Atrain station,railroad station, orrailway station is arailway facility wheretrains stop to load or unloadpassengers,freight, or both. It generally consists of at least oneplatform, onetrack, and astation building providing such ancillary services asticket sales,waiting rooms, and baggage/freight service. Stations on asingle-track line often have apassing loop to accommodate trains travelling in the opposite direction.[2]
Locations at which passengers only occasionally board or leave a train, sometimes consisting of a short platform and a waiting area but sometimes indicated by no more than a sign, are variously referred to as "stops", "flag stops", "halts", or "provisional stopping places". The stations themselves may be at ground level, underground, or elevated. Connections may be available to intersectingrail lines or other transport modes such asbuses,trams, or otherrapid transit systems.
Train station is the terminology typically used in the U.S.[3] In Europe, the termstrain station andrailway station are both commonly used, withrailroad being obsolete.[4][5][6] InBritish Commonwealth usage, whererailway station is the traditional term, the wordstation is commonly understood to mean a railway station unless otherwise specified.[7]
In the United States, the termdepot is sometimes used as an alternative name forstation, along with the compound formstrain depot,railway depot, andrailroad depot—it is used for both passenger and freight facilities.[8] The termdepot is not used in reference tovehicle maintenance facilities in the U.S., whereas it is used as such in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Baker Street station, London, opened in 1863, was the world's first station to be completely underground. Its original part, seen here, is just below the surface and was constructed bycut-and-cover tunnelling.
Gare du Nord is one of the six large terminus stations of theSNCF mainline network for Paris. It is the busiest railway station outside Japan, serving 206.7 millioncommuter rail, FrenchIntercités and high-speedTGV, and international (Eurostar,Thalys) rail passengers a year as of 2016.[update][9][10][11]
The world's first recorded railway station, fortrains drawn by horses rather than enginedlocomotives, began passenger service in 1807.[13] It wasThe Mount inSwansea, Wales, on the Oystermouth (later theSwansea and Mumbles) Railway.[14] The world's oldest station for engined trains was atHeighington, on theStockton and Darlington railway in north-east England built byGeorge Stephenson in the early 19th century, operated by locomotiveLocomotion No. 1. The station opened in 1827 and was in use until the 1970s. The building,Grade II*-listed, was in bad condition, but was restored in 1984 as an inn. The inn closed in 2017; in 2024 there were plans to renovate the derelict station in time for the 200th anniversary of the opening of the railway line.[15]
Station with train and coal depot byGustave Le Gray (about 1850–1860s)
The oldest terminal station in the world wasCrown Street railway station inLiverpool, England, built in 1830, on the locomotive-hauled Liverpool to Manchester line. The station was slightly older than the still extantLiverpool Road railway station terminal in Manchester. The station was the first to incorporate atrain shed. Crown Street station was demolished in 1836, as the Liverpool terminal station moved toLime Street railway station. Crown Street station was converted to agoods station terminal.
Early stations were sometimes built with both passenger andfreight facilities, though some railway lines were goods-only or passenger-only, and if a line was dual-purpose there would often be a freight depot apart from the passenger station.[18] This type of dual-purpose station can sometimes still be found today, though in many cases goods facilities are restricted to major stations.
Many stations date from the 19th century and reflect the grandiose architecture of the time, lending prestige to the city as well as to railway operations.[19] Countries where railways arrived later may still have such architecture, as later stations often imitated 19th-century styles. Various forms of architecture have been used in the construction of stations, from those boasting grand, intricate,Baroque- orGothic-style edifices, to plainerutilitarian ormodernist styles. Stations in Europe tended to follow British designs and were in some countries, like Italy, financed by British railway companies.[20]
Train stations built more recently often have a similar feel to airports, with a simple, abstract style. Examples of modern stations include those on newerhigh-speed rail networks, such as theShinkansen in Japan,THSR in Taiwan,TGV lines in France, andICE lines in Germany.
APrestocontactless smart card reader and self-serve ticket machine at a suburban train station in Toronto, CanadaTicket counters at theNyugati Railway Station inBudapest, HungaryHistoric track plan of a railway station in Switzerland showing passenger and goods facilities and a small locomotive depot
Stations normally have staffed ticket sales offices, automatedticket machines, or both, although on some lines tickets are sold on board the trains. Many stations include a shop orconvenience store. Larger stations usually havefast-food orrestaurant facilities. In some countries, stations may also have abar orpub. Other station facilities may include:toilets,left-luggage,lost-and-found,departures and arrivals schedules, luggage carts,waiting rooms,taxi ranks,bus bays and evencar parks. Larger or staffed stations tend to have a greater range of facilities including also a station security office. These are usually open for travellers when there is sufficient traffic over a long enough period of time to warrant the cost. In large cities this may mean facilities available around the clock. A basic station might only have platforms, though it may still be distinguished from ahalt, a stopping or halting place that may not even have platforms.
Many stations, either larger or smaller, offer interchange with local transportation; this can vary from a simple bus stop across the street to underground rapid-transit urban rail stations.
In many African, South American, and Asian countries, stations are also used as a place for public markets and other informal businesses. This is especially true ontourist routes or stations neartourist destinations.
As well as providing services for passengers and loading facilities for goods, stations can sometimes have locomotive and rolling stock depots, usually with facilities for storing and refuelling rolling stock and carrying out minor repairs.
The basic configuration of a station and various other features set certain types apart. The first is thelevel of the tracks. Stations are often sited where a road crosses the railway: unless the crossing is alevel crossing, the road and railway will be at different levels. The platforms will often be raised or lowered relative to the station entrance: the station buildings may be on either level, or both. The other arrangement, where the station entrance and platforms are on the same level, is also common, but is perhaps rarer inurban areas, except when the station is a terminus. Stations located at level crossings can be problematic if the train blocks the roadway while it stops, causing road traffic to wait for an extended period of time. Stations also exist where the station buildings are above the tracks.[21] An example of this isArbroath.
Occasionally, a station serves two or more railway lines at differing levels. This may be due to the station's position at a point where two lines cross (example:Berlin Hauptbahnhof), or may be to provide separate station capacity for two types of service, such as intercity and suburban (examples:Paris-Gare de Lyon andPhiladelphia's 30th Street Station), or for two different destinations.
Stations may also be classified according to the layout of the platforms. Apart from single-track lines, the most basic arrangement is a pair of tracks for the two directions; there is then a basic choice of anisland platform between, two separate platforms outside the tracks (side platforms), or a combination of the two. With more tracks, the possibilities expand.
Some stations have unusual platform layouts due to space constraints of the station location, or the alignment of the tracks. Examples include staggered platforms, such as atTutbury and Hatton railway station on theCrewe–Derby line, and curved platforms, such asCheadle Hulme railway station on the Macclesfield to Manchester Line. Stations at junctions can also have unusual shapes – aKeilbahnhof (or "wedge-shaped" station) is sited where two lines split.Triangular stations also exist where two lines form a three-way junction and platforms are built on all three sides, for exampleShipley andEarlestown stations.
In a station, there are different types of tracks to serve different purposes. A station may also have apassing loop with a loop line that comes off the straightmain line and merge back to the main line on the other end byrailroad switches to allow trains to pass.[22]
A track with a spot at the station to board and disembark trains is called station track or house track[23] regardless of whether it is a main line or loop line. If such track is served by aplatform, the track may be called platform track. A loop line without a platform, which is used to allow a train to clear the main line at the station only, is called passing track.[22] A track at the station without a platform which is used for trains to pass the station without stopping is called through track.[23]
There may be othersidings at the station which are lower speed tracks for other purposes. A maintenance track or a maintenance siding, usually connected to a passing track, is used for parking maintenance equipment, trains not in service,autoracks orsleepers. Arefuge track is a dead-end siding that is connected to a station track as a temporary storage of a disabled train.[22]
Opened in 1830 and reached through a tunnel, Liverpool'sCrown Street railway station was the first ever railway terminus. The station was demolished after only six years, being replaced byLime Street station in the city centre. The tunnel still exists.
Opened in 1836,Spa Road railway station in London was the city's first terminus and also the world's first elevated station and terminus.
A "terminus" or "terminal" is a station at the end of a railway line. Trains arriving there have to end their journeys (terminate) or reverse out of the station. Depending on the layout of the station, this usually permits travellers to reach all theplatforms without the need to cross anytracks – the public entrance to the station and the main reception facilities being at the far end of the platforms.
Sometimes the track continues for a short distance beyond the station, and terminating trains continue forward after depositing their passengers, before either proceeding to sidings or reversing to the station to pick up departing passengers.Bondi Junction, Australia andKristiansand Station, Norway are examples.
A terminus is frequently, but not always, the final destination of trains arriving at the station. Especially in continental Europe, a city may have a terminus as its main railway station, and all main lines converge on it. In such cases all trains arriving at the terminus must leave in the reverse direction from that of their arrival. There are several ways in which this can be accomplished:
arranging for the service to be provided by amultiple-unit orpush–pull train, both of which are capable of operating in either direction; the driver simply walks to the other end of the train and takes control from the other cab; this is increasingly the normal method in Europe; and is very common in North America;
by detaching the locomotive which brought the train into the station and then either
using another track to "run it around" to the other end of the train, to which it then re-attaches;
attaching a second locomotive to the outbound end of the train; or
by the use of a "wye", a roughly triangular arrangement of track andswitches (points) where a train can reverse direction and back into the terminal;
historically,turntables were used to reverse steam engines.
There may also be a bypass line, used by freight trains that do not need to stop at the terminus.
Some termini have a newer set of through platforms underneath (or above, or alongside) the terminal platforms on the main level. They are used by a cross-city extension of the main line, often forcommuter trains, while the terminal platforms may serve long-distance services. Examples of underground through lines include theThameslink platforms atSt Pancras in London, theArgyle andNorth Clyde lines ofGlasgow's suburban rail network, inAntwerp in Belgium, theRER at theGare du Nord in Paris, theMilansuburban railway service'sPassante railway, and many of the numerousS-Bahn lines at terminal stations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, such as atZürich Hauptbahnhof.[24] Due to the disadvantages of terminus stations there have been multiple cases in which one or several terminus stations were replaced with a new through-station, including the cases ofBerlin Hauptbahnhof,Vienna Hauptbahnhof and numerous examples throughout the first century of railroading.Stuttgart 21 is a controversial project involving the replacement of a terminus station by a through-station.
An American example of a terminal with this feature isUnion Station in Washington, DC, where there are bay platforms on the main concourse level to serve terminating trains and standard island platforms one level below to serve trains continuing southward. The lower tracks run in a tunnel beneath the concourse and emerge a few blocks away to cross the Potomac River into Virginia.
Terminus stations in large cities are by far the biggest stations, with the largest beingGrand Central Terminal in New York City.[25] Other major cities, such as London,Boston, Paris,Istanbul, Tokyo, andMilan have more than one terminus, rather than routes straight through the city. Train journeys through such cities often require alternative transport (metro,bus,taxi orferry) from one terminus to the other. For instance, in Istanbul transfers from theSirkeci Terminal (the European terminus) and theHaydarpaşa Terminal (the Asian terminus) historically required crossing theBosphorus via alternative means, before theMarmaray railway tunnel linking Europe and Asia was completed. Some cities, including New York, have both termini and through lines.
Terminals that have competing rail lines using the station frequently set up a jointly ownedterminal railroad to own and operate the station and its associated tracks and switching operations.
During a journey, the termstation stop may be used in announcements, to differentiate halts during which passengers may alight and halts for another reasons, such as alocomotive change.
While a junction orinterlocking usually divides two or more lines or routes, and thus has remotely or locally operatedsignals, a station stop does not. A station stop usually does not have any tracks other than the main tracks, and may or may not haveswitches (points, crossovers).
The majority of stations are, in practice, intermediate stations. They are mostly designed asthrough stations; there are only a few intermediate stations that take the form of a stub-end station, for example at somezigzags. If there is astation building, it is usually located to the side of the tracks. In the case of intermediate stations used for both passenger and freight traffic, there is a distinction between those where the station building and goods facilities are on the same side of the tracks and those in which the goods facilities are on the opposite side of the tracks from the station building.[26]
Ahalt, in railway parlance in theCommonwealth of Nations,Ireland andPortugal, is a small passenger station, usually unstaffed or with very few staff, and with few or no facilities. A halt is usually equipped with a platform or platforms on the through track(s) and the appropriate signage, but not withswitches. In some cases, trains stop only onrequest, when passengers on the platform indicate that they wish to board, or passengers on the train inform the crew that they wish to alight. These can sometimes appear with signals and sometimes without.
TheGreat Western Railway in Great Britain began openinghaltes on 12 October 1903; from 1905, the French spelling was Anglicised to "halt". These GWR halts had the most basic facilities, with platforms long enough for just one or two carriages; some had no raised platform at all, necessitating the provision of steps on the carriages. Halts were normally unstaffed, tickets being sold on the train. On 1 September 1904, a larger version, known on the GWR as a "platform" instead of a "halt", was introduced; these had longer platforms, and were usually staffed by a senior grade porter, who sold tickets and sometimes booked parcels or milk consignments.[29][30]
From 1903 to 1947 the GWR built 379 halts and inherited a further 40 from other companies at theGrouping of 1923. Peak building periods were before theFirst World War (145 built) and 1928–1939 (198 built).[31] Ten more were opened byBritish Rail on ex-GWR lines. The GWR also built 34 "platforms".[32]
Many such stops remain on the national railway networks in the United Kingdom, such asPenmaenmawr inNorth Wales,Yorton inShropshire, andThe Lakes inWarwickshire, where passengers are requested to inform a member of on-board train staff if they wish to alight, or, if catching a train from the station, to make themselves clearly visible to the driver and use a hand signal as the train approaches.[33] Most have had "Halt" removed from their names. Two publicly advertised and publicly accessible National Rail stations retain it:Coombe Junction Halt andSt Keyne Wishing Well Halt.[34][35]
Staff halt at Durnsford Road, Wimbledon
A number of other halts are still open and operational on privately owned, heritage, and preserved railways throughout the British Isles. The word is often used informally to describe national rail network stations with limited service and low usage, such as theOxfordshire Halts on theCotswold Line. It has also sometimes been used for stations served by public services but accessible only by persons travelling to/from an associated factory (for exampleIBM near Greenock andBritish Steel Redcar– although neither of these is any longer served by trains), or military base (such asLympstone Commando) or railway yard. The only two such "private" stopping places on the national system, where the "halt" designation is still officially used, seem to be Staff Halt (at Durnsford Road, Wimbledon) and Battersea Pier Sidings Staff Halt, both of which are solely for railway staff.[35]
InIreland, a few small railway stations are designated as "halts" (Irish:stadanna, sing.stad).[37]
In someCommonwealth countries the term "halt" is used.
In Australia, with its sparse rural populations, such stopping places were common on lines that were still open for passenger traffic. In the state ofVictoria, for example, a location on a railway line where a small diesel railcar orrailmotor could stop on request, allowing passengers to board or alight, was called a "rail motor stopping place" (RMSP). Usually situated near alevel crossing, it was often designated solely by a sign beside the railway.[38] The passenger could hail the driver to stop, and could buy a ticket from the train guard or conductor.[39] In South Australia, such facilities were called "provisional stopping places".[40] They were often placed on routes on which "school trains" (services conveying children from rural localities to and from school) operated.[41]
In WestMalaysia, halts are commonplace along the less developedKTM East Coast railway line to serve rural 'kampongs' (villages), that require train services to stay connected to important nodes, but do not have a need for staff. People boarding at halts who have not bought tickets online can buy it through staff on board.
In rural and remote communities across Canada and the United States, passengers wanting to board the train at such places had to flag the train down to stop it, hence the name "flag stops" or "flag stations".[42]
Accessibility for disabled people is mandated by law in some countries. Considerations include:
Elevators orramps to every platform are necessary for people inwheelchairs who cannot use stairs, and also allow those withprams,bicycles, and luggage to reach the platform more easily and safely
Minimising theplatform gap in both height and width. This also requires rolling stock with appropriate dimensions. At some stations, a railway worker can install a temporary ramp to allow people in wheelchairs to board. Relying on temporary ramps can lead to people in wheelchairs becoming stranded on a train or platform if a staff member fails to show up to deploy the ramp.[43]
Station facilities such asaccessible toilets, payphones, and audible announcements
In the United Kingdom, rail operators will arrange alternative transport (typically ataxi) at no extra cost to the ticket holder if the station they intend to travel to or from is inaccessible.[45]
Reached by a 1.24-mile (2 km) long tunnel, the 1830Park Lane Goods Terminus at Liverpool's docks was the world's first station built entirely for freight.
Goods or freight stations deal exclusively or predominantly with the loading and unloading of goods and may well havemarshalling yards (classification yards) for the sorting of wagons. The world's first goods terminal was the 1830Park Lane Goods Station at the South End Liverpool Docks. Built in 1830, the terminal was reached by a 1.24-mile (2 km) tunnel.
As goods are increasingly moved by road, many former goods stations, as well as the goods sheds at passenger stations, have closed. Many are used purely for the cross-loading of freight and may be known as transshipment stations, where they primarily handle containers. They are also known as container stations or terminals.
Grand Central Terminal in New York City is the largest station by number of platforms, with 44 on two levels.Clapham Junction in London is the busiest station in terms of rail traffic with an average of one train every 20 seconds at peak times.
The world's busiest passenger station, with a passenger throughput of 3.5 million passengers per day (1.27 billion per year), isShinjuku Station in Tokyo.[46]
The world's station with most platforms isGrand Central Terminal in New York City with 44 platforms.[47]
The world's station with the longest platform isHubballi Junction railway station with a platform length of 1,505 metres (4,938 ft) and is located in Karnataka, India.[48]
The world's highest station above ground level (not above sea level) isHualongqiao station inChongqing with Line 9 trains stopping 48 meters above the surface.[49][50]
Gare du Nord, in Paris, is by the number of travellers, at around 214 million per year, the busiest railway station in Europe, the 24th busiest in the world and the busiest outside Japan.[11]
^Morana Lukač (12 November 2014)."Railway station or train station?".Bridging the Unbridgeable. A project on English usage guides (blog). Leiden, The Netherlands: Leiden University Centre for Linguistics.Archived from the original on 26 September 2015. Retrieved28 August 2015.
^"station, noun".Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Oxford University Press.Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved28 August 2015.
^abckeyword:Zwischenbahnhof [intermediate station], in:Lexikon der Eisenbahn, Transpress; Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1990, ISBN 3-344-00160-4, p. 928.
^abBahnhöfe atZeno.org. Article by: Viktor von Röll (ed.):Enzyklopädie des Eisenbahnwesens (Encyclopaedia of the Railway), 2nd edition, 1912–1923, Vol. 1, p. 383 ff.
^Jörn Pachl,Systemtechnik des Eisenbahnverkehrs, Glossary,digital versionArchived 27 June 2015 at theWayback Machine in theGlossar der Systemtechnik des Eisenbahnverkehrs, retrieved 16 February 2014
^MacDermot, E.T. (1931). "Chapter XI: The Great Awakening".History of the Great Western Railway. Vol. II (1st ed.). Paddington:Great Western Railway. p. 428.ISBN978-0-7110-0411-5.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
^South Australian Railways working timetable 1964, Table 35
^Lewis, Bill (2002). "The Copper Coast".Proceedings of the Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention 2002. Modelling the Railways of South Australia Convention. Adelaide. pp. 1–244.
^Symonds, Alexandria; Lucas, Jake; Syckle, Katie Van; McGinley, Terence; Niemann, Christoph (31 December 2019)."79 of Our Favorite Facts of 2019".The New York Times.
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