Gothenburg Central Station

Gothenburg Central Station

Gothenburg Central Station, the old part
Location Gothenburg, Gothenburg Municipality
Sweden
Coordinates 57°42′32″N 11°58′24″E / 57.70889°N 11.97333°ECoordinates: 57°42′32″N 11°58′24″E / 57.70889°N 11.97333°E
Elevation 3 m
Owned by Jernhusen
Operated by SJ
Västtrafik
Öresundståg
NSB
Line(s) Western Main Line
Bohus Line
Norway/Vänern Line
West Coast Line
Coast-to-Coast Line
Distance 457 km (Stockholm C)
Platforms 16
Construction
Architect Adolf W. Edelsvärd
History
Opened 1858

Gothenburg Central Station (Swedish: Göteborgs centralstation, Göteborg C) is the main railway station of Gothenburg, Sweden. The station serves 27 million passengers per year,[1] making it the second largest railway station in Sweden after Stockholm Central Station. The station opened on October 4, 1858. The station is situated in the city of Gothenburg, right by Drottningtorget. The Gothenburg Central Station, Centralhuset and Nils Ericson Terminalen are a part of Resecentrum, Göteborg.[2] Gothenburg Central Station is owned and administered by Jernhusen.[3]

History

The western entrance

Numerous railways were built across Sweden in the 19th century. One of the first distances was the one between Gothenburg and Jonsered. As the railway grew more popular, the need for a station emerged. The Gothenburg Central Station was built between 1856 and 1858. The architect in charge was Adolf Wilhelm Edelsvärd.

Some reconstructions have been made to the station since its opening in 1858. There used to be an engine shed by the station but it was removed. In 1923, a fire destroyed parts of the station, so the interior had to be rebuilt. The current interior design is similar to the 1923 model with wood pillars, glass ceiling and a floor made of limestone.

During the 19th and early 20th century about one million Swedish emigrants passed through the station in order to get to the harbour. Their final destination would be America.[3]

In February 2007, a bomb threat was addressed to the Gothenburg police. The bombing was to take place at the Gothenburg Central Station. Later that day, a bag was found in the old parts of the station. The evacuation of the station began at 21:30 local time and two hours later the station was free to open again. The bag was examined and no high explosive was found.[4]

In January 2010, a one square metre (11 Sq Ft) section of the station's glass ceiling collapsed after ice had fallen onto it. One person suffered bruises by falling glass splinters and big parts of the station were closed due to safety reasons.[5][6]

Tracks and other connections

Departures in the morning

There are 16 platform tracks at the station. Trains depart and arrive from five different railway lines:

The choice of track depends mainly on which railway the train will use. This is because there is a wish to avoid crossing train paths, which would create delays. Trains to the Bohus Line and Norway/Vänern Line generally use tracks 7-11. Trains to the Western Main Line generally use tracks 1-7. Trains to the West Coast Line and Coast-to-Coast Line generally use tracks 11-16.

Drottningtorget is a junction for trams and lies right by the Gothenburg Central Station. Nordstan also has a large tram stop and a shopping mall connected to the station by an underground pedestrian tunnel.[7]

The Station Lounge

The Station Lounge is located by track 9 at the station. There is an access fee of 149 SEK[8] which includes restaurant food, newspapers and WLAN internet. There is also a bar. The conference section is supplied with modern equipment and admits 4-50 persons.

Maintenance

The old parts of the station are included in the city council's Bevarningsprogram (English: Preserving Program) 1975 and 1987.[9]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Göteborgs centralstation.
  1. "Starbucks öppnar på två av Sveriges största tågstationer i samarbete med SSP" (in Swedish). Cision. August 29, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  2. "Göteborgs Centralstation" (in Swedish).
  3. 3.0 3.1 http://www.jernhusen.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=982
  4. Sandberg, Peter (February 23, 2004). "Avspärrning av Göteborgs centralstation släppt". DN.se (in Swedish).
  5. Mattson, Anna (February 22, 2010). "Takras på Göteborgs centralstation". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  6. Seinegård, Marieanne (February 23, 2010). "Delar av Centralen utrymdes". Göteborgs-Posten (in Swedish). Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  7. "Göteborg Centralstation". Stationsinfo.
  8. http://www.jernhusen.se/templates/Page.aspx?id=2056
  9. Lönnroth, Gudrun (1999). Kulturhistoriskt värdefull bebyggelse i Göteborg: Ett program för bevarande, del I. Göteborgs Stadsbyggnadskontor. p. 51. ISBN 91-89088-04-2.