Virtual Railfan Tour - Sunday - Hamburg Hauptbahnhof

Hamburg Hauptbahnhof
 Hamburg is a German port city well known for launching the Beatles and as the home of Miniatiur Wunderland. There is quite a lot of railway activity in the city servicing the ports and freight yards. The main passenger station is Hamburg Hauptbahnhof with passenger connections all over Germany as well as direct connections to cities in Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, and Prague. Hamburg is a destination on the recently rejuvenated Nightjet services in Europe led by the OBB. There is also an extensive regional S-Bahn service as well as a subway (U-bahn) network in the central core.

As visitors to the city we were given free transportation on the network for the duration of our stay.

Hamburg Hbf is a through station with a very large train shed. The imposing train hall is very bright and the roof glazing is very clean, a function of having most train movement electric. The station is very much a destination for the community with two large retails concourse above the tracks with electronics stores, coffee shops, restaurants, food courts, and groceries serving commuters and locals. There are some very good views from the concourse to the tracks several levels below.

Hamburg station clock tower



Hamburg trackwork

This picture illustrates the size of the Hamburg train hall. The station survived Allied bombing although some areas were badly damaged.

The train hall is surprisingly bright

A night view over the main hall from the main concourse which stretches over all tracks

Ice cream is readily available on the concourse.

S-Bahn train at Hamburg Hbf

DB commuter train

DB ICE 1 intercity train. The loco carries the SBB logo celebrating 25 years of service to Switzerland.

Flix train powered by a Siemens Taurus loco

Flix train heads south out of Hamburg while a Metronom commuter train waits in the background

Metronom service from Bremen Hbf. Notice the smiley face below the signal

Old Class 112 locomotive still used by DB

Passenger train and bus services north of Hamburg in Schleswig-Holstein are coordinated by NAH.SH GmbH

Group of well behaved schoolkids getting off a train. They are clearly identified in case they get lost in the busy crowds.

Hamburg Hbf is served by north and south stations on its U-bahn network

Hamburg U-bahn trains above ground near Hamburg Hbf

Video of train movements through the station

Tomorrow we will explore Hamburg Altona station and the harbor.

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