S-Bahn system, with a North-South corridor, an East-West corridor (intersecting at Friedrichstraße), and the “Ringbahn” circling around the edges of the city and linking it all together is just so genius
really miss that simplicity in other cities
You perfectly captured major features of S-Bahn Berlin network, guess many Urban Subway has taken inspiration from this and this exist for almost 90 yrs.
Ringbahn recently celebrated 150 yrs of it’s operation, Nord-Süd tunnel was inaugurated in 1930s
Stadtbahn Trunk connecting East West is 140 yrs old.
Am amazed how good were City planners in 1800s Berlin and thank them every time when I hop on a train.
@@divanshugupta4096 and 140-150 years ago Berlin wasn't even unified. Grater Berlin united only about 100 years ago. So the Ringbahn and Stadtbahn went through a couple of towns surounding Berlin at that time.
@@derorje2035 It didn't stop them from thinking ahead of time, Berlin S- Bahn actually serves many towns like Oranienburg, Strausberg, Bernau, Erkner etc in Brandenburg state and Potsdam.
Oh yeah its glorious, so easy to understand and enables so much service, not many S-Bahn type systems come close!
4:16 Originally it was planned to put canopies over all the outside platforms but since the tracks are curved it proved more time (and money, of course) consuming because every single glass panel was unique. But the station had to be finished for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany so they simply declared it finished with the main hall built and never bothered to complete the covers afterwards...
Edit: Oh, and the model you show later actually shows the original design of the covered platforms of the Stadtbahn.
It's a good thing, that it was never completed as planed. You have a great view over the center of Berlin from the eastern end of the plattform. Also you get some fresh air while waiting. Only a few trains are so long, that they don't fit under the roof.
The architect won its court case against DB because his work has not been built as designed. IIRC this has been settled with a 20M€ payment. The proportions of the building without the full length canopies is indeed somewhat questioning for any contemporary architecture amateur.
Fun fact: the metal parts for the extended canopies have already been fabricated and are currently in storage below the platforms. Unfortunately installing them would mean halting traffic on the Stadtbahn for a few weeks, and that's not something anybody would want just for that.
@Apparently, von Gerkan won the original competition with a roof that was about as long as the one currently standing. He then later lengthened it, only for it to be shortened back to its original size due to DB wanting to meet a 2006 opening date. The actual court case was filed against the flat ceiling on the lower level. As opposed to the roof on the top level, DB hired an external architect to mess with von Gerkan‘s original (and dare I say much, much better) design.
@@FUZxxl They where scrapped as was announced in 2019. Most likely because the storage cost spiraled out of control.
As somebody who lives in Berlin, and uses Berlin Hbf all the time: Yes, it's a nice station, but the three drawbacks you mention are serious. Especially the lack of a waiting area where you can just sit down for half an hour or so before getting on a train. I imagine part of the reason why it doesn't exist is that they don't want homeless people there, but how about actually addressing the issue of homelessness instead of making public spaces less inviting for everybody? Or even simpler: how about simply improving public spaces everywhere so not all people in need of them will flock to the same places?
The elevators are indeed painfully slow, which means that traveling with a stroller, a wheelchair, a bike, etc. takes forever. And the elevators usually stop at every level, often without people getting in or out, because somebody pressed the button five minutes ago, but then gave up and left. I think they're slow on purpose so they aren't the fastest means for getting around, which would make them overcrowded. But they don't need to be as comically slow.
The toilet situation is a common issue in Germany. Very annoying. I've actually taken trains just to use the toilet (which is free in the train, but costs money in stations). Since stops aren't far apart within Berlin and trains are frequent, you can just get out at the next stop and head right back.
Waiting rooms are less important when frequencies are this high, but I agree, waiting for the once a day night train to Budapest or Vienna is something you'd want to be on time for, and without many alternatives. There is the DB Lounge for 1st class passengers, though, and there are quite a bunch of shops where you can hang out with a coffee or beer.
I understand your view on the lifts, but I agree with Reece, here, that they are more a nuisance than a real problem. Extra lifts would be nice, though.
The toilets are a bigger issue, I agree. Yes, we've all taken trains just to relieve ourselves when we had the time, but honestly, that's not how it should be. More toilets are a necessity.
@@barvdw I don't know if you have traveled with small children. I have.
Bad elevators are a minor nuisance for people who don't need them. But when you have a toddler in a stroller, and you need to go from the top to the bottom level to make a connection, the slow speed can be truly nerve wrecking.
Likewise the lack of a waiting area, or just in general seats. When you're a healthy young adult by yourself that may be a slight inconvenience, but when you're traveling with a little child, you absolutely do need those spaces. I assume the same goes for seniors.
And no, high frequencies don't change that. When you have a seat reservation for a specific train, and you need to take a few other means of transportation to get to Hbf, you want to add some extra buffer time to make sure you catch the train. Especially when traveling with a toddler.
IMHO the toilet situation is a much smaller problem, though it's still a problem.
@@fritzp9916 not saying it's not an annoyance, as you say, those lifts are too slow, and there are too few. But that's also one of the reasons why you want to arrive a little earlier, and why more waiting areas would be appreciated, although, I didn't have that much of a problem, there are quite a few cafes and bars were you can linger when you buy a beverage.
Is there much homelessness in Germany or Europe generally? A worldwide issue.
Public washrooms are all over the place in North America. Free to use.
Its part of the requirement to open a cafe or resturant. And now its moving
on from male and female to simply two toilets and sinks in separate rooms.
After living in Berlin for a semester, I can confidently say Berlin really is a rail city and it’s main station is amazing. Shout out to Sudkreuz too!!!Though I do have one gripe with the central station, which is also ironically one of its strengths……it can be a bit too big and overwhelming for first time and once in a blue moon passengers. For regulars it is easy, but the fact it is so big makes it easy to turn yourself around, especially if you go up the wrong escalator and have to turn around. But overall, it is great and I would trade NY Penn Station for it any day of the week.
Yeah when i used it the first time i had trouble finding platform 1 xD
This was in 2006, shortly after the opening. Now i live in Berlin for 7 years.
Arriving at Berlin HbF for the first time on a busy Friday afternoon..with luggage…and trying to negotiate your way out of the station can be quite daunting…however …using it on a daily basis (without luggage!) during your stay in Berlin was relatively easy once you got your head around the various levels…(I mainly used it for the SBahn )…
Yeah, I had a bad case of... let's call it spatial overload, lol.
I totally agree, it could be overwhelming for a first timer and if one is from small city like myself. Berlin for sure has a impressive City Transport Network, would love expansion of Trams in West Berlin though(M10 has been extenses to U bhf Turmstrasse). I never realized this but heck yeah Sudkreuz is really impressive too just like Hbf.
@@divanshugupta4096Cant mention Südkreuz without mentioning the new Ostkreuz.
On personal level i think Alexanderplatz and Friedriechstraße have their own unique flair as well.
Berlin Hautbahnhof was the first major train station in Europe I ever visited and I was stunned, I spent hours walking around the station as I just couldn’t believe a transportation hub this amazing could exist
It has Long Distance Rail, Regional Rail, S-Bahn Rail, Subway (U-Bahn), and a tram outside - do also bus lines call there?
@@PascalGienger yes. It has everything except long-distances buses. ( And monorail. :P)
@@tilmanarchivar8945 Sure about that? As far as I remember the station is served by some "Flix-Bus" lines. Also Berlin just announced to build a maglev, so they can show how modern they are (others say to avoid spending the money for usable stuff bike infrastructure). While there is no plan where it will be built yet, we might even get some sort of monorail. OK, on paper, I really hope they're not that stupid to acutally use a short-distance-maglev.
Oh yeah, its a real jaw drop the first time you get to experience it!
if you have to use it every day, it's awfully inconvenient
One detail I only noticed when I visited myself and that I love is that on the high level platforms, the station signage says "Hauptbahnhof (Lehrter Bahnhof)", which acknowledges the former, much smaller station that once stood there and was demolished to make room for the new Hauptbahnhof.
The last Lehrter Bahnhof was just an S-Bahn station, but there was once a big intercity terminus there, which was closed even earlier. The line that terminated there was the Berlin-Lehrter Bahn, which to this day connects Berlin to Lehrte by Hannover, one of the most important east-west connections in Germany. So the name Lehrter Bahnhof is very on the nose, it's the station you'd get on if you want to get on the line to Lehrte.
Yes! This is also still reflected in deutsche bahns internal shortcode for Berlin Hbf which is BL.
Thank goodness they didn't call it Lehrter Bahnhof as they were apparently going to until fairly late in the planning. I love railway history, but it had to be just Hauptbahnhof due to its importance. The S-Bahn platforms were the first in use, and they still show the name.
Good to know that few people remember the mighty & stunning Lehrter Bhf, it was really impressive how Berlin has 8 similar kind of terminus Bhfs.
@@divanshugupta4096 Yeah, the 8 different terminus stations are impressive, but I glad that I didn't stay that way. It's so much better to change trains in Berlin than in London or Paris, two cities that didn't get rid of their many terminus stations.
@@hendrikvankampen8053 Am assuming Paris n London‘s terminal stations were built really long time ago. Haven’t been to UK And Paris, but can say it won’t be that bad! German Railway companies were really smart in designing Stations and connecting them with City transport smoothly. That‘s is something that people in Delhi Metropolitan areas can’t say, changing lines or transferring to long distance station in Delhi Metro is such a pain.
When I first came to Berlin, inside of this station was my first sight after setting foot on Berlin. And a architecture, building, city planning enthusiast. It was candy for my eyes. I was thinking this feels like an airport terminal but for trains.
The biggest functional problem with the station is actually that the platforms upstairs are too narrow to deal with the increasing passenger numbers. In the medium term, DB plans to reconstruct them. While it is not yet sure when and how, one thing that is for sure is that the holes will probably be removed to free up some space.
Its not clear how they could really widen them!
Jep it's a big issue, and the plans for narrowing the holes are there.
Last year when the 9-Euro-Ticket was there (and therefore the platforms extremely crowded), they stopped the train not in the (narrow) middle part of the platform between the stairs, but more to the west where there's more space for people. I think this should be done this way in general, but needs a better signage for that solution.
Absolutely.. they are far too narrow. If you have one confused tourist standing in the wrong place they block a whole part of the platform. Also the lack of seating is really really bad. If your train is late and there is only 12 seats per platform, that is a design fault.
@@1968Christiaan Yep, and add to that the Deutsche Bahn's inability to do... trains, there are always several trainloads of passengers standing for hours.
@@RMTransit in the middle section of the platforms where they intersect the main concourse, there are large gaps to let light and air through to the lower levels. They take up about two-thirds of the platform width, which makes those parts of the platforms really narrow - there's basically room for one person to stand and one person to pass before you start having to cross into the safety buffer. Those holes could be narrowed or covered (frosted glass would be an option that would at least let through some light). I don't know what consequence that would have for the lower levels though, they might have to redo the entire ventilation system which would be really expensive.
I visited Berlin for the first time this past September, arriving via ICE from Wolfsburg. I was blown away by this station. No matter where you looked, there's a track! I had looked at DB's station map prior to arriving, but it didn't get close to preparing me for the actual station. I had time to wander around, and was very impressed by the station in general. I took the S-bahn out and the U-bahn back before taking the ICE back to Wolfsburg, so I got to use all parts of the station. Yes, it is a bit of a hike from one level to another, but that's nothing compared to so many other locations where the hike takes you outside, or to another station altogether (hello Paris).
Yeah, I think most of the bad things about Berlin HBF are sort of inevitable give its size, and are *worse* at other major stations like it in other cities!
Berlin has a lot of nice stations, and with all kinds of styles. Some are modern glass and stainless steel like Hauptbahnhof, some are that classic green riveted steel like Eberswalder Str., some are fancy brick like Hackescher Markt. And those are just the above-ground stations.
I'm super excited about Bismarckstraße U-Bahn station which recently got renovated and has hand made emerald colored replica tiles that bend round the columns.
Msny elevated stations on the U1/U3 are very beautiful
@@velotill Looks like a temple from Zelda II
The northern plaza, Europaplatz, will get a total overhaul in a few years. They are ongoing construction works for the new S-Bahn tunnel, so it was always planned to finalize the Europaplatz after those construction works finished.
The plaza overhaul will be completed by 2025.
Right to Europaplatz, literally on the new S-Bahn tunnel, a 100m+ high-rise will be constructed. Several high-rise buildings will be built to the north and west (after the demolition of that old dark green bulding..) of Hauptbahnhof.
That's good news
@@OchNe926 The reconstruction of the ULAP-Quartier will not be finished in the next 20 years for sure, I've been to the Bürgerforums on that topic 🙂
I would love to see a big bike garage included in the highrise-tower on top of the S-Bahn-Line similar to what it is in Amsterdam, as it's the last way of transport thats missing on the main station.
Berlin Hbf was the first contact a friend from the US had with the german rail system. He was stunned how convienient everything was lol
I think Wien Hauptbahnhof (Vienna Main Station) comes quite close. I personally really like it! It has a big Bus terminal, elevated and underground Tracks and platforms, U-Bahn, At grade and underground trams and it's connected to neighboring office towers. It also offers a large variety of shops and restaurants and it's very well served by trains from all over Europe
I found it was poorly connected to the transit network in Vienna, especially compared to Westbahnhof so it majorly loses points for me
@@liamtahaney713 this definitely is the biggest problem of the station. Although I don't think it's that bad, the station is connected by U1, the S-Bahn Stammstrecke, Tram lines 18, O and D, and multiple bus lines. You can get to a lot of places without transfers, it's just that it will take you longer than in other cities because the trams and busses are quite congested...
As someone who sees Berlin HBF twice a month(at least), I'd definitely prefer Vienna in that aspect hahah
I also prefer the Vienna Wedge Shape, to that Multilayer Bonanza Lasagna Berlin is. Whenever i want to store things, there isn't enough lockers in the Main-Hall and i have to go to the Car-Park lockers through smelly (piss?) small overcrowded stairs. No, thanks.
Wien HBF doesn’t even come close to Berlin
2:57 Both access points are woefully bereft of trees, not even a weed to relieve the urban pressure of concrete concrete, tarmac tarmac.
Are you joking? Tiergarten is just around the corner.
@@karlkarlos3545
I meant that it suffers from a lack of anchoring into its location and of the softening that trees give to the bulky mass of such buildings. Right outside it.
@@JP_TaVeryMuch Which is not the point of a train station. Also this station itself is rather transparent and slick than a "bulky mass".
@@karlkarlos3545
Indeed. We'll have to agree to disagree but you can never have too many trees.
❤❤❤❤ As a German, Berliner and train lover you melt my heart with this. Not only isn’t Berlin necessarly held in high regard amongst Germans, I never thought Berlin would “beat” cities like Zurich, Vienna, Amsterdam in terms of their central station 🎉
I'm Dutch and I really wouldn't consider Amsterdam central that good! It is quite old without space to expand, with narrow platsform and stairs and therefore not suited at all for the amount of people who use it these days. Also, as a transport hub, stations like Zuid and Sloterdijk are better. It has become a nicer place lately, though, with more shops and restaurants added. I'd say that Utrecht, Rotterdam and Den Haag are our best stations. Not as huge and impressive as Berlin HBH of course, but cool places with nice facilities and good connectivity
@@Melissa_939 Utrecht has my vote for best station in the Netherlands.
@@tedsteiner No way, definitely Amsterdam Lelylaan
Utrecht is also great, as is Zurich, but the architecture of Berlin is very hard to compete with!
@@RMTransitfunfact: in 2007 a storm blew a steel beam down from one of the office structures. Lucky it didn't hit someone
visited Berlin this summer, and the rail system was really cool. Where ever we wanted to go, there was an S-Bahn or U-Bahn station in the vicinity of everything we wanted to visit
You evidently didn't spend much time in Pankow, then.
"And the level you enter on off the street is right in the middle of what can only be called a delicious transit sandwich" a hilarious but perfect description! The modern and effective design of Berlin Hauptbahnhof is incredible! Berlin Hauptbahnhof was designed by Meinhard von Gerkan of Gerkan, Marg and Partners. Before the station, Meinhard was the architect of the former Berlin Tegel Airport. The Hamburg-based firm in general has also worked on the National Assembly Building of Vietnam in Hanoi as well as different venues like the Baku Crystal Hall used for the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, Arena Națională in Bucharest, Arena da Amazônia in Manaus, and the Estádio Nacional Mané Garrincha in Brasília.
However, my favorite train station of all time remains the Grand Central Terminal because I grew up riding the Metro-North Hudson Line as a kid and seeing Grand Central in all its glory whenever I exited the platforms always took my breath away and still does! The constellations on the ceiling are an amazing touch. An interesting fact: Less than two months after the terminal opened, one commuter noticed that the ceiling's design was actually backwards, west is east and east is west. Even though all the constellations are now where they should be, Orion is still reversed! He's in the correct location, the constellation itself is backwards!
As a Berliner, the best thing about Hauptbahnhof is that I actually don't have to use it very often. Most long distance and regional trains also stop in a station closer to where I live. It's an okay station, but I never found it particularly remarkable. It's great that most long distance trains stop in two or three stations within the city. Compare that to e.g. Paris, where you sometimes even have to use the metro to change between two long distance trains because they don't stop at the same stations.
that's the central point he failed to mention really, the "mushroom grid" like reshaping of rail infra that redefined how trains enter and exit Berlin post reunification and WW2.
Historically Berlin was like London or Paris with a multitude of terminal stations named after the city where that line would take you (Anhalt, Hamburg, Lehrte etc.). To truly appreciate the once-in-a-century window of opportunity to have lines passing through the city EastWest and NorthSouth you only need to look at the prospect of still having to go to a different station instead of being able to go HSR Manchester to Paris directly upon completion of HS2 (or the ordeal when planning to go to Marseille via Paris coming from Benelux or Germany for that matter)
@@velotillTrains to Hamburg used to depart from Lehrter Bahnhof.
Thanks for the review Reece! Thanks for reminding us what we have here and also for acknowledging the problems this station has. And yes, I think they are fixable. I don't get the holes in the top-level platforms. I hope they cover them, fix the elevators or put more in, and yes, deal with the ... suboptimal bathroom situation. The surrounding area is still way too car-centric, and even a very recent development north of the station was built in a straight-up car-centric way. Unbelievable. I am thrilled for the new north-south S-Bahn line. The best part is arriving by ICE from the South. First you enter the city, get some glimpses of Kreuzberg and some cool recent developments, then down in the tunnel it goes, through Potsdamer Platz station which is completely underground, and then your at Hauptbahnhof. I for one, whenever the connection allows it, stay put while everyone trips over themselves trying to get out. Because when the train leaves Hauptbahnhof, it surfaces and immediately climbes up to this cool above roof-level bridge construction, makes a spectacular turn and you're on the northern part of the Ring viaduct. There I am treated to a smooth panaroma ride through my neighbourhood before disembarking at Gesundbrunnen station.
yup, the northern entrance leaves lots to be desired. But I'm certain that this area is still in a temporary state and will be redesigned upon completion of the whole Europacity development nearby.
What really needs to happen is safe bicycle storage, not sure if it needs to be on the same scale as Amsterdam or Utrecht but currently it's disgraceful, especially given the large unbuilt areas. same would be true for Munich, Frankfurt Hbf which have nothing comparable to tiny Kiel which has had multi level bike parking with rental and service point for over a decade now.
yea the "europacity" luxury development sucks ass. huge area of anonymous ugly buildings that no normal person can afford to llive in anyway
The nothern entrance will be redesigned, plans are finished and they will start in 2024 with the construction. As first step, a few weeks ago they forbid the cars and taxis to enter the plaza in front of the station - unfortunately, some are still going there (as you can see in 2:35) or - even worse - stopping now at the bus station line in front of the plaza. Unfortunately, nothing will change in regards to the general car situation with the redevelopment, as I think they should try to get rid of the big street in front of the northern entrance. On busy days, the street crossing to the tram and bus stops is very crowded, easily 100 people waiting for 2 or 3 cars passing by until the lights get green.
I live just 10mins walking distance off the main station, and yes, a secure and safe bike storage facility is another big missing thing making it truly a transport hub, and I think there would be multiple possible places to build one.
@@Netzleben "easily 100 people waiting for 2 or 3 cars passing by until the lights get green." The most German thing ever! :)
My first visit to Berlin was in 1997 when Berlin Hbf was only a blueprint. The Sbahn stopped at Lehrter, adjacent to the new station, and the long distance tracks on the Stadtbahn were still being rebuilt. I visited again in 2002 when Hbf was under construction. Some of my film pictures taken through the Sbahn windows are super cool. Then, visiting again in 2008 with the station complete was a revelation!
Hi, German Citizen here who visited berlin Main Station a couple of times, even twice quite recently. I do agree with everything mentioned/said in the Video. When i first saw Berlin Main station i was very impressed and proud, because this shows how practical architects, engineers and whoever was involved in planning and actually building this Station think and i think it represents german engeneering and thinking in general. I cant really say anything about the positive things you said in the video, because they are all true and i agree with them, but i want to comment on a few "negative" comments.
First, I do agree that the elevators are fairly slow, but to be fair normally we dont use elevators unless we have to. I know there are exceptions and probably in Berlin there are many Toruists and Foreigners visiting, but still here in Germany, unless you have much luggage, a bike or you sit in a wheelchair you wouldn´t use an elevator in the first place. Also by making them slower there is 2 positive effects resulting: Elevators are not frequently used, so when a Person who actually needs an elevator encounters one, he/she doesnt have to wait long and is able to change floors rather quickly. On the other hand, and this is just an assumption, by making elevators slower you motivate people to use the stairs/escalator which is healthier and the reason for which these were built has been fulfilled.
Second, I also agree that the bus "Station" is neglected, but i think that this also has a reason which isnt lazyness or missing funding. If you think about how Public transport is used and who uses it then it makes sense that you dont invest in a big or nice looking bus station, at least at the Train main station. If you are a tourist/visitor at the main station you probably just arrived in Berlin or you are about to leave it. Either way, you are likely to have much luggage. Most Hotels/Hostels/similar are close to the train station or a train stop (Straßenbahn) is nearby. In that case you wouldnt ride the bus. Most of the time riding the bus with luggage is annoying anyways. If you are a "Berliner", a Berlin citizen, a bus ride to the main station wouldn´t make much sense because most of the time you have a train station, either u bahn, sbahn or straßen bahn nearby and your destination most likely isnt the main station. Most of the times you want to get around in the city, so a "main'" bus station in other parts of the city or atleast at other big train stations make much more sense. Lastly, if you think about how much traffic is infront and around the main station, you will agree that a big bus station which serves a couple if not all the lines in Berlin would make the streets even more crowded, which isnt just annoying, loud and pollutes the air much more (fine dust increases because of cars/buses standing longer) but also dangerous, not only for pedestrians but for everyone (cyclists, scooters, cars, trains and buses). The only reason a well built bus station would make sense is if the long distance buses would destinate at the hbf. As for now, this isnt the case so for given reasons i dont think renewing or expanding the bus station at berlin hbf (now) would be reasonable.
As mentioned earlier, i agree with anything else you said. I just want to add some points to your critic like the waiting area and another thing i dont think you mentioned (maybe i overheared it). First, its not just a Berlin Problem but all across germany that there isnt enough space to wait for trains. In general, there is a significant lack of benches or equal sitting opportunities. I think the reason why is either anti-Homeless thinking which sadly is widespread in germany (at least in public places) or the costs of maintenance, which sounds ridiculous but i could imagine that this is the case. Second, i think that there are not enough shopping options when it comes to buying cheap/cheaper food/drinks. With that i dont mean fast food like subway or curry36 but actual supermarkets/stores you would use in your daily routine normally. I know that there is a Rossman and a Rewe city, but most of the time those are massively overcrowded and apart from that i think that they are too small. If i would like to buy a water for my 6 hour long train ride from berlin to Mannheim (or other shorter or longer rides like berlin amsterdam or berlin basel) i have to buy multiple 0,3 drinks at fast food chains/caffes (which isnt just annoying but also expensive) or i need to have luck that rewe and rossman are not as overcrowded as they use to be. Same goes for food. I have to rely on either expensive healthy(/-er) food or on "cheap" fast food like subway or curry36, adding the fact that those meals wouldnt taste good after 4 hours in the train compared to a sandwich bought from rewe. I know a train station isnt a shopping mall or a grocery store, but the basic stuff you need for a longer ride should be accesible rather fast and without big detours.
Thanks for reading this far
I wonder have you ever talked about Tokyo Station itself. Tokyo Station not only accommodates the high-speed _Shinkansen_ trains, but also a lot of JR East commuter rail and even has a subway station for the Tokyo Metro Marunochi Line. And it has a huge shopping area above and below ground (including a Daimaru department store attached to the station) and connections to nearby office buildings. And even a historical buildings on the west side of the station.
In short, the only other stations probably similar to Berlin Hauptbahnhof are Tokyo Station, St. Pancras in London and Gare du Nord in Paris.
Not to mention Tokyo is visually impressive. Historic on one side, extremely modern on the other and also very well integrated into the fabric of the city.
Actually lots of Europe's main stations got HS trains, intercity and commuter trains, metro connections (and in many cases even tram connections) and malls.
Berlin is not that unique, according to those parameters.
Its 'uniqueness' is more about its architecture and typology, which essentially is two stations interchanging cross.
And tbh is a quite typical typology in Berlin itself, as there are other stations in the city designed that way
I would argue that London's St Pancras is up there as well. The concourse is in the old train shed, but with no platforms above it making it feel very open and bright and allowing you to appreciate the scale of the building, and has lots of cafes and shops down there. It's well connected to Thameslink and the tube as well. Also has a lot of history and the architecture of the original station is beautiful.
It has a very different design ethos to Berlin Hauptbahnhof, Berlin being an example of designing a great modern station from scratch, whereas St Pancras took an old station and reworked it into a fantastic space and hub.
Functionally little through running though! Berlin has 8 through tracks!
St Pancras is very pretty and the international side is fantastic, but the domestic platforms and Thameslink station both leave a lot to be desired.
also the Eurostar terminal is hugely overcrowded, the station is just not big enough. Sure, it's gorgeous, and if it's about beauty, I'm with you, it's one of the world's nicest looking stations, but functionality is important in grading stations, and I feel like that was not really a priority, there.
@@RMTransit better than Toronto any day.
@@barvdw indeed, if I had to go for a 'functional' station in London (that is also quite nice looking now) I'd go for London Bridge.
My memory of Berlin Hauptbahnhof is sitting there for several hours waiting on a sleeper train to Stockholm. I had planned to do more before coming to the station but suffered a serious foot injury the day before and could barely walk. So I absolutely lamented those awful elevators. It wasn't a great place to hang out, but that was probably coloured by my mood and medical state.
I'd add another issue with Berlin Hbf, wayfinding. If you're in a hurry to get from platform A to platform B, you need easy signs to guide you, and easy routes to follow. While a daily commuter might know the way by now, that's not the case for many of the international visitors, and it can cost you your transfer. Easy routes will always be a bit hard because of the nature of a multi-level station, but better signalisation shouldn't be too hard to improve.
Yes, absolutely.
totally agreed! The signage and traffic direction within the station is unnecessarily bad!
But then again, transfers and the DB are not a working combo anyway.
Agree on the signage, but in general I think it's quite okay in regards to the platform signs - but especially 1-2 and 7-8 could be improved on the -1 level, also a clarer guidance to the U-Bahn.
I totally agree! The first few times I got totally lost and kept going up and down looking for the right platform, it took a while to get a hang of it. (I live in Berlin.)
I agree, this is the most impressive building of any kind I have seen so far. Comparing it to my country's main station is like comparing a mud hut to an emperor's palace
2:42 The "above ground utilities" you are referring to are a staple of construction sites in Berlin. They are not redirected utilities, but pipes to remove water from construction sites, because Berlin is built on swampland and any foundation work requires pumping the water away.
The blue pipes actually enable construction pits to be flooded using high-performance pumps in the event of a so-called ground failure, when groundwater penetrates into the otherwise sealed construction pit. In such an accident, soil is carried away from the outside into the excavation pit, which can cause the surrounding terrain to sink and, in extreme cases, surrounding buildings to collapse. By flooding the pit with water from the Spree or from a canal, pressure is equalized and the further penetration of groundwater is stopped.
The station is under appreciated by Berliners. Just like with the Berlin airport its construction had its problems and has left the public with a negative attitude right from the start, people hate the elevators and the fact that the roof has been manufactured but not fully installed so that 1st class passengers have to exit trains in the rain has made it a target for ridicule. So in that sense it is one thing: its typical for Berlin
If you like the Berlin Main Station so much, I suggest you look at Leipzig Main Station if you ever get to. It's 1 hour away from Berlin using an ICE train to East Germany's second biggest city. The station is Europe's biggest and I'd say one of the most beautiful. It was built during times where Leipzig was Germany's most important transportation hub and it shows, with tons of trains still passing there. The station has all the positives you mentioned here, however it has way less problems. You have an integrated mall with tons of stores and restaurants, which is always very well visited. You can get basically everywhere from the station, since the city is well connected by tram and S-Bahn, which both pass through here. And most importantly, it doesn't have this negative vibe to it like Berlin Hbf does. Whenever I am in Berlin's main station, it feels very grim and people advise you to avoid it at dark if possible. It's dirty, it smells bad, it's surrounded by a relatively unpleasent area. Leipzig has none of those, the station is always clean and safe and right next to the historic center.
Leipzig has been called Germany's most hip town even surpassing Berlin, so I can recommend all of you to visit and see for yourself, starting a trip in what people love to call "The railway cathedral"
"The station is Europe's biggest " only concerning its floor area, and that's only due to a 3 level mall being part of the station. It's neither the largest in terms of actual station size, nor number of tracks, nor trains per day or passengers per day.
I like Cracow Main Train Station a lot too (even though it's pretty small and the building itself doesn't make such impression as the Berlin one, which I also happened to see in person). It's connected to a big shopping mall, main Cracow bus terminal is right next to it, there are trams and buses close to it that will take you to most places in the city and it's placed within 5-10 min walking distance to The Main Square.
The genius about the elevator is in thier positioning in the intersections between the top and bottom platforms. This means that if you know where wich platform you need to go next, you can exchange directly to the exact departure platform simply by choosing the correct elevator on your arrival platform. and i love that. for three years crossing through Hauptbahnhof and having to exchange trains from top to bottom and the other way around i really came to appreciate thier placement and design intend.
As a Berliner, I appreciate this video :). I also enjoy our main station and its scale and grand-ness, and I think Berlin has one of the best public transit systems (at least in theory) I have seen (and been to) so far.
Me going to Berlin only once, the moment I reach the Hautbahnhof I was amazed at the size and the connectivity of it. I wish I had the chance to stay longer and explore more of Berlin. Majestic station
A few additions: the glass roof was planned over the entire length and was shortened to be ready for the 2006 World Cup. All the elements had already been produced! In addition, the ceiling of the basement was only built in a simplified form. There was a huge legal dispute with the architects about this, which the architects von Gerkan, Marg and Partners won. (The same architects from Berlin Spandau, but also Tegel Airport and Berlin-Brandenburg. A competition has now been decided on the northern outdoor facilities.
As a Berliner I must say this station is extremely soulless. You never want to stay longer in there than you absolutely have to.
Stayed at the youth hostel right outside of it when i was in berlin. Being so close to so much transit option was incredible. Window view on the tracks was cool too
2:36 thankfully, the northern Plaza will get a redesign! Those utilities are only temporary, those pipes are all over Berlin to pump away groundwater from construction sites. Once construction is finished, there's no need for them anymore.
4:25 this is unfortunately a historical error that was never intended. The station canopy was shortened during construction, so that it could open in time for the 2006 World cup. It was Always supposed to get legnthened later on but DB never wanted to close the Stadtbahn to do it. Thea still had the parts for construction laying around until not top long ago, when they finally decided to not so it after all.
The story behind is way less cool. They decided to build a station in the middle of nowhere - as an idea to get businesses and life around that dead land around Anhalter Bahnhof - it was empty due to the West/East-Berlin divide.
Then they had that extravagant idea of this cuppolas and those heavy stones outside. Very expensive, very classy, but not bringing anything to the transit situation. Then it began to fall slowly apart already some years after opening - stones fell down. It was a pure nightmare and mess (I will not mention BERlin Airport...).
So essentially after 10 years of being built it had to go through major overhaul already because of heavy construction errors.
And: People hated that station in the middle of nowhere, as it was not really connected. People still were boarding trains at Bahnhof Zoo and Friedrichstrasse. So actually the Deutsche Bahn FORCED people to get to the new Main Station to catch international and longer distance trains.
Now at least it works somehow and now there are buildings around. So the effect like in Montabaur (build a station for high speed rail in the middle of nowhere and businesses will go there - in Montabaur it worked and it is now a complete new city district!).
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and that includes you too. Berlin hbf is for a daily or frequent commuter not very practical and a lot of time is lost in the transit between the top and bottom levels. Also, it’s a pain finding platforms 1,2 & 7,8. if you’re new to the station then good luck. I happened to miss a connection because I couldn’t find the platform.
That aside, there is too little furniture in the station and the ones that are there are outright uncomfortable. Besides, the station is very cold and waiting in winter is a torture.
So, although the views are great, the station itself is not.
Btw, check out Salzburg hbf and Wien by Hbf. Architecturally, they are amazing.
well take Munich Central Station as another large German station to compare to. The furthest distance you might have to walk from train to train is more than 1 km ... an issue you won't face in Berlin. No need to walk 15 to 20 minutes.
It might not be a great station for commuters ... so what? Does it have to be? No, absolutely not. But it's indeed a good station for people heading to Berlin, or changing trains in Berlin to proceed further on another line
Munich Hbf is quite nice, Mumbai's CST, Milano Centrali, Leipzig Hbf comes to my mind
Munich Central Station quite nice? Although it's impressive due to its size, its far from being actually nice
Of course, most of the station in Germany were destroyed in WWII Air raids.
Munich Hbf is nice in terms of sheer size and due to its location becomes quite important, it’s Central Europe.
Being a major hub, it has tons of Munich’s U Bahn, S Bahn n Tram connections which is something we miss in Berlin Hbf
The one thing this station does not have is live departure boards! Took about 15 minutes to find out where to catch our train. And it was a € to use the toilet.
i moved to germany almost two years ago, and live like 1-2 regional stations from berlin. coming from ukraine and having never travelled before, when i first came there i was stunned and confused at the same time.
i go to berlin really frequently, and although i dont stop at berlin Hbf anymore because of my routes and where should i go(because it would be inefficient, due to lack of some S-Bahn routes, like S1 or Ringbahn), but at first year or half a year i used to go there everytime i needed to do anything in berlin. i still love this station. coming from odesa, considering it's main station and the lack of any shops directly there from my memory, i never thought that there would be even anything to do in a station and that i would visit one frequently. berlin Hbf really stuck to me, because learning how to orientate in it was a great experience.
i think that even when i move from my recent place, i will still miss berlin Hbf and will consider it one of my favourite stations. it holds a special place in my heart i think.
of course, there are problems, like someone said in the comments already: lack of waiting areas and seats. i use regional trains everytime which come only every hour, and considering that it would be nice to sit somewhere and wait. also, when you are stuck on hbf because you missed your last train or because it was cancelled and you need to wait at least until 5 am to get home, this problem gets more visible. yes, there are some "Wartenbereich"-s, but to be honest their quality is questionable and i needed to worry everytime about me not being kicked out from there, because i have a D-ticket and it stated nowhere, if i can or i can not stay there(because to stay, you need to have a valid ticket.)
also, a complete lack of charging stations is also a big problem. if you go to berlin for a whole day and you do not live in it, it would be nice to charge your phone there. when i stayed the night in berlin hbf, i searched all of it to find a single socket, but i failed. yes, you can charge your phone in a regional train, but the presence of sockets there is not frequent and you may get on a train without sockets, or the train will be completely overcrowded without you having an access to those sockets.
also, the size of this station is a plus, but in the same time a minus for me. once again, learning how to orientate there because of this size was a great experience for me, but when you need to get from an S-Bahn all the way down to the bottom platforms in a short period of time, it gets really nerve wrecking because you are running like a sonic through all of the station and then die out of lack of breath. even if you are not running everytime, just going through it everytime is annoying.
for example, in Gesundbrunnen it would be a little bit easier, since the stations are not in a far distance from one another and you can even have a smoke between your journey from one platform to another, which is not the case for berlin hbf.
another problem, albeit not the station's fault, is the amount of begging people. if you go outside to have a smoke, at least 2-3 people will either ask you for money, cigarettes or to buy their newspaper, which is annoying everytime it happens.
but even considering all that, i still love berlin hbf. there is just some kind of atmosphere/vibe that hits just right for me. overall, i love how berlin's transportation is structured with the S-Bahns, i find it very convenient and maybe even genius to some point, considering the Ringbahn system and etc.
Southern Cross is an excellent station, and while not as iconic as Flinders St, it is a lot more pleasant to wait at.
Victorian here. It's better because you have restaurants, more space, more facilities, large coach terminal, and even a shopping centre attached to it. If only it were the metro terminal...
I do like SC Station….however…it doesn’t have “restaurants”…it has fast food joints most of which have closed down…the coach terminal is functional but that whole building which also houses the DFO shopping centre is bland and one of the ugliest buildings in Melbourne…it was built on the cheap and looks it….the Station itself could do with a good clean imo….I agree with your thoughts on the metro……one can only dream!..@@YeahIDontKn0wEither
@@YeahIDontKn0wEither Flinders St has all the unused office space in the station building that makes the whole place seem partially derelict. You're right that Southern Cross has all of the businesses to support the feeling of the place being alive.
My uncle was a lead engineer at DB during the construction of the hauptbahnhof! I have had many tours of the building and love going there just for fun even.
Great video as usual Reece. I myself am planning my 1st ever trip to Europe in 2024, with Berlin being one of the stops. The thought of it all is overwhelming, but I definitely look forward to experiencing this station when I'm in Berlin.
Berlin is so goood
Was there 2 times probably the “airiest” station I’ve been too just feel so spacious. Maybe Antwerp Centraal could be a close contender for a match. Also as far as i know it was actually planned to have the top level roof to span over the full lenght of the platforms but it got left unfinished. Sadly the bathroom stuation isnt unique to berlin central or germn stations in general belgium and nl are the same. when i went to breda at night with a friend they even locked down the bathrooms and we had to wait till our train arrived and its a huge station
Berlin's trams are fantastic, I wish more cities would take more cues from them.
And to think it's only half a network
Berlin Hbf may be fancy and "cool", but nowhere close to the best. Its confusing, slow and unpractical. Platform changes take ages, and its made worse by height difference between levels. Almost any path has to cross through the mall area and relies on multiple escalators. The Station was also insanely expensive, still has issues with the roof. Also its location is not really anywhere useful, unlike many other Hbfs. I would argue the stations in Cologne, Hamburg and Munich are better, if maybe not quite as flashy.
08:18 I always use the S-Bahn (East-West) and change at Friedrichstraße. Though I have to get from all the way up to all they way down at Friedrichstraße, it is still more convenient and faster for me.
So, looking indeed forward to the integration of the Hauptbahnhof into the North-South connection of the S-Bahn.
7:25 In Germany I haven't seen a single public free bathroom.
It is also a relatively small station for such a large metropolis, with only 14 platforms, but yet manages a very high passenger throughput due to all trains through-running at the station. I can think of many terminus stations in smaller cities that are much larger.
Through-running platforms stations have a way higher capacty than terminal stations, so they do not need that many platforms
Since we are a bit on a fav station station sharing: Zurich HB!
The most functional terminus in the world i guess. Something about a line of stub ends make you feel a bit more like a friend of a train which shows face to face to pick you. Operationally both through and terminus, with both topologies serving what they serve best. Concourse open on sides to streets - in itself a pedestrian street. Old train-shed now historic circulation hall and convention grounds. River flowing through the station in the most literal sense. Has historic character and modernity balanced perfectly. Outermost end platforms are full length open to the street on the same level. To board a train there is not so much an airport experience - its a vibe of a bygone more romantic era of train travel which i miss a lot with modern approach of grey functionality and nothing else. What it lacks is space underground, would be nice to have caverns like in Berlin above 2 through stations there, but that`s a minor thing. For some swiss reason you dont need a map there despite complexity.
I like Munich Hbf more from the functional point o view. There are not only 4 U-Bahns, 7 S-Bahns and several tram- and bus lines, but it has so many tracks, that trains are available for boarding quite a time, before they leave. This makes this giant station quite calm and one can focus on a good bye instead of finding the right coach in no time.
Of course the size has its downsides: You better plan a transfer time of 15 minutes instead of 4-6 minutes to go from track 1 to track 32...
We agree. My husband and I LOVE this station. We discovered it during our first (and only) trip to Berlin. We liked it so much we went to visit it three times while we were there. It is one of our favorite train stations in the world as well. Although, the one in The Hague in the Netherlands is pretty cool too.
For Pride they hosted a pride show inside the main station, even with a bit of fire effects. Lots of fun! Great train station!
This should be the model for new shopping malls (slight humour). Multi level train stations! Amazing and now on my bucket list.
Love for the hauptbahnhof, what a rare thing to see 😅
It's an amazingly functional transfer station let down by the land use around it.
The "walk out" factor of stations is often overlooked. Would love this station surrounded by dense job centers, in place of the dreary plazas.
Actually the plan was to make the roof much longer and even the beams for that have already been produced, but then the plan was to get the station complete before the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Not sure though why they did not complete the roof later. It seems like a minor expense.
The underground train level also experienced significant cuts, which even led to a lawsuit by the architect. In Germany copyright law is so strong that an architect can sue a developer, if changes are made without the consent of the architect. Not sure if they came to an agreement. The original plan showed a much more beautiful ceiling, but now there is that ugly flat one.
The locker situation has been very bad at this station. A a large bomb could bring parts of the station to a collapse, you couldn't just put your luggage into a locker like at any other German train station. Instead all luggage had to be x-rayed before you could lock it away. That led to queues and inconvenience. My solution to that was taking the S-Bahn to the next station to the east or south and lock my luggage there. That still saved time, because S-Bahns are so frequent. Not sure if they solved the problem in the mean time.
The station also had some structural issues. Some beams already had to be replaced after a few years.
And if the elevators do not work or are full, you might miss a train, if you arrive shortly before departure. At basically any German train station it is enough to arrive at the station five minutes before your train leaves. Not so at this station. I once missed an ICE for that reason. Still much better of course than some train stations in other countries like China or the US, where you have to be at the train station long before the train leaves because of the security and ticket checks.
The trains and train stations and reliability in germany are... interesting.
@@noidea5597 Us germans complain so much about Deutsche Bahn we can't believe if anyone else likes it ...
They would have had to close the Stadtbahn to finish the roof. The parts where actually stored for 10 years, but the roof was never finished, even when the Stadtbahn had been closed for some weeks due to necessary maintenance of the viaduct.
Funny aspect: First class passengers are the biggest vicitims of the shorted roof, because first class carriages are always at one the end of the train, so they have the lognest way through the rain.
It's cool, it stands out, but I'm not such a big fan of it for a very simple reason: in the winter it gets freezing cold inside, and unlike at other stations where the entire waiting hall is kept warm, it can't be kept warm at Berlin Central Station. You can only warm up by walking into one of the rather few shops
As a former resident in Berlin, this is such a wonderful video that showcases awesome design features of HBf. I definitely didn't give it the full appreciation it deserved. It stands out even more as a modern landmark when juxtaposed against all the bland shoeboxes that surround it.
I think a big drawback is the orientation inside, especially underground. I use it often, however I often don't know where north and south are (I always leave south).
I would love to see more colour-coded infrastructure. So the North side could have blue colouring elements (Art, escelators, walls) and the southern side having green colouring. This is very intuitive and helps orientation a lot.
Also the northern enterance with the bus station, which you mentioned being ugly is planned to be redesigned in the next few years
Fully agree. Even though I have been to HBF dozens of times, I still get lost sometimes.
For example, I don't actually know where the U-Bahn platforms are..
Today for the first time ever I managed to find my bus without getting lost!
To compare to other stations:
Ostbahnhof is very easy to navigate, but it has it's own issues (ugly, dirty, tiny platforms during this construction)
Ostkreuz and Sudkreuz are both fairly symetrical but by now I know which amenities are north/south
Gesundbrunnen is a bit of an underground maze especially if you need to switch to the U8 for the first time, but I found it easy to get used to
haha, I've been using Hbf regularly since 2006 and still end up heading towards the wrong side coming up from "tief".
Famously German John Oliver equivalent Jan Böhmermann complained in his podcast Fest&Flauschig that indicating which side is facing Reichstagsgebäude (seat of German Parliament Bundestag, the view of which should have been included as it is the most stunning feature arriving right in the heart of Berlin imho) would be much more helpful than referring to Europa and Washingtonplatz which most people couldn't place correctly if asked which is on what side.
@@mennonis or where the right entrance is, one side of the U5 platform only has stairs which can be a bit challenging when arriving with heavy luggage.
@@velotill after exiting the wrong side a dozen times, the only way I could remember: Washington DC has the Capitol Building, so Washingtonplatz is the direction of the German capitol building (Reichstag).
What I love so much about this station is how easy it is to navigate. It’s basically 4 levels of crossover rails sprawling with people going their ways. Yet, if you know your desired track number, you can get ANYWHERE within 3 minutes. Try going from the S-Bahn track 15 all the way up top to regional track 1, at the very bottom of the station. If you’re really quick, you can do it within 2 minutes.
Thank you, as an employee of DB I spend a lot of time working at Berlin Hbf and it is a station I enjoy working in. There are many pros about this place but I do agree with you on your viewpoints on the Europaplatz exit which really isn't a sight to see, on the slow elevators and the narrow space on the upper platforms. The curvature also might be a nice thing to look at but for train personnel it's not very practical because the pre departure check that no that no one is stuck between the doors and the platform and such is very difficult, especially when the platform is still full of people. I have one thing to add concerning the lower platforms: While it is true, that each of the two upper platforms for the regional and long distance trains are only accessible from one of the from one of the track leading into the station (the tracks to/from Berlin Friedrichstraße or Zoologischer Garten are not connected), all of the lower platforms can be approached from each of the four tracks to/from South or North. In the everyday operations of the station with trains ending there or switching lines, this is very much necessary.
As a person from berlin i ususally hate to transfer here beceause its so busy but i do agree that for the enormous scope of possibilities its packing into one singular station here it works very well.
One time i arrived in the middle of the night at the top level on an S-Bahn and the last connection to where i live was scheduled to leave in a minute from the bottom floor. The Station was pretty much empty and there was one other guy on my train who was getting ready to run to make that connection. I didnt know on what level my conection would be and i didnt know the way to get there quickly so i just followed him as we ran across the entirety of the station and made the connection, panting, just before the door closed. Will forever be my favorite memory here...
Berlin Hbf is actually two separate stations, comprising the top platforms and the bottom platforms (U-Bahn and the new S21 tunnel may be separate too, let's ignore that for now). This is because it is a replacement for the former Lehrter Bahnhof and Lehrter Stadtbahnhof, which were close together, but separate. Railway enthusiasts like to call the top platforms the “Berlin Haupthaltepunkt” (Berlin main stop) as it doesn't have any switches and thus does not qualify as a proper station.
I don’t know which supposed railway enthusiast those are but the top level definitely has switches, just watch 3:50.
@@ft4709 The switches to select a platform don't count here; it's the lack of switches between the main line tracks that matter.
Pictures and videos can hardly convey how impressive it really is, as is so often the case. When you see the video, you might think, what's so special about it, trains often run elevated above you, but when you're in this enclosed building that feels like a shopping mall and trains are running crisscross above and below you, you're simply paralyzed when you see it for the first time, and you feel like you're in a science fiction train station on Mars under a biosphere dome. It feels so unreal.
i love the berlin main train station. the view of trains moving on top platform and underground at the same time is so unique (i love it). for me main issue is lack of sitting area and no lounge so if you have to wait in winter it is very difficult. second issue is lack of restroom. so many people use stairs of car parking and it is awful.
i visited berlin last year, and even though i got off at ostbahnhof i later went by u-bahn to see the hbf, and while it's very impressive, i didn't like it that much, it was too overwhelming to me
Some years ago some heavy metal parts got lose and crashed on the ground.
They have not completed the roof of the top levels despite the necessary parts had been produced. But adding these missing roof parts would have consumed more money and would have led to a temporary closing of the East-West lines.
A new North-South S-Bahn using this station is in construction. It might be fished in 20 years.
One of my favorite stations is DC's Union Station. Definitely one of the most beautiful stations in North America alongside Philadelphia 30th Street, Toronto Union, Chicago Union, and of course Grand Central Terminal. DC Union Station was opened in 1907 and was designed by Daniel Burnham who also worked on the Flatiron Building, plans for Manila and Baguio during the American colonization of the Philippines, the Plan of Chicago, and the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition! Before Union Station opened, the B&O operated out of New Jersey Ave station while the B&P (a Penn subsidiary) had another station formerly at the intersection of B Street (now Constitution Ave) NW & 6th Street NW.
The decision of the Penn RR and B&O to build a union station together allowed the creation of the Mall as it appears today. Having it under one roof promised that Washington would finally have a station both large enough to handle large crowds and impressive enough to befit the city's role as the federal capital. Daniel was assisted by Pierce Anderson and he was inspired by a number of architectural styles. Classical elements included the Arch of Constantine (for the main façade) and the great vaulted spaces of the Baths of Diocletian (for the interior). He wanted it to be in a monumental manner so it could be the vestibule of the capital, a grand station for a grand city.
The Milan Central Station is a spitting image of DC Union Station . However the italian station is more fuctional than the DC one and has much more passengers.
I think that Berlin station is where a couple summers ago, some hooligans got on top of the train while moving and one jumped off the top of the train into the water lol. Pretty sure it’s from channel:Dying Llama
I as a Berliner see so many people who can't navigate it.
So here's a little guide: platforms 1-8 are in the basement.
Platforms 11-16 are on the first floor.
There's a foodcourt, and a small shoping centre on the ground floor and basement.
If you want to catch a tram you have to head to the underground station and take the tunnel. Out to the parlament is a taxi station.
I would love to see such great and detailed video on Vienna main station as well
Very well-researched video! Loved that you included the new construction S bahn map too
Epic place. I happened to visit a couple of times, once when the old Lehrter Bahnhof was just in the process of being realigned (and UA-cam didn't exist and I had no clue what fancy an infrastructure bonk was about to unfold) and then years later with this glass colossus finished. Got some really tasty fish & chips in one of those eateries.
Great video of the most important station of my hometown.
If you're interested in more great stations across Germany, I'd recommend you to check out Erfurt Hauptbahnhof. It's a relatively huge and modern station for such a small city with an interesting platform allignment, which enables multiple trains to stop at the same platform.
Maximum efficiency, short walking distances to other modes of transit (especially trams) and many stores to grab something to eat while waiting for the next ICE train.
Good to know that, am planning to visit Erfurt next year, have to spend some time at the Hbf too. German has many cities with impressive Bhfs, Leipzig, Dresden, Hamburg Hbf, Hamburg Altona, München Bhf, Berlin Südkreuz, Nürnberg Hbf, Frankfurt Hbf to name a few.
@@divanshugupta4096 and I can recommend you to take a ride on the "Katerexpress" while you're there. It's a historic tram from the GDR. This model (G4) has become very rare as there are only a few models left. The ride is even more stunning during christmas season.
As a native Berliner, I find my way around the station well, but many tourists are confused by the many levels.
One disadvantage of Berlin Central Station is that the transfer routes are very long if you want to avoid the elevators, which are usually at full capacity. For example, the way from the subway to the upper floor to the S-Bahn.
Very good video. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Übersetzt mit DeepL (
I highly advice people(non Berliners) to arrive early when they r taking a train out of Berlin. It is quite overwhelming with the sheer size of the station, one should always have extra 15 mins when catching long distance trains from a Central station, in case of Berlin keep 25-30 mins extra.
The first time I saw and used that station in 2016 aI was in awe. I couldn’t believe how many different kinds of trains and buses and streetcars were available here. It’s an amazing place. I remember, however, trying to find a restroom while there. It was a challenge to find.
Beautiful!
I think the slow speed of the elevators are not a flaw but a deliberate feature. Elevators are expensive to operate and maintain, so the designers want to promote the use of the escalators. While they want the elevators only used by wheelchairs and baby strollers.
4:32 The roof was supposed to be much longer, it was shortened because otherwise the target of completion before the 2006 FIFA World Cup would not have been reached.
The custom-made panels for the extended roof were produced at the time because they wanted to extend the roof at a later date. This has not happened even after 17 years and the panels are still in storage.
I live in Berlin and have to use this station multiple times a month and I hate it deeply!!
There are so many flaws regarding the signage and direction of traffic flow within the station - its very frustrating! Literally if you arrive from the street into the station, the most important thing is missing: A big screen which tells you were your train is going and with how much delay. This is such a weird failure, because it is literally standard in basically every other station in Germany!
If you arrive on top with the S-Bahn, it will take almost 10 minutes to go to the trains in the basement floor. Technically you could take an elevator from the top right to the bottom - which is a great idea - but those are so incredible slow that usually walking through all the levels + escalators is much "quicker" - which is ridiculous given the existence of those elevators!
I used to live in NYC and to be fair, Penn Station is worse, yes, but that is a low bar..
Please do not say that the Berlin Hauptbahnhof is the best in world? That would make me question your judgement alot!
I literally have to go there tomorrow, I'm not looking forward to...
Yeah, I live in Berlin, too, and while I'm not as bitter about it as you are, it's definitely a flawed design.
The escalators are confusing. Finding your platform is not easy for someone who has never done it before, and it's even worse if it changed and you can't find an information screen.
It's also always a gamble finding food. I have to go to Stuttgart regularly, and since food on the train itself is so expensive (and sometimes not available), I try to buy something beforehand. But good luck finding a bakery that's open in that maze. I always manage to find it, but I'm also never in a hurry and pretty good on my feet.
The bathroom situation is dumb as well but Reece mentioned that in the video.
Seating sucks, that's because they want people to sit down in the restaurants. Which is a bad move imho. Not everything should be commercialized all the time.
As Reece also mentioned, you can look down from the elevated platform. And I have no idea whether anyone ever fell down, but I feel like the 1.2 meter glass railings are not safe. Imagine getting there drunk on a Saturday night and stumbling off the S8, accidentally falling onto that railing... With 40 m of nothingness below...
@@martinn.6082 Very good points - I totally agree!
Especially the seating/resting situation indeed is atrocious and even the existing restaurants have not much seating space to offer, with the exception of McDonalds..
Being a Berliner myself I feel immensely proud. Given the fact that it has opened not very long ago(in terms of other European cities), yes it boasts more of a modern architecture but nonetheless very impressive Modern Design with lots of thoughts went in utilizing maximum use of the area for Transport & Commercial use. Transfering to the City commute is really smooth but can be overwhelming for the very first time and if you come from a small town. The current site used to be one of the long distance Terminus station called Lehrter Bahnhof(Before WWII there were actually 8 of those in Berlin) which was equally impressive with stunning Architecture. Would definitely agree on Toilet situation though and other improvement ideas.
Vielen Dank @RMTransit
I sat in the white office building on the left of your opening shot (with a direct view on the station) when this video got recommended to me. Coincidence? I don't think so. Great to see a video on this awesome station!
From the laste couple of times I transferred at Berlin Hauptbahnhof I do remember that the signage there is a pain: due to the non- linear layout getting from say track 14 (which is situated at the top level) to track 3 (lowest level) was so frustrating. Once you get down from the track it more or less „spits“ you out to the concourse and due to the non existent direction (arrows, maps etc.) where to go to get to track 3, you have to guess to go left or right from there. I don‘t even remember any signs which say what tracks are at what level. Due to the lack of space there is almost no good place to stand around and get your bearings.
I‘m curious to know how people with mobility issues or visual impairments „prepare“ their visit at Hauptbahnhof…🤔
2:55 That tower is actually a chimney for the exhaust fumes of the car tunnel built parallel to the train tunnel...
Haha, my office is exactly there. The north entrance used to have a proper pickup-parking lot and taxi spaces. The whole space had been ripped up because of works on the foundation and an additional tunnel, connecting new S Bahn lines underground,.. like since 2014. The lack of canopy at the upper platform was made due to cost-cutting and finishing the project on time for the soccer world championship in Germany in 2006.
As someone from southern Germany, I've only been to Berlin once and I didn't visit the station, I could only see it from the Chancellor's Office, but I will go again and explore the station.
I was there at Berlin HBF for quite a time but didnt know there was a model there :( so sad I missed it
and here i am in zagreb being impresed by linz central station.
My office was in that building (unfortunately facing the less nice Europaplatz). The square will be redeveloped once the works for the new City S-Bahn are done.
I don't know how a train station having "offices" is considered a positive here. The building itself also isn't really that special, its huge glass box architecture which you can find all around the globe..
0:18 Shinjuku station (well the 7 stations that all call themselves Shinjuku) is a complete maze. Fun for a transit nerd, but otherwise not that good imo.
It's most definitely daunting to navigate the first couple of times.
@@40kaze718I'll even go as far as to say you haven't been to Tokyo if you haven't gotten lost at Shinjuku station before
There is only one station in Shinjuku station, the others are stations of their own even if they are connected to Shinjuku station.
@@puccaland JR East Shinjuku, Odakyu Shinjuku, Keio/Toei Shinjuku, Toei Shinjuku 2, Tokyo Metro Shinjuku, Shinjuku-3 chome are basically the same station. Seibu-Shinjuku and Shinjuku-nishiguchi are separate separate, but are just across the road
@illiiilli24601 All but Shinjuku 3 chome and Shinjuku nishiguchi aren't train stations, they are train lines. The Seibu Shinjuku line isn't in Shinjuku station and nobody said it was. Shinjuku nishiguchi is in Shinjuku station it literally means Shinjuku West exit. Shinjuku 3 Chome isn't far either, that's just a 5 minute walk from Shinjuku station and it's connected to it with an underground path. Same with Seibu Shinjuku but you need to exit the station.
As a resident of Berlin, my one quibble with the station is one of my own personal æsthetics. Berlin has so much beautiful classical architecture, it makes the bland gray scaffold and glass panels design look … well, bland. Imagine, if you will, the exact same basic structure, but using masonry, decorative elements, stone facades, and all the rest, to match the Bundestag, Berlin Palast, or the Dom.
But I realize that's not everybody's taste, so I mostly keep it to myself. You are right about the design of the station itself, though: it's masterfully laid out, and functions incredibly well for the extremely high usage it sees. Thanks for the video!
I hate this station:
paths are way too long, stairs/escalators don't lead to each other. (can take 10 minutes to get from an upper platform to a lower one, 45minutes if you need an elevator. tbh jk, tbf not much tho)
platforms have too few stairs, narrow to
Obviously no where near the same or the same scale, but utahs city creek mall is almost like this with the rail stop in the middle served by blue and green line trains. And then surrounded by a large structure connecting the open mall and residential/office towers.
just stopping at Berlin Hbf on a regional train travelling to work. it's an absolute marvel of engineering and I wish I had an excuse to use it more often!
Berlin Hauptbahnhof is only train station in the world to have north-south and west-east corridors for the long-distance train travel (other cross-form stations are for the local and commuter trains).
I have visited Berlin many times and used the Hauptbahnhof as the arrival and departure point for the long-distance train travel. Three biggest peeves of mine are: lack of waiting rooms (unless you happen to have Deutsche Bahn's "Bahn Comfort" card or "1. Klasse" ticket, which grants you the free use of its lounge); the lifts take forever to board as there are not many of them if you cannot use the escalators; and the storage lockers are always occupied fast (you can pay extra cost to hand in the luggage to the service centre).
2:44 those are mostly not utility pipes for everyday water usage but used to siphon water out of construction sites. Berlin is famous for being built in a swamp and that comes with the feature of having to drain water out constantly or the unfinished concrete buildings would wash up out of the ground.
I once visited a site in Munich, where that problem only exists in deep digs, where a torrent of rain lead to the same situation for a single family house under construction, having the ground water rise up dangerously. Luckily an engineer was monitoring the situation so in the streaming rain two workers had to jump down into the unfinished concrete basement around which in the soil the water was rising and they smashes holes in the walls, boring them, letting the basement flood so the structure would be weighed down.
That's definitly one of the jobs I do NOT want to do in my life.