Central stations or central railway stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century as railway stations that had initially been built on the edge of city centres were enveloped by urban expansion and became an integral part of the city centres themselves. As a result, "Central Station" is often, but not always, part of the proper name for a railway station that is the central or primary railway hub for a city.
Video Central station
Development
Emergence and growth
Central stations emerged in the second half of the nineteenth century during what has been termed the "Railway Age". Initially railway stations were built on the edge of city centres but, subsequently, with urban expansion, they became an integral part of the city centres themselves.
For example, the first centralized railway terminal in Germany was Hanover Hauptbahnhof, built in 1879. This set the precedent for other major German cities. Frankfurt followed in 1888 and Cologne in the 1890s. Classic German central railway station architecture "reached its zenith" with the completion of Hamburg Hauptbahnhof in 1906 and Leipzig Hauptbahnhof in 1915.
In Europe, it was normal for the authorities to exercise greater control over railway development than in Britain and this meant that the central station was often the focal point of town planning. "Indeed, in most large continental cities the station was deliberately fronted by a square to set it off." During the 1880s "world leadership in large station design passed to Germany, where state funding helped secure the building of central stations on a lavish scale." By contrast, British entrepreneurialism led to a great diversity of ownership and rights and a lack of centralised coherence in the construction of major stations.
In time the urban expansion that put many of these stations at the heart of a city, also hemmed them in so that, although they became increasingly central to the town or city, they were further away from airports or, in some cases, other transport hubs such as bus stations leading to a lack of interoperability and interconnectivity between the different modes of transport.
A revival of fortunes for central stations arose during the 1980s, boosted by the advent of high speed rail and light rail services, that saw opportunities being seized for upgrading central stations and their facilities to create large intermodal transport hubs simultaneously serving many modes of transport, while providing a range of modern facilities for the traveller, creating a "city within a city."
Present-day function
Transport nodes
Today, central stations, particularly in Europe, act as termini for a multitude of rail services - suburban, regional, domestic and international - provided by national carriers or private companies, on conventional rail networks, underground railways and tram systems. These services are often divided between several levels. In many cases, central railway stations are collocated with bus stations as well as taxi services.
Industrial and commercial centres
Central railway stations are not just major transportation nodes but may also be "a specific section of the city with a concentration of infrastructure but also with a diversified collection of buildings and open spaces" which makes them "one of the most complex social areas" of the city. This has drawn in railway business - freight and local industry using the marshalling yards - and commercial business - shops, cafes and entertainment facilities.
High speed rail
The reinvigoration of central stations since the 1980s has been, in part, due to the rise of high speed rail services. But countries have taken different approaches. France gave greater weight to 'peripheral stations', stations external to cities and new high speed lines. Germany and Italy went for the modification of existing lines and central stations. Spain opted for a hybrid approach with new high speed railway lines using existing central stations.
Maps Central station
"Central Station" as a name
English-speaking countries
"Central Station" is a common proper name for a railway station that is the central or primary railway hub for a city, for example, Manchester Central, and Melbourne Central. This is not to be confused with those stations where "Central" appears in name, not because they were 'central' in the sense above, but because they were once served by railway companies with "Central" as part of their name. For example, Leicester Central railway station was owned by the Great Central Railway, and Central Station (Chicago) was owned by the Illinois Central Railroad.
Non-English speaking countries
When translating foreign station names, "Central Station" is commonly used where the literal meaning of the station's name is 'central station', 'principal station' or 'main station'. An example of the latter is the Danish word hovedbanegård. Travel and rail sources such as Rough Guides, Thomas Cook European Timetable and Deutsche Bahn's passenger information generally use the native name; whilst some websites and English publications of some national railway operators use "central station" or "central railway station" instead.
Non-English language names for "Central Station" include:
- ????????? ???? (tsentralna gara) in Bulgarian
- st?ed in Czech
- Centraal Station (abbreviated formerly as CS and currently as Centraal) in Dutch
- Gare centrale in French
- Hauptbahnhof, Centralbahnhof or Zentralbahnhof in German
- ???? ?????? (tahana merkazit) in Hebrew
- Stazione Centrale (abbreviated C.le) in Italian
- sentralstasjon in Norwegian
- Estação Central in Portuguese
- Estación Central in Spanish
- centralstation (abbreviated central or C) in Swedish
Non-English language terms that literally mean 'principal station' or 'main station' are sometimes translated into English as "Central":
- Glavni kolodvor (abbreviated Gl. kol.) in Croatian
- hlavní nádra?í (abbreviated hl. n.) in Czech
- hovedbanegård in Danish
- Hauptbahnhof (abbreviated Hbf or HB) in German
- Dworzec G?ówny (abbreviated G?.) in Polish
- hlavná stanica (abbreviated hl. st.) in Slovak
Examples of central stations
The following are examples of stations from around the world where "Central Station" is part of their name in English or can be translated as such from their native language.
Europe
Austria
- Wien Hauptbahnhof
- Graz Hauptbahnhof
- Linz Hauptbahnhof
- Salzburg Hauptbahnhof
- Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof
- St. Pölten Hauptbahnhof
- Wels Hauptbahnhof
- Wörgl Hauptbahnhof
- Leoben Hauptbahnhof
Belarus
- Brest Central Station (Brest-Centralny, ?????-???????????)
Belgium
Three stations in Belgium are named "-Central" (Dutch Centraal).
- Antwerp Central Station (Antwerpen-Centraal)
- Brussels Central Station (Bruxelles-Central / Brussel-Centraal) - not to be confused with the city's main international station, Brussels Midi (meaning "Brussels south"; the French word "Midi" is generally used as the station's name in English).
- Verviers Central Station (Verviers-Central)
Denmark
Two Danish stations have names sometimes translated to central:
- Aarhus Central Station - the busiest Danish station outside the Copenhagen area
- Copenhagen Central Station - the largest station in Denmark
Bulgaria
There are three stations with "central" in their names:
- Central Railway Station, Sofia (????????? ???? ?????)
- Central Railway Station, Plovdiv (????????? ???? ???????)
- Ruse Central railway station (????????? ???? ????)
Czech Republic
The following stations are named "main station" (hlavní nádra?í):
- Brno hlavní nádra?í (Brno)
- ?eská Lípa hlavní nádra?í (?eská Lípa)
- D??ín hlavní nádra?í (D??ín)
- Hradec Králové hlavní nádra?í (Hradec Králové)
- Karviná hlavní nádra?í (Karviná)
- Kutná Hora hlavní nádra?í (Kutná Hora)
- Mladá Boleslav hlavní nádra?í (Mladá Boleslav)
- Nymburk hlavní nádra?í (Nymburk)
- Olomouc hlavní nádra?í (Olomouc)
- Ostrava hlavní nádra?í (Ostrava)
- Pardubice hlavní nádra?í (Pardubice)
- Plze? hlavní nádra?í (Pilsen)
- Praha hlavní nádra?í (Prague)
- Hlavní nádra?í - the corresponding metro station in Prague
- Prost?jov hlavní nádra?í (Prost?jov)
- Trutnov hlavní nádra?í (Trutnov)
- Ústí nad Labem hlavní nádra?í (Ústí nad Labem)
The following stations are named "central" (st?ed):
- Brumov st?ed (Brumov)
- Louny st?ed (Louny)
- Mikulá?ovice st?ed (Mikulá?ovice)
- Ostrava st?ed (Ostrava)
- Smr?ovka st?ed (Smr?ovka)
- Trutnov st?ed (Trutnov)
- Zlín st?ed (Zlín)
In addition to the above, Praha Masarykovo nádra?í was named "Praha st?ed" from 1953 until 1990.
Finland
Two Finnish stations can be translated to central:
- Helsinki Central railway station (Helsingin päärautatieasema)
- Turku Central railway station (Turun päärautatieasema)
Germany
The German words for "central station" are Centralbahnhof and Zentralbahnhof. Geographically central stations may be named Mitte or Stadtmitte ("city centre"), e.g. Koblenz Stadtmitte station. In most German cities with more than one passenger station, the principal station is called Hauptbahnhof meaning "main railway station"; some German sources translate this as "central station" although stations named Hauptbahnhof may not be centrally located.
While using Hauptbahnhof in its journey planner and passenger information, in English-language publications Deutsche Bahn uses variously Hauptbahnhof, Main and Central.
In Germany, Hauptbahnhof is abbreviated to Hbf.
The following stations historically bore the name Centralbahnhof or Zentralbahnhof as part of their proper name:
- Chemnitz Hauptbahnhof
- Köln Hauptbahnhof
- Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof
- Hamburg Dammtor station: documents from around the time of the opening of the station refer to Centralbahnhof. or Zentral-Bahnhof.
- Ingolstadt Hauptbahnhof
- Magdeburg Hauptbahnhof
- Mainz Hauptbahnhof
- München Hauptbahnhof until 1 May 1904.
- Oldenburg Hauptbahnhof (called Centralbahnhof Oldenburg from 1879 to 1911)
- Osnabruck Hauptbahnhof
- Stuttgart Zentralbahnhof (or Centralbahnhof) was a centrally located station on the Zentralbahn (replaced by Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, which opened on a new site east of the centre in 1922).
Italy
- Agrigento Centrale railway station
- Bari Centrale railway station
- Barletta Centrale railway station (FNB)
- Bologna Centrale railway station
- Catania Centrale railway station
- Gorizia Centrale railway station
- La Spezia Centrale railway station
- Lamezia Terme Centrale railway station
- Livorno Centrale railway station
- Messina Centrale railway station
- Milano Centrale railway station
- Napoli Centrale railway station
- Palermo Centrale railway station
- Pescara Centrale railway station
- Pisa Centrale railway station
- Prato Centrale railway station
- Reggio Calabria Centrale railway station
- Tarvisio Centrale railway station - now closed
- Torre Annunziata Centrale railway station
- Trieste Centrale railway station
- Treviglio railway station, also known as Treviglio Centrale
- Treviso Centrale railway station
- Trieste Centrale railway station
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, a centraal station (abbreviated CS), in its original sense, was a railway station that was served by several railway companies; it therefore used to have the same meaning as a union station in the English-speaking world. Since the various private railways were merged in the early 20th century into a national railway, the term came to mean, in everyday language, the main railway station of a city.
Since the 2000s, the railways hold to the rule that a city's principal station may be called "Centraal" if it has more than a certain number of passengers per day (currently 40.000). This meant that Almere Centraal had to be demoted to Almere Centrum; however, Leiden was renamed Leiden Centraal. Additionally, stations with international high-speed trains may be given name Centraal; this applies to Arnhem. Breda was supposed to receive the epithet after renovation in 2016, but since high speed services do not yet call there, it is still called Breda.
Non-railway signage, such as on buses or roads, sometimes indicates Centraal or CS even when a city's main railway station is not actually so named.
Six stations have the word Centraal:
- Amsterdam Centraal
- Den Haag Centraal
- Leiden Centraal
- Rotterdam Centraal
- Utrecht Centraal
- Arnhem Centraal
There are also stations with the word Centrum, which indicates the station is in the city centre:
- Almere Centrum
- Barneveld Centrum
- Ede Centrum
- Kerkrade Centrum
- Lelystad Centrum
- Schiedam Centrum
- Veenendaal Centrum
- Vlaardingen Centrum
Norway
- Oslo Central Station (Oslo Sentralstasjon)
- Trondheim Central Station (Trondheim Sentralstasjon)
Poland
The designation "main station" (Dworzec g?ówny, abbreviated to " G?") is used in many Polish cities to indicate the most important passenger or goods station, for instance Szczecin G?ówny. However, there is an exception:
- Warszawa Centralna railway station is the principal station in the capital Warsaw, the Warszawa G?ówna railway stations having closed.
Sweden
In Sweden the term "central station" (Centralstation, abbreviated to Central or C) is used to indicate the primary station in towns and cities with more than one railway station. Many are termini for one or more lines. However, the term can also occur in a broader sense, even being used for the only railway station in a town. In some cases, this is because other stations have closed but, in others, the station is called "central" even though there has only ever been one. In these cases, the term "central" was used to highlight the level of service required due to the station's importance in the network, particularly at important railway junctions.
- Arlanda Central Station (Stockholm Arlanda Airport)
- Gothenburg Central Station
- Halmstad Central Station
- Hässleholm Central Station
- Jönköping Central Station
- Malmö Central Station
- Norrköping Central Station
- Nässjö Central Station
- Stockholm Central Station
- Uppsala Central Station
- Västerås Central Station
- Lund Central Station
- Kalmar Central Station
- Karlskrona Central Station
- Kristianstad Central Station
- Linköping Central Station
- Helsingborg Central Station
- Södertälje Central Station
- Örebro Central Station
Switzerland
Similar to principal stations in Germany, the most important station in Zürich is called Hauptbahnhof (Main Railway Station), which in some sources is translated to central station in English.
Additionally, Basel SBB railway station was originally known as the Centralbahnhof or, in English, Basle Central Station and is still sometimes referred to today as the Centralbahnhof or Basel/Basle Central Station.
In Switzerland, Hauptbahnhof is abbreviated to HB.
Turkey
- Adana Central railway station
- Ankara Central railway station
- Eski?ehir Central railway station
- Gaziantep Central railway station
- ?stanbul Sirkeci railway station
- ?zmir Alsancak railway station
- Kars Central railway station
- Kayseri Central railway station
- Mersin Central railway station
United Kingdom
Many railway stations in Britain that use 'Central' are not principal stations, and are called Central to distinguish them from other stations with different names, or for prestige. In some cases, a station originally owned by the Great Central Railway in locations served by more than one station was called Central. Town also appears: for example Edenbridge Town distinguishes it from Edenbridge station.
One of the few principal stations in Britain that is called 'Central' and truly is in the centre of the city it serves is Glasgow Central station. Though Glasgow was once served by four principal terminus stations, all within the city centre, only one was called 'Central'. With a few exceptions such as the Argyle line, Central serves all stations south of the city while Glasgow Queen Street serves as the principal station for all services North of the city. Likewise, Cardiff Central is located in the city centre and is the mainline hub of the South Wales' rail network, which includes 19 other stations in Cardiff itself, one of which is another principal city centre station, Cardiff Queen Street.
America
North America
United States
In the United States, several "Central" stations were built by railways called "Central", the best known example being Grand Central Station in New York City, is so named because it was built by the New York Central Railroad. Others, however, are not. For example, the new Miami Central Station is being built for Amtrak as the principal and intermodal station to serve rapid transit, commuter rail, intercity rail, and intercity bus services in Miami.
This contrasts with a union station, which, in the past, served more than one railway company (the equivalent term in Europe is a joint station). This is no longer the case, as the government-funded Amtrak took over the operation of all intercity passenger rail in the 1970s and 1980s.
- Buffalo Central Terminal, in Buffalo New York State
- Central Station, Chicago, Illinois
- Grand Central Station, Chicago, Illinois
- Central (CTA Green Line), Chicago, Illinois
- Central (CTA Purple Line), Evanston, Illinois
- Central Station (JTA Skyway), Jacksonville, Florida
- Central Station (Memphis), Memphis, Tennessee
- Miami Central Station, Miami, Florida
- Grand Central Terminal, New York City
Canada
- Central station (Edmonton), in Edmonton
- Montreal Central Station, in Montreal
- Guelph Central Station, an intermodal (rail/bus) station in Guelph
Cuba
- Central Railway Station, Havana, commuter and national rail station in Havana
South America
- Estación Alameda in Santiago, Chile is known unofficially as Estación Central
Brazil
- In Brazil, "Central Station" is called as "Estação Central" and can be a place that integrates bus or train.
- Central do Brasil, in Rio de Janeiro
- Estação da Luz, in São Paulo
Asia
India
- Kanpur Central (CNB), in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh
- Mangalore Central (MAQ) in Mangalore, Karnataka
- Mumbai Central (BCT), in Mumbai, Maharashtra
- Trivandrum Central (TVC), in Trivandrum, Kerala
- Chennai Central (MAS), in Chennai, Tamil Nadu
Israel
- Beersheba Center Railway Station, Be'er Sheva
- Haifa Center HaShmona Railway Station, Haifa
- Modi'in Center Railway Station, Modi'in
- Tel Aviv Savidor Central Railway Station, Tel Aviv
Japan
- Kagoshima-Ch?? Station, in Kagoshima, formerly Nishi-Kagoshima Station
South Korea
- Seoul Station, a central station in Seoul
- Busan Station, a central station in Busan
Taiwan
- Taipei Railway Station, a central station in Taipei City
- Xinzuoying Station, a central station in Kaohsiung City
Hong Kong
- Central Station, an interchange station in the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), which links the Tsuen Wan Line, the Island Line and the lines (Tung Chung Line and Airport Express) terminating at the nearby Hong Kong Station. The station is named after Central District on Hong Kong Island, where it is located, and is not served by intercity trains.
- Hung Hom Station, an interchange station in the Mass Transit Railway (MTR), which links the West Rail Line, the East Rail Line and the intercity trains, which links the lines of cross-border services to Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. It is the terminal station of Guangzhou-Kowloon Through Train and the only station serving cross-border trains to Mainland China.
Malaysia
Sentral is the Malay spelling for the English word central.
- Kuala Lumpur Sentral railway station, in Kuala Lumpur
Africa
South Africa
- Johannesburg Park Station, Johannesburg
Australia
- Central railway station, Brisbane, Brisbane
- Melbourne Central railway station, named after Melbourne Central Shopping Centre, Melbourne
- Central railway station, Sydney, also known as Sydney Terminal, Sydney
- Gawler Central railway station, Adelaide
- Wynnum Central railway station, Brisbane
Notes
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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