Head house
Encyclopedia
A head house is a part of a train station
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...

.

Rail terminals

In the context of rail transport
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...

, head house refers to that portion of a passenger terminal
Passenger terminal
Passenger terminal may refer to:*A train station terminus at the end of a railway line*Airport terminal, a building at an airport where passengers board and disembark from aircraft...

 not housing the tracks and platforms themselves. Typically, the head house contains ticket counters, toilets and baggage facilities, if there are any. Frequently the head house is centered on a waiting room for passengers. The waiting room may lead directly to the platforms, or there may be a separate passenger concourse between the platforms and other facilities.

Many other amenities are, or were, found in the larger terminals. For instance, when Cincinnati Union Terminal opened in 1933, the head house held a restaurant, lunch room, ice cream shop, news agent, drug store, small movie theater, men's and women's lounges, and restrooms that included changing rooms and showers.

Subways

In the context of subways
Rapid transit
A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

, head house refers to that portion of a subway station that is above ground. It may be no more than a covered entrance. Frequently, though, the head house holds escalators and elevators and, sometimes, ticket agents.

See also

  • Grand Central Depot
  • Reading Terminal
    Reading Terminal
    The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...

  • Chicago Northwestern Station#History
  • St. Louis Union Station
    St. Louis Union Station
    St. Louis Union Station, a National Historic Landmark, is a passenger train terminal in St. Louis, Missouri. Once the world's largest and busiest train station, it was converted in the early 1980s into a luxury hotel, shopping center, and entertainment complex...

  • Howrah station
  • Newport (PATH station)
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