Hannover Hauptbahnhof

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Hannover Hbf
Location
State	Lower Saxony
Place	Hannover
Ernst-August-Platz 1 30179 Hannover
Operations
Station code	2545
DS100 code	HH
Category	1
Platforms in use	12
Annual entry/exit	91.25 million
Deutsche Bahn - Stations in Germany
BW BY BE BR HB HH HE MV NI NW RP SL SN ST SH TH

Hannover Hauptbahnhof (usually translated from German as Hannover Central Station, short form: Hannover Hbf) is the Hauptbahnhof for the city of Hanover in Lower Saxony, Germany.

[edit] History

The first station on the current site, a temporary building serving the line to Lehrte, was erected in 1843. From 1845 to 1847, a more permanent station, one of the first through stations, was built on the same site. After tearing down the old buildings in 1875, today's station was constructed from 1876 to 1879, further extended by an additional station hall in 1910.

The station was badly damaged during World War II and underwent extensive remodeling, finished in 1948. By 1963, the rails were electrified and in 1973 construction of the Hanover-Würzburg high-speed rail line began.

The station building itself underwent extensive remodeling in the 1970s during the construction of the Hanover Stadtbahn system, opening in 1976 and 1979 and including a passenger tunnel underneath the station, connecting the inner city district around Kröpcke to the Stadtbahn station at Raschplatz.

In 1991, regular InterCityExpress services began calling at the station, it being the northern point of Germany's first dedicated high speed train line.

The station underwent remodeling again for the Expo 2000, construction finishing on 1 May 2000. The station was equipped with a shopping centre, lifts to all platforms and new signage according to the current DB corporate design.

The long-neglected passenger subway below the station, which was built in the 1970s for the Hannover Stadtbahn, underwent extensive remodeling from 2004 to early 2006. It is now part of the Niki de Saint Phalle promenade spanning from Raschplatz to Kröpcke.