Hamm (Westfalen) railway station
Encyclopedia
Hamm (often abbreviated Hamm (Westf) or simply Hamm (W)) is a railway station situated in the city of Hamm
in the German
state of North Rhine-Westphalia
.
It is notable for its station building inspired by art deco
and Gründerzeit
building styles. The station is one of the important InterCityExpress
rail hubs in the eastern Ruhr area
and is among the high-profile buildings of Hamm.
Until the decline of rail freight after the Second World War, it featured one of Europe's largest marshalling yards.
(1848) and the line to Paderborn
via Soest
(1850) were opened soon thereafter. Both lines were built and operated by the Königlich-Westfälische Eisenbahn. Finally, in 1866, the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn
connected their line to Hagen
via Unna
to the growing station.
Due to the explosive increase in traffic at the height of the industrial age
, the station was soon unable to cope with the growing demand. A separate marshalling yard was built in the 1880s, situated on the southern side of the passenger station. However, this did not provide real relief, and therefore the station area underwent major reconstruction starting in 1911 and finishing by 1929. The railway lines were laid on elevated embankments and the trackbed inside the station was raised, the old station building, originally built as an island platform, was torn down and replaced by the current building, the construction of which was finished by 1920.
The original marshalling yard was replaced by a new structure further south, consisting of three hump yards. The yard serving the East-West trains (operated from signal box Hvw) was one of the first to receive a mechanised hump in 1925. Two new depots were also built near the station, Hamm P for passenger services and Hamm G for freight operations.
Over the years, Hamm prospered and grew quite notably due to its newfound role as a railway town
.
During World War II
, the station was a prime target due to its strategic location and its large marshalling yard and suffered from numerous air attacks. Most of these were carried out by the British RAF Bomber Command
. Over 80% of Hamm lay in ruins after the war, and the station was no exception. Passenger services resumed on June 18, 1945 on the line to Dortmund
and Duisburg
, and on June 20 of the same year on the lines to Bielefeld
, Münster
and Soest
.
The first line to be electrified was the line from Hamm to Düsseldorf Hbf
on May 10, 1957. Electrification continued over the next decades, and was finished in December 1970 with the line to Paderborn
.
In 1984, Hamm started to see InterCity
services calling at the station, and since the early 1990s InterCityExpress
trains call at the station as well.
The marshalling yard
, despite having been renovated in the 1960s, was partly closed after Deutsche Bundesbahn
became the private Deutsche Bahn AG. Of the three humps originally present in the yard, two of them (near signal boxes Hro and Vmo) were closed. The marshalling yard nowadays operates at only 10% of its original 10,000 wagon
per day capacity. The two depots and the maintenance works are also operating at reduced capacity. The mail station, which even had its own hump, has been completely closed as mail trains were abolished soon after the privatization of the former Deutsche Bundespost
in the early 1990s. The access tracks have been removed and the area was sold off to investors.
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The current station hall was opened on October 14, 1920. It is a good example of the historism building style, reminiscent of the German Gründerzeit
style and incorporating Jugendstil elements, designed by an unknown architect.
The building sustained damage to parts of the roof and the vault
during World War II
, but was swiftly rebuilt after the war.
In 1985, the station hall was modernised in a contemporary style, and the front walls were clad
with sheet metal. A new ticket hall made of glass was also added into the main station hall. Public opinion, however, was not in favour of the typical 1980s building style, and the topic of renovation resurfaced as early as the mid-1990s. The station therefore was properly restorated to its original state. Since the station hall had meanwhile become a listed building (in 1990), great attention was paid to detail. The station received the Europa Nostra Award in 2001 for the restoration effort.
The ticket hall is open Mon to Fri 6:00 to 19:30, Sat 7:30 to 18:00 and Sun 9:30 to 19:00. There also is a service desk in the station hall, as well as a bistro, a bakery, a pharmacy and a bookshop. The railway mission
is situated near platform 3.
With the exceptions of lines 1, 3, 7, and 17, all of Hamm's city buses call at the stop in front of the station. There are 220 free park and ride
spaces for commuters. Local car parks have 800 bays, with another 200 to be added in a newly-built car park at the western exit. There also is a guarded bicycle stand which can hold 780 bicycles.
, Münster
, Dortmund
, Hagen
and Soest
.
Hourly InterCityExpress
services run to Berlin Ostbahnhof
via Berlin Hbf
, with trainsets coming from Cologne Bonn Airport
(via Köln-Deutz
, Düsseldorf
, Duisburg
, Essen Hauptbahnhof
and Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
) and Bonn Hbf
(via Wuppertal and Hagen Hbf
). The individual trainsets are then coupled together to continue their journey to Berlin via Bielefeld
and Hannover
.
A bi-hourly InterCity
line runs from the Ruhr valley to Magdeburg Hbf
via Hannover
. Another IC line connects Hamm to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe
and Erfurt
.
Furthermore, many local services call at the station. The RE
lines 1, 3 and 13 terminate at Hamm, whilst RE lines 6, 7 and 11 as well as RB
line 69 and 89 call at the station.
Hamm is also the terminus of the Hamm-Osterfelder Bahn, which lost its passenger traffic in 1983 but is still a notable freight railway.
Hamm is not a Hauptbahnhof, though there are two other stations in the city, Bockum-Hövel and Heessen. It is sometimes listed as Hamm Pbf in itineraries and on destination boards though, most likely to disambiguate the passenger station from the freight station, which was once known as Hamm Gbf. The' P' in that case stands for "Personen-".
Hamm
Hamm is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia , Germany. It is located in the northeastern part of the Ruhr area. As of December 2003 its population was 180,849. The city is situated between the A1 motorway and A2 motorway...
in the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
state of North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
.
It is notable for its station building inspired by art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
and Gründerzeit
Gründerzeit
' refers to the economic phase in 19th century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. At this time in Central Europe the age of industrialisation was taking place, whose beginnings were found in the 1840s...
building styles. The station is one of the important InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
rail hubs in the eastern Ruhr area
Ruhr Area
The Ruhr, by German-speaking geographers and historians more accurately called Ruhr district or Ruhr region , is an urban area in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With 4435 km² and a population of some 5.2 million , it is the largest urban agglomeration in Germany...
and is among the high-profile buildings of Hamm.
Until the decline of rail freight after the Second World War, it featured one of Europe's largest marshalling yards.
History
The station at Hamm was opened on May 2, 1847, when the first train of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn reached the city. It had been planned from the very beginning to make Hamm a railway hub, therefore the line to MünsterMünster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
(1848) and the line to Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
via Soest
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
(1850) were opened soon thereafter. Both lines were built and operated by the Königlich-Westfälische Eisenbahn. Finally, in 1866, the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn
Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn
The Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company was a Germany railway company that together with the Cologne-Minden Railway and the Rhenish Railway Company was one of the three private railway companies that in the mid-19th...
connected their line to Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
via Unna
Unna
Unna is a town of around 67,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the seat of the Unna district.-Geography:Unna is situated on an ancient salt-trading route, the Hellweg road. Trade on this route and during the period of the Hansa Trade Route came from as far as London...
to the growing station.
Due to the explosive increase in traffic at the height of the industrial age
Industrial Age
Industrial Age may refer to:*Industrialisation*The Industrial Revolution...
, the station was soon unable to cope with the growing demand. A separate marshalling yard was built in the 1880s, situated on the southern side of the passenger station. However, this did not provide real relief, and therefore the station area underwent major reconstruction starting in 1911 and finishing by 1929. The railway lines were laid on elevated embankments and the trackbed inside the station was raised, the old station building, originally built as an island platform, was torn down and replaced by the current building, the construction of which was finished by 1920.
The original marshalling yard was replaced by a new structure further south, consisting of three hump yards. The yard serving the East-West trains (operated from signal box Hvw) was one of the first to receive a mechanised hump in 1925. Two new depots were also built near the station, Hamm P for passenger services and Hamm G for freight operations.
Over the years, Hamm prospered and grew quite notably due to its newfound role as a railway town
Railway town
A railway town is a settlement that originated or was greatly developed because of a railway station or junction at its site.In Victorian Britain, the spread of railways greatly affected the fate of many small towns...
.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the station was a prime target due to its strategic location and its large marshalling yard and suffered from numerous air attacks. Most of these were carried out by the British RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
. Over 80% of Hamm lay in ruins after the war, and the station was no exception. Passenger services resumed on June 18, 1945 on the line to Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
and Duisburg
Duisburg
- History :A legend recorded by Johannes Aventinus holds that Duisburg, was built by the eponymous Tuisto, mythical progenitor of Germans, ca. 2395 BC...
, and on June 20 of the same year on the lines to Bielefeld
Bielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
, Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
and Soest
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
.
The first line to be electrified was the line from Hamm to Düsseldorf Hbf
Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Düsseldorf in Germany, state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The station was opened on 1 October 1891 opened as Düsseldorf Central Station...
on May 10, 1957. Electrification continued over the next decades, and was finished in December 1970 with the line to Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
.
In 1984, Hamm started to see InterCity
Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)
Intercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
services calling at the station, and since the early 1990s InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
trains call at the station as well.
The marshalling yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
, despite having been renovated in the 1960s, was partly closed after Deutsche Bundesbahn
Deutsche Bundesbahn
The Deutsche Bundesbahn or DB was formed as the state railway of the newly established Federal Republic of Germany on September 7, 1949 as a successor of the Deutsche Reichsbahn-Gesellschaft '...
became the private Deutsche Bahn AG. Of the three humps originally present in the yard, two of them (near signal boxes Hro and Vmo) were closed. The marshalling yard nowadays operates at only 10% of its original 10,000 wagon
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
per day capacity. The two depots and the maintenance works are also operating at reduced capacity. The mail station, which even had its own hump, has been completely closed as mail trains were abolished soon after the privatization of the former Deutsche Bundespost
Deutsche Bundespost
The Deutsche Bundespost was created in 1947 as a successor to the Reichspost . Between 1947 and 1950 the enterprise was called Deutsche Post...
in the early 1990s. The access tracks have been removed and the area was sold off to investors.
Station building
Gründerzeit
' refers to the economic phase in 19th century Germany and Austria before the great stock market crash of 1873. At this time in Central Europe the age of industrialisation was taking place, whose beginnings were found in the 1840s...
style and incorporating Jugendstil elements, designed by an unknown architect.
The building sustained damage to parts of the roof and the vault
Vault (architecture)
A Vault is an architectural term for an arched form used to provide a space with a ceiling or roof. The parts of a vault exert lateral thrust that require a counter resistance. When vaults are built underground, the ground gives all the resistance required...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was swiftly rebuilt after the war.
In 1985, the station hall was modernised in a contemporary style, and the front walls were clad
Cladding (construction)
Cladding is the application of one material over another to provide a skin or layer intended to control the infiltration of weather elements, or for aesthetic purposes....
with sheet metal. A new ticket hall made of glass was also added into the main station hall. Public opinion, however, was not in favour of the typical 1980s building style, and the topic of renovation resurfaced as early as the mid-1990s. The station therefore was properly restorated to its original state. Since the station hall had meanwhile become a listed building (in 1990), great attention was paid to detail. The station received the Europa Nostra Award in 2001 for the restoration effort.
Services at the station
The station building is fully accessible to the disabled and features lifts to all platforms except to tracks 12 and 13.The ticket hall is open Mon to Fri 6:00 to 19:30, Sat 7:30 to 18:00 and Sun 9:30 to 19:00. There also is a service desk in the station hall, as well as a bistro, a bakery, a pharmacy and a bookshop. The railway mission
Railway Mission
The Railway Mission is a British mission devoted to the rail industry. It was founded in 1881 based in mission halls, and now operates a chaplaincy service. In the early days of the Railway Mission there were a number of mission halls at railway stations throughout the country, including one at...
is situated near platform 3.
With the exceptions of lines 1, 3, 7, and 17, all of Hamm's city buses call at the stop in front of the station. There are 220 free park and ride
Park and ride
Park and ride facilities are car parks with connections to public transport that allow commuters and other people wishing to travel into city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, rail system , or carpool for the rest of their trip...
spaces for commuters. Local car parks have 800 bays, with another 200 to be added in a newly-built car park at the western exit. There also is a guarded bicycle stand which can hold 780 bicycles.
Trains
The station is an important hub with frequent services to BielefeldBielefeld
Bielefeld is an independent city in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe Region in the north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With a population of 323,000, it is also the most populous city in the Regierungsbezirk Detmold...
, Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
, Hagen
Hagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
and Soest
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
.
Hourly InterCityExpress
InterCityExpress
The Intercity-Express or ICE is a system of high-speed trains predominantly running in Germany and neighbouring countries. It is the highest service category offered by DB Fernverkehr and is the flagship of Deutsche Bahn...
services run to Berlin Ostbahnhof
Berlin Ostbahnhof
Berlin Ostbahnhof is a mainline railway station in Berlin, Germany. It is in Friedrichshain, now part of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, and has undergone several name changes in its history. It was known as Berlin Hauptbahnhof from 1987 to 1998, a name now applied to Berlin's new central station...
via Berlin Hbf
Berlin Hauptbahnhof
' , is the main railway station in Berlin, Germany. It began full operation two days after a ceremonial opening on 26 May 2006. It is located on the site of the historic Lehrter Bahnhof, and until it opened as a main line station, it was a stop on the Berlin S-Bahn suburban railway temporarily...
, with trainsets coming from Cologne Bonn Airport
Cologne Bonn Airport
Cologne/Bonn Airport is an international airport located in the district of Porz in the city of Cologne, Germany, and is surrounded by the Wahner Heide nature reserve. The airport is centrally located in the Cologne/Bonn Region southeast of Cologne city centre and northeast of Bonn...
(via Köln-Deutz
Köln-Deutz railway station
Köln Messe/Deutz is a railway station in Deutz, Cologne, a right-Rhenish district of the city of Cologne, Germany. It is situated close to the River Rhine and via the Hohenzollernbrücke, just a several hundred metres away from Köln Hauptbahnhof, the city's main station...
, Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Düsseldorf in Germany, state capital of North Rhine-Westphalia.-History:The station was opened on 1 October 1891 opened as Düsseldorf Central Station...
, Duisburg
Duisburg Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof of the city of Duisburg in western Germany. It is situated at the meeting point of many important national and international railway lines in the Northwestern Ruhr valley.- Lines :...
, Essen Hauptbahnhof
Essen Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Essen in western Germany. It is situated south of the old town centre, next to the A 40 motorway.It was opened in 1862 by the Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn...
and Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
is the central station for the city of Dortmund in Germany.The station's origins lie in a joint station of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn and Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn which was built north of the city centre in 1847. That station was replaced by a new station, erected in 1910 at the current site....
) and Bonn Hbf
Bonn Hauptbahnhof
is a railway station located on the left bank of the Rhine along the Cologne–Mainz line. It is the principal station serving the city of Bonn. In addition to extensive rail service from Deutsche Bahn it acts as a hub for local bus, tram, and Stadtbahn services....
(via Wuppertal and Hagen Hbf
Hagen Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Hagen in western Germany. It is an important rail hub for the southeastern Ruhr area, offering regional and long distance connections....
). The individual trainsets are then coupled together to continue their journey to Berlin via Bielefeld
Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof
is the central railway station of the city of Bielefeld in Germany. The station was opened in 1847 as part of the Cologne-Minden trunk line. The current building was built in 1910 in the Art Nouveau style.-Train services:...
and Hannover
Hannover Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Hanover in Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:The first station on the current site, a temporary building serving the line to Lehrte, was erected in 1843...
.
A bi-hourly InterCity
Intercity (Deutsche Bahn)
Intercity is the second-highest train classification in Germany, after the ICE. Intercity services are loco-hauled express services, usually over long-distances. There are Intercity routes throughout Germany, and routes generally operate with a two-hour frequency, with multiple routes giving a more...
line runs from the Ruhr valley to Magdeburg Hbf
Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof
is the main railway station in the city of Magdeburg in the northern part of the German state of Saxony-Anhalt.-Importance :The station is the main station of Magdeburg and along with Halle Hauptbahnhof the centre of long-distance rail transport in Saxony-Anhalt...
via Hannover
Hannover Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Hanover in Lower Saxony, Germany.-History:The first station on the current site, a temporary building serving the line to Lehrte, was erected in 1843...
. Another IC line connects Hamm to Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe
Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe railway station
Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe is a railway station in the city of Kassel, in the German state of Hesse. It is the city's most important railway station, as it is connected to the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line, with InterCityExpress services calling at the station.- History :When the Deutsche...
and Erfurt
Erfurt
Erfurt is the capital city of Thuringia and the main city nearest to the geographical centre of Germany, located 100 km SW of Leipzig, 150 km N of Nuremberg and 180 km SE of Hannover. Erfurt Airport can be reached by plane via Munich. It lies in the southern part of the Thuringian...
.
Furthermore, many local services call at the station. The RE
RegionalExpress
The term Regional-Express denotes a type of regional train in Germany and Austria .It is best compared to a semi-fast train, as it calls at fewer stations than Regionalbahn or S-Bahn trains, but stops more often than InterCity services...
lines 1, 3 and 13 terminate at Hamm, whilst RE lines 6, 7 and 11 as well as RB
RegionalBahn
The Regionalbahn is a type of local passenger train in Germany.-Service:Regionalbahn trains usually call at all stations on a given line, with the exception of RB trains within S-Bahn networks, these may only call at selected stations...
line 69 and 89 call at the station.
Hamm is also the terminus of the Hamm-Osterfelder Bahn, which lost its passenger traffic in 1983 but is still a notable freight railway.
Hamm is not a Hauptbahnhof, though there are two other stations in the city, Bockum-Hövel and Heessen. It is sometimes listed as Hamm Pbf in itineraries and on destination boards though, most likely to disambiguate the passenger station from the freight station, which was once known as Hamm Gbf. The