Konstanz station
Encyclopedia
Konstanz station is the largest passenger station in the German city of Konstanz
. It is served by regional and long distance services operated by Deutsche Bahn
and Swiss Federal Railways. It is the end of the Upper Rhine Railway
and the beginning of the Etzwilen–Konstanz line.
and Konstanz by the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway
. The link to Switzerland was opened in 1871, when the Swiss Northeastern Railway
opened the line between Romanshorn and Konstanz, now part of the Seelinie ("Lake line"). On 17 July 1875 this was followed by the building of the Etzwilen–Konstanz line, together with the Kreuzlingen–Kreuzlingen harbour connecting line, by the Swiss National Railway
(Schweizerische Nationalbahn, SNB). After the SNB went bankrupt in 1878, its tracks were taken over by the NOB. In 1902, the NOB was absorbed in the newly created SBB.
In 1911, the Mittelthurgau-Bahn
(MThB) opened a line from Kreuzlingen via Berg
and Weinfelden
to Wil
. From the beginning, services from Kreuzlingen ran on the former SBB line through Konstanz to connect with the German rail network. It was served by the S-Bahn-like Seehas (roughly "lake hare") service developed by the MThB over the Upper Rhine Railway to Engen. In 2002, the MThB fell into financial difficulties and was subsequently liquidated. Since then, subsidiaries of SBB have operated its services: SBB GmbH between Konstanz and Engen and THURBO
between Konstanz and Weinfelden/Wil.
and Renaissance styles, modelled on the Palazzo Vecchio
in Florence
. North of the entrance building was the Fürstenbahnhof ("princes’ station building"), a pavilion
, which now serves as a shopping centre.
The station has three tracks: a “home” platform (next to the entrance building) and a central island platform. To reach the central platform, tracks 2 and 1 must be crossed on the level. This crossing is protected by a barrier. At the northern end, there is also a tunnel that connects the platforms on one side to the city centre and on the other side to the port. In addition, there are two walkways and a shopping centre leading to the lake.
, the central platform was separated by a chain-link fence. Long-distance trains to and from Switzerland stopped on platform 3. The station building also has two sections for the German and Swiss railways. The German part is still operated by Deutsche Bahn and the Swiss part by Thurbo (formerly Mittelthurgaubahn). Travellers to the Swiss section of the station before 2008 had to pass through a customs inspection to get to the platforms.
trains runs to Hamburg
, continuing in the summer months to Stralsund
. On the weekend a pair of trains operates to Emden
.
trains run from Biel to Konstanz, which also stop at Zurich Hauptbahnhof and Zurich airport
. Until the new 2008 timetable, these trains were composed of ICN tilting electrical multiple units.
Biel–Solothurn
–Olten
–Zurich Hauptbahnhof–Zurich airport
–Winterthur
–Frauenfeld
–Weinfelden
– Kreuzlingen
–Konstanz
and Regional-Express trains on the Black Forest Railway, making in combination an hourly service. They are interrupted only by an InterCity
service to Stralsund
, which replaces one of the regional trains.
Karlsruhe
–Offenburg
–Sankt Georgen–Villingen–Donaueschingen
–Singen
–Konstanz–Kreuzlingen Karlsruhe–Offenburg–Sankt Georgen–Villingen–Donaueschingen–Singen–Konstanz–Kreuzlingen
(Seehas) (SBB GmbH)
and Friedrichshafen
. Some buses of the SBG operate to Allensbach
and Radolfzell
. Catamaran services also run every hour to Friedrichshafen from the port near the station.
Konstanz
Konstanz is a university city with approximately 80,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south-west corner of Germany, bordering Switzerland. The city houses the University of Konstanz.-Location:...
. It is served by regional and long distance services operated by Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn AG is the German national railway company, a private joint stock company . Headquartered in Berlin, it came into existence in 1994 as the successor to the former state railways of Germany, the Deutsche Bundesbahn of West Germany and the Deutsche Reichsbahn of East Germany...
and Swiss Federal Railways. It is the end of the Upper Rhine Railway
Upper Rhine Railway
The Upper Rhine Railway is the name given by the Deutsche Bahn to the 143 kilometre long railway line from Basel to Singen with timetable no. 730...
and the beginning of the Etzwilen–Konstanz line.
History
The station was opened to traffic 15 June 1863 with the opening of the last section of the Upper Rhine Railway between WaldshutWaldshut-Tiengen
Waldshut-Tiengen is a city in southwestern Baden-Württemberg right at the Swiss border. It is the district seat and at the same time the biggest city in Waldshut district and a "middle centre" in the area of the "high centre" Lörrach/Weil am Rhein to whose middle area most towns and communities in...
and Konstanz by the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway
Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway
The Grand Duchy of Baden was an independent state in what is now southwestern Germany until the creation of the German Empire in 1871. It had its own state-owned railway company, the Grand Duchy of Baden State Railways , which was founded in 1840...
. The link to Switzerland was opened in 1871, when the Swiss Northeastern Railway
Swiss Northeastern Railway
The Swiss Northeastern Railway or NOB was an early railway company in Switzerland.In 1853 the Swiss Northern Railway merged with the Lake Constance and Rheinfall Railways under the name Swiss Northeastern Railway.The main instigator was Alfred Escher...
opened the line between Romanshorn and Konstanz, now part of the Seelinie ("Lake line"). On 17 July 1875 this was followed by the building of the Etzwilen–Konstanz line, together with the Kreuzlingen–Kreuzlingen harbour connecting line, by the Swiss National Railway
Swiss National Railway
The Swiss National Railway was a railway company in Switzerland.The Swiss National Railway was created in 1875 from the merger of the two companies, the Winterthur–Zofingen Railway and the Zofingen–Singen–Kreuzlingen Railway...
(Schweizerische Nationalbahn, SNB). After the SNB went bankrupt in 1878, its tracks were taken over by the NOB. In 1902, the NOB was absorbed in the newly created SBB.
In 1911, the Mittelthurgau-Bahn
Mittelthurgau-Bahn
The Mittelthurgaubahn was a private railway company in Switzerland. In 2003 the company was dissolved due to financial problems, most of its activities were taken over by SBB-CFF-FFS subsidiary THURBO....
(MThB) opened a line from Kreuzlingen via Berg
Berg, Thurgau
Berg is a municipality in the district of Weinfelden in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-History:The earliest traces of human settlement come from the Stone Age and there are scattered Bronze Age items around Berg. The modern village of Berg is first mentioned in 796 as Berga...
and Weinfelden
Weinfelden
Weinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of the same name.Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Roman times as Quivelda .-History:...
to Wil
Wil
Wil is the capital of the Wahlkreis of Wil in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland.Wil is the third largest city in the Canton of St. Gallen, after the city of St...
. From the beginning, services from Kreuzlingen ran on the former SBB line through Konstanz to connect with the German rail network. It was served by the S-Bahn-like Seehas (roughly "lake hare") service developed by the MThB over the Upper Rhine Railway to Engen. In 2002, the MThB fell into financial difficulties and was subsequently liquidated. Since then, subsidiaries of SBB have operated its services: SBB GmbH between Konstanz and Engen and THURBO
THURBO
THURBO is the corporate identity of a railway company in eastern Switzerland, owned by SBB-CFF-FFS and the canton of Thurgau.-Operations:...
between Konstanz and Weinfelden/Wil.
Architecture
The station is located on the shore. The station building was built in 1863 in GothicGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
and Renaissance styles, modelled on the Palazzo Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany...
in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. North of the entrance building was the Fürstenbahnhof ("princes’ station building"), a pavilion
Pavilion
In architecture a pavilion has two main meanings.-Free-standing structure:Pavilion may refer to a free-standing structure sited a short distance from a main residence, whose architecture makes it an object of pleasure. Large or small, there is usually a connection with relaxation and pleasure in...
, which now serves as a shopping centre.
The station has three tracks: a “home” platform (next to the entrance building) and a central island platform. To reach the central platform, tracks 2 and 1 must be crossed on the level. This crossing is protected by a barrier. At the northern end, there is also a tunnel that connects the platforms on one side to the city centre and on the other side to the port. In addition, there are two walkways and a shopping centre leading to the lake.
Structural condition
In the past, Konstanz had a reputation as a "grubby" station, as it was rundown and inefficient. The last major work on the station had been the renovation of the bell tower carried out between 1975 and 1983. As part of the economic stimulus program the entrance building is being rehabilitated with energy-saving measures. The waiting area is also being made more attractive.Border station
Konstanz has the function of a border station. Before November 2008, when Switzerland became a party to the Schengen AgreementSchengen Agreement
The Schengen Agreement is a treaty signed on 14 June 1985 near the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, between five of the ten member states of the European Economic Community. It was supplemented by the Convention implementing the Schengen Agreement 5 years later...
, the central platform was separated by a chain-link fence. Long-distance trains to and from Switzerland stopped on platform 3. The station building also has two sections for the German and Swiss railways. The German part is still operated by Deutsche Bahn and the Swiss part by Thurbo (formerly Mittelthurgaubahn). Travellers to the Swiss section of the station before 2008 had to pass through a customs inspection to get to the platforms.
Deutsche Bahn
Deutsche Bahn operates only a few long-distance trains from Konstanz. A daily pair of InterCityInterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
trains runs to Hamburg
Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
is the Hauptbahnhof for the German city of Hamburg. It was opened in 1906 to replace 4 terminal stations. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is operated by DB Station&Service...
, continuing in the summer months to Stralsund
Stralsund Hauptbahnhof
is the main station in Western Pomerania and the central station for railway lines running to Hamburg, Bergen auf Rügen and Berlin in the German Hanseatic city of Stralsund.It is owned and operated by Deutsche Bahn.-Station :...
. On the weekend a pair of trains operates to Emden
Emden Hauptbahnhof
is the main station of Emden in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the terminus of the Emsland Railway, connecting Emden with Münster and the Ruhr and the starting point of the East Frisian coastal railway from Emden to Norden and Norddeich, both of which are electrified...
.
| Line | Route | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Konstanz–Singen (Hohentwiel) – Offenburg Offenburg station Offenburg station is in Baden-Wurttemberg and has seven tracks on four platforms. Offenburg used to be railway town and the station was of major economic importance to it. In recent years the maintenance facilities and much of the rail freight yards have been closed... – Karlsruhe Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :... – Heidelberg Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof is the central station for Heidelberg. In 2005 it was used by 30,472 passengers daily and is one of the largest passenger stations in Baden-Wurttemberg. The main station entrance opened in 1955 in Willy-Brandt-Platz in the western district of Heidelberg, on the edge of the district. Diagonally... – Darmstadt Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof of the German city Darmstadt. After Frankfurt Hbf and Wiesbaden Hbf, it is the third largest station in the state of Hesse. It is the second busiest station in Hesse, servicing 35 000 passengers and 220 trains per day.... – Frankfurt am Main – Gießen Gießen station Gießen railway station is the main railway station in Gießen, Hesse, Germany. The station is a Category 2 station is used by 20,000 passengers daily. The station was opened on 25 August 1850 and is located on the Main-Weser Railway and Dill railway . The current station reception building was... – Kassel – Göttingen – Hanover 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... – Hamburg Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof for the German city of Hamburg. It was opened in 1906 to replace 4 terminal stations. Hamburg Hauptbahnhof is operated by DB Station&Service... – Schwerin Schwerin Hauptbahnhof is the main passenger station of the capital of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and is located in the northwest of the central city. It includes four tracks on two platforms and a siding west of the fourth track. Currently the station is used by about 12,000 passengers a... – Rostock Rostock Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in the German city of Rostock. The station was first opened in 1886 by the Deutsch-Nordischer Lloyd, operating a combined railway/ferry line to Nykøbing in Denmark. In 1894, the station was renamed to Central-Bahnhof and finally to Rostock Hauptbahnhof at the turn of... – Stralsund Stralsund Hauptbahnhof is the main station in Western Pomerania and the central station for railway lines running to Hamburg, Bergen auf Rügen and Berlin in the German Hanseatic city of Stralsund.It is owned and operated by Deutsche Bahn.-Station :... – Greifswald Greifswald Greifswald , officially, the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald is a town in northeastern Germany. It is situated in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, at an equal distance of about from Germany's two largest cities, Berlin and Hamburg. The town borders the Baltic Sea, and is crossed... |
Operates daily, sometimes extended to Hanover or Stralsund | |
| Emden Hbf Emden Hauptbahnhof is the main station of Emden in the German state of Lower Saxony. It is the terminus of the Emsland Railway, connecting Emden with Münster and the Ruhr and the starting point of the East Frisian coastal railway from Emden to Norden and Norddeich, both of which are electrified... – Münster Hbf – 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 :... – Köln Köln Hauptbahnhof Köln Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station in Cologne, Germany.The station is an important local, national and international hub, with many ICE, Thalys and Intercity trains calling there, as well as regional RegionalExpress, RegionalBahn and local S-Bahn trains... – Bonn 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.... – Koblenz Koblenz Hauptbahnhof is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Koblenz in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is the focal point of rail transport in the Rhine-Moselle-Lahn area. It is a through station in southern Koblenz built below Fort Großfürst Konstantin and opened in 1902 in the Neustadt , which was built... – Mannheim Mannheim Hauptbahnhof is the central railway station of Mannheim in Germany. It is the second largest traffic hub in southwestern Germany after Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, with 658 trains a day, including 238 long-distance trains. 100,000 passengers embark, disembark or transfer between trains at the station each day... – Karlsruhe – Offenburg – Konstanz |
One train each weekend |
SBB
13 times a day InterRegioInterRegio
The InterRegio is a train service seen in some European countries. Mostly they are trains that run "from region to region", as best described by Swiss Federal Railways.-Switzerland:...
trains run from Biel to Konstanz, which also stop at Zurich Hauptbahnhof and Zurich airport
Zürich Airport railway station
Zurich Airport railway station is a railway station located underneath Check In 3, inside the terminal of Zurich Airport , in Kloten, Zurich, Switzerland....
. Until the new 2008 timetable, these trains were composed of ICN tilting electrical multiple units.
Biel–Solothurn
Solothurn
The city of Solothurn is the capital of the Canton of Solothurn in Switzerland. The city also comprises the only municipality of the district of the same name.-Pre-roman settlement:...
–Olten
Olten railway station
Olten station is a major hub railway station in the canton of Solothurn, Switzerland, at the junction of lines to Zürich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne and Biel...
–Zurich Hauptbahnhof–Zurich airport
Zürich Airport railway station
Zurich Airport railway station is a railway station located underneath Check In 3, inside the terminal of Zurich Airport , in Kloten, Zurich, Switzerland....
–Winterthur
Winterthur
Winterthur is a city in the canton of Zurich in northern Switzerland. It has the country's sixth largest population with an estimate of more than 100,000 people. In the local dialect and by its inhabitants, it is usually abbreviated to Winti...
–Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Early history:The earliest trace of human settlement are several La Tène era graves to the east of Langdorf. The Roman road from Oberwinterthur to Pfyn ran through what is now the Allmend in Frauenfeld. Two Roman villas were...
–Weinfelden
Weinfelden
Weinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of the same name.Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Roman times as Quivelda .-History:...
– Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen
Kreuzlingen is a municipality in the district of Kreuzlingen in the canton of Thurgau in north-eastern Switzerland. It is the seat of the district and is the second largest city of the canton, after Frauenfeld, with a population of over 18,000...
–Konstanz
Deutsche Bahn
Konstanz is served every two hours by Interregio-ExpressInterregio-Express
The Interregio-Express is a local public transport railway service operated by the Deutsche Bahn which is only available in the German states of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Berlin as well as in Switzerland...
and Regional-Express trains on the Black Forest Railway, making in combination an hourly service. They are interrupted only by an InterCity
InterCity
InterCity is the classification applied to certain long-distance passenger train services in Europe...
service to Stralsund
Stralsund Hauptbahnhof
is the main station in Western Pomerania and the central station for railway lines running to Hamburg, Bergen auf Rügen and Berlin in the German Hanseatic city of Stralsund.It is owned and operated by Deutsche Bahn.-Station :...
, which replaces one of the regional trains.
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe Hauptbahnhof
is the central railway station in the German city of Karlsruhe. The station is classified as one of the major Category 1 stations in Germany, due to its function as a hub connecting several railway lines with each other.- History :...
–Offenburg
Offenburg station
Offenburg station is in Baden-Wurttemberg and has seven tracks on four platforms. Offenburg used to be railway town and the station was of major economic importance to it. In recent years the maintenance facilities and much of the rail freight yards have been closed...
–Sankt Georgen–Villingen–Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen
Donaueschingen is a German town in the Black Forest in the southwest of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg in the Schwarzwald-Baar Kreis. It stands near the confluence of the two sources of the river Danube ....
–Singen
Singen
Singen is an industrial city in the very south of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany and just north of the German-Swiss border.-Location:...
–Konstanz–Kreuzlingen Karlsruhe–Offenburg–Sankt Georgen–Villingen–Donaueschingen–Singen–Konstanz–Kreuzlingen
SBB
The SBB and its subsidiaries SBB GmbH, which has its head office in Konstanz, and Thurbo operate the following three services from Konstanz:: Konstanz–Kreuzlingen (SBB GmbH): Konstanz–Kreuzlingen–Berg–Weinfelden (Thurbo): Konstanz–Radolfzell–Singen–EngenEngen, Germany
Engen is a town in the district of Konstanz, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated 12 km northwest of Singen, and 15 km south of Tuttlingen....
(Seehas) (SBB GmbH)
Other public transport
The bus stop at the station is served by city bus lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 908, 9A/B, 12, 13 and 14. The nearby Marktstätte bus stop is served by lines 5, 6 and 908 (towards Landschlacht). Regional bus services are operated by the express buses of the RAB to RavensburgRavensburg
Ravensburg is a town in Upper Swabia in Southern Germany, capital of the district of Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg.Ravensburg was first mentioned in 1088. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City and an important trading centre...
and Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
This article is about a German town. For the Danish town, see Frederikshavn, and for the Finnish town, see Fredrikshamn .Friedrichshafen is a university city on the northern side of Lake Constance in Southern Germany, near the borders with Switzerland and Austria.It is the district capital of the...
. Some buses of the SBG operate to Allensbach
Allensbach
Allensbach is a municipality in the district of Konstanz in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, which is known for being the home of the Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach, one of the best known polling organizations in Germany....
and Radolfzell
Radolfzell
Radolfzell am Bodensee is a town in Germany at the western end of Lake Constance approximately 18 km northwest of Konstanz. It is the third largest town, after Constance and Singen, in the district of Konstanz, in Baden-Württemberg....
. Catamaran services also run every hour to Friedrichshafen from the port near the station.