Terminus

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The Leipzig Central Station is the geographically largest station in Europe

A terminus or dead end station is a station where all main tracks end in the station and thus all trains can only enter on one side and exit again after changing direction .

A terminal station, which was laid out on a mountain railway because of the topographical conditions and which takes on the task of a hairpin , is also called a hairpin train station .

A common structural feature of a terminus station is a head or transverse platform that runs across in front of the track ends and connects all the platforms along the tracks. Often the station building is laid across the buffer blocks , i.e. to the ends of the track, or the tracks are enclosed by the building in a U-shape . In the case of a train station planned from the outset as a terminus, the reception building can also stand parallel to the tracks if the topography or the urban situation make it necessary, for example at the mountain station of Ferrovia Monte Generoso , in Sorrento , Thessaloniki , the Lindau island train station , the Zurich-based one Central Station and the Vatican City Train Station . This arrangement is sometimes referred to as the wrong terminus .

Usually, those stations that only became a terminus as a result of a line closure are not counted as terminal stations . With these, the reception building - as with the through station - is parallel to the tracks.

history

Most of the terminal stations were built in the second half of the 19th century on what was then the outskirts of larger cities as the endpoints of railway lines. This design made it possible to bring train stations relatively close to the city center and to emphasize the importance of the city as a transport destination. In the 20th century, many terminal stations were added as the endpoints of branch lines , mostly branch lines . This design was particularly preferred at the end of mountain valleys, where no extension was to be expected. Numerous terminal stations can also be found on the shores of a sea or larger lake, often in the form of a port station with a direct transition to shipping .

Since until the middle of the 20th century, due to the limited fuel supplies and operating times of steam locomotives, these had to be changed more often, the operational disadvantages of a terminus were initially less significant. In addition, the railway lines that ended in a terminus station were often operated by different railway companies, which usually also made it necessary to change locomotives. In the 19th century, a terminus was considered to be the most convenient form of station for travelers, unless the railway companies operated different terminus in different parts of the city, such as in Paris and Budapest today .

After a terminus station was built, it was often no longer possible to convert it into through stations by breaking open the stations at the front. Examples are the numerous, in some cases still not connected, terminal stations in Paris, Vienna , London and Moscow .

Location of the Hamburg train stations before 1904 and track layout from 1906

In Berlin , this problem was partially overcome in 1882 with the Berlin Stadtbahn , an elevated railway that uses a system of viaducts to guide long-distance and S-Bahn traffic through the middle of the metropolis. In Hamburg, following the construction of the Hamburg-Altona connecting line in 1904, the route from four further individual terminal stations of external railway lines to the new Hamburg main station , which is designed as a through station , was laid.
In Brussels , between 1911 and 1954, a six-track underground connecting line was built between two terminal stations 2.5 km away. In Oslo , a similar rail link in 1980 was opened. Mixed forms can often be found, such as Dresden Central Station . In addition to nine through tracks, it also has seven butt tracks in the central position, as all the others , with the exception of the line towards Prague, run to this station from the west. Many through stations have additional butt tracks at the front of the reception building, sometimes also called wing station . Most of these have slightly shorter platforms and are used for regional traffic.

Due to a wide range of operational disadvantages, terminal stations in Germany were replaced by through stations at an early stage. After the Second World War, terminal stations in Emden , Braunschweig , Ludwigshafen am Rhein , Heidelberg and Kempten were replaced by through stations, all of which were moved away from the city center. However, there were sometimes drastic declines in the number of passengers, e.g. B. in Heidelberg, because the city center was no longer so easily accessible. The station areas in the center that were no longer needed were later sold. Elsewhere, for example in Wiesbaden, Stuttgart and Zurich, the disadvantages of terminal stations due to the difficult topographical conditions and the associated high costs of through stations were accepted. In Kassel ( Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe train station ), Ludwigshafen am Rhein and Baden-Baden, terminal stations are or were bypassed. In France, some trains bypass the Paris terminus. In Frankfurt am Main, part of the long-distance traffic is routed past the main train station via the Frankfurt Süd and airport stations .

Not least with the introduction of electric traction and diesel locomotives, terminal stations proved increasingly unfavorable, as time-consuming locomotive changes became less frequent. At the same time, the time required for operations could be reduced by push-pull trains and relay interlockings. In order to minimize the disadvantages of the head station, the head stations of Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof , Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof , Hamburg-Altona station and Munich Hauptbahnhof were extended to through stations as part of the construction of the S-Bahn in the 1970s by tunneling under them exclusively for S-Bahn operations. In Leipzig Central Station , a commuter train tunnel (was also to 2013. Leipzig City Tunnel ) built with an underground platform. On the occasion of the construction of the S-Bahn in 1991, the terminal station at Zurich Hauptbahnhof was expanded to include an underground station with four tracks, and an additional through station for long-distance traffic was added in June 2014.

When long-distance travel was accelerated as part of the new and upgraded lines built in the 1970s, large terminal stations were initially left out. On the one hand, this increased the relative production costs in these nodes, for example for rolling stock and train personnel. On the other hand, revenue effects of several million DM per saved minute of travel time and year were not used. Due to technical advances and cost reductions in tunnel construction, as well as the possibility of using electric trains to drive steep ramps, new considerations arose to convert large terminal stations into through stations. As part of Project 21 , Deutsche Bahn has been pursuing various stations since the mid-1990s. In each case, areas no longer required for railway operations are to be sold. The best known of these projects is Stuttgart 21 . The Hamburg-Altona terminus station is also to be relocated for this reason and a through station is to be built at the current Hamburg Diebsteich S-Bahn station, 1.6 kilometers to the north . (Source: various reports at nahverkehr-hamburg.de)

Comparison with through station

Schematic representation of the location of a terminus and a through station in relation to a town center.
red: station building
yellow: track systems at the terminus station
light blue: track systems through station
dotted: main traffic axes
Prague's Masaryk terminus .
In the foreground is the Nové spojení , which was still under construction in 2007 and which can be used to bypass the station

advantages

In the case of new systems, terminal stations can usually be brought up to an existing city center more easily due to the design and allow the track axis ends to be aligned with the center. In the case of a through station, a lane or tunnel would have to be cut through the city center with the same orientation . In practice, however, both through and terminal stations were usually built a long time ago next to the old town center and have now grown into the center.

In the urban area, the space for the access tracks is only required on one side of the station, but usually with a more extensive track apron than in a comparable through station. The separation of the urban space, which is caused by the track system, has more of an effect on the inner-city cross traffic, but not on the traffic into the center, because fewer main axes are usually cut.

Travelers perceive the access to the platforms from the cross platform as clearer than in through stations. Another advantage is the mostly step-free platform access.

disadvantage

Otto Blum was of the opinion that a terminus station is a bad form of station, since such a station is only connected on one side.

From an operational point of view, terminal stations have a number of disadvantages compared to through stations:

  • All train and shunting trips are only processed on one side of the station. This leads to a comparatively large number of obstacles to train traffic in the station.
  • Entrances to the butt tracks of terminal stations are limited to 30 km / h for safety reasons in Germany. As a result, incoming trains lose time. (As a rule, 40 km / h are permitted on the territory of the former Deutsche Reichsbahn .)
  • Trains that are not set up for push-pull operation require a locomotive change and thus an extension of the stopping time.
  • Locomotives to be exchanged are held at the end of the platform for a comparatively long time. This reduces the mileage that can be achieved.
  • Scheduled and (formerly) express freight wagons can only be provided from one side of trains stopping at the station.

However, these disadvantages are almost insignificant today. Only multiple units and push-pull trains are used in regular operation. The locomotive stays behind and pushes the train. At the other end there is a control car from which the locomotive is remote-controlled. This operating mode is used even with the 200 km / h fast IC. (Source: own opinion)

A terminus station requires more tracks for the same number of train movements and thus a larger area than a through station of the same capacity. Due to the longer occupancy of the platforms, more platform tracks are required. This is the only way to offer the ITF = Integrated Cycle Timetable: At the same time, all types of trains can stop in all directions and passengers can change trains in any route in a short time.

The extension of platforms is considered to be much more difficult than with through stations.

In order to achieve sufficient performance, expensive crossings are often required in terminal stations . To compensate for the overlapping of incoming mainline tracks in the apron of terminal stations, staggered bridges are often required, which lead to a significantly greater structural effort. The track systems usually require extensive areas and, due to their width, usually have a strong separating effect . However, this can be lifted through underpasses (Stuttgart Wolframstrasse, Munich Paul-Heyse-Str., Frankfurt Hafenstrasse). In principle, this separation effect also exists in large through stations.

On average, travelers have to cover longer distances in terminal stations, as the main access is from the cross platform and not from the middle of the platform. As a result, transition times to connecting trains are lengthened and the utilization of the trains becomes more uneven. However, this always results in the legally required accessibility for people with reduced mobility / people with strollers without having to build and maintain elevators. At some terminal stations such as Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof and Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof, tunnels under or bridges over the tracks shorten the distances when changing trains.

Another disadvantage is of an urban nature: The necessary extensive and city-wide track systems stand in the way of urban growth over time. In New York and Chicago they were therefore provided with a large concrete cover and built over them, also partially in Paris at the Montparnasse train station.

Operational function

Track plan of the Stettiner- / Nordbahnhof in Berlin , around 1952

Before leaving a terminus station, you have to " turn your head ", that is, reverse the direction of travel specified at the entrance.

In the case of a train hauled by a locomotive without a control car, coupling and shunting maneuvers are necessary. Usually the previous locomotive is disconnected and a new locomotive is coupled at the other end of the train. After the train leaves, the first locomotive drives alone from the station hall to the depot or hauls another train. In the case of heavy trains, the option was also used to push it with the previous locomotive when leaving.

Retiro Miter station (Buenos Aires), long-distance tracks with locomotive tracks

Alternatively, the locomotive can be uncoupled, bypassed the train and coupled to the other end of the train. For this purpose, a corresponding switch must be installed at the end of the track and a free locomotive or transfer track must be available next to the platform track (locomotive traffic track) (for example, until 2009 in Chemnitz main station between tracks 2 and 3). The use of these points, however, requires that the wagon train comes to a standstill without any boundary signs . This lengthens the journey for travelers. In the early days of the railroad, there were turntables at the end of the track at the terminus, with which the locomotive could be turned at the same time. Another possibility is to pull the wagon train off the platform track with a shunting locomotive so that the locomotive can leave the entry track, the shunting locomotive can push the train back to the platform, uncouple and move away so that the locomotive can be on the other side of the train after another track change can couple. These maneuvers require a lot of personnel and time. In particular, this method was used for long-running international trains, for example in București Nord station .

In addition to passenger stations, other types of stations can also be designed in the shape of a head. This applies, for example, to some marshalling yards (especially in Italy ), freight yards , storage yards , and works or port stations .

Special terminal stations

Germany

Panorama picture of the Munich terminus station (2012)

The largest terminal stations in Germany are located in Leipzig , Frankfurt am Main , Munich and Stuttgart . However, there are continuous S-Bahn tracks at these stations , but these run underground. The Stuttgart main station is to be replaced by a through station (see Stuttgart 21 ). The comparable projects Frankfurt 21 and Munich 21 were dropped. The RheinMain plus project was then pursued in the Frankfurt area .

The oldest German terminus station preserved in parts of the high-rise buildings is the Bayerische Bahnhof in Leipzig, which was put into operation in 1842. In 2001 it was closed due to construction work on the Leipzig City Tunnel , and the railway systems were subsequently demolished. On December 14, 2013, the city tunnel and with it two stops and a junction on the grounds of the Bayerischer Bahnhof were put into operation. The Hamburg-Altona station is the only terminal station that is also a loading station for car trains.

Switzerland

Buffer stops with stop signals on the cross platform in Zurich HB station

The largest terminus in Switzerland is the Zurich main station . However, there are also two continuous underground routes, the first was built during the construction of the Zurich S-Bahn and is mainly used by S-Bahn lines in the direction of Rapperswil and Winterthur. The second route, the diameter line , was opened in 2014 and connects Zurich Altstetten train station with Oerlikon. There is also an underground terminus, where the S-Bahn trains to the Sihltal and Uetliberg end / begin. Other important terminal stations can be found in Lucerne and Geneva Airport . Locarno and Einsiedeln train stations are less significant in terms of traffic volume . At a number of stations that consist of several station parts, one of these parts is designed as a terminal station; this is in Romanshorn railway station , the station Langenthal and Thun station the case.

The train station in Bern is a through station, but some lines end and begin in the underground terminus of the RBS .

In terms of construction, the Basel SBB station is a through station, but it is only used as such for the few continuing trains in the direction of Mulhouse and Strasbourg . In contrast, the neighboring French train station in Basel is a real terminus.

Several end stations of mountain railways are terminal stations, for example the train stations in Zermatt and Engelberg as well as the Arosa train station . There are also a number of terminal stations on mountain routes; some of these terminal stations also fall into the switchback station category.

Austria

The major Viennese train stations West- and Franz-Josefs-Bahnhof are head stations.

Until December 2009, the third major station in Vienna was the Vienna South Station (3rd South Station) as a double terminus for the southern line and the eastern line departing at right angles . What remains, after the platforms have been withdrawn away from the previous Südbahnhof and the construction of a temporary station (4th Südbahnhof) for the Eastern Railway, is the terminus at Vienna Südbahnhof (Eastern Railway) . The function of the southern station for the southern railway was provisionally taken over by the through station Vienna Meidling during the construction period . In 2014 the newly built Vienna Central Station took over the function of the former South and East train stations. With the completion of the through station Vienna Central Station, which is currently under construction, the former Vienna South and East Station was replaced and the long-distance traffic of the Westbahn was directed to the main station.

See also

Web links

Wiktionary: terminus  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Werner Stutz, Andreas Hauser: Jakob Friedrich Wanners main station in Zurich . In: Art + Architecture in Switzerland . Issue 1: Railway. Stämpfli + Cie AG, 1997, doi : 10.5169 / seals-394080 .
  2. a b c d e f g h i j k l m Edmund Mühlhans, Georg Speck: Problems of the terminal stations and possible solutions from today's perspective . In: International Transport . tape 39 , no. 3 , 1987, ISSN  0020-9511 , pp. 190-200 .
  3. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: hub: Zurich main station )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.durchmesserlinie.ch
  4. Otto Blum Eisenbahnbau Heidelberg 1946 page 147
  5. Traffic routes and means of transport , Volume 1, Klimt / Schneider, p. 343. ISBN 978-3-86656-520-3