Wetzlar station
Wetzlar station | |
|---|---|
| Through station | |
 Wetzlar station and forecourt | |
| Location |
Wetzlar, Hesse Germany |
| Coordinates | 50°33′54″N 08°30′13″E / 50.56500°N 8.50361°ECoordinates: 50°33′54″N 08°30′13″E / 50.56500°N 8.50361°E |
| Line(s) |
|
| Platforms | 5 |
| Construction | |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| Other information | |
| Station code | n/a |
| DS100 code | FWR |
| Category | 4 |
Wetzlar station is a through station in the city of Wetzlar in the German state of Hesse on the Dill and Lahn Valley Railways. It is the most important public transport node in Wetzlar together with the adjacent bus station.
History
The first Wetzlar station built in 1862 was an "island station" (German: Inselbahnhof), with the main station building built between the tracks in the district of Niedergirmes. This building still stands. The current station was originally completed in January 1917 in the Art Nouveau style, but it was demolished in 1981 and rebuilt in the Modern style.
Train services
The following services currently call at Wetzlar:
- Main-Sieg-Express Siegen - Dillenburg - Gießen - Friedberg - Frankfurt (Main)
- Mittelhessen-Express Dillenburg - Gießen - Friedberg - Frankfurt (Main)
| Series | Operator | Route | Material | Frequency | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE25 | DB | Koblenz Hbf - Niederlahnstein - Bad Ems - Nassau (Lahn) - Diez - Limburg (Lahn) - Eschhofen - Weilburg - Wetzlar - Gießen | DBAG Class 612 | Every 2 Hours | |
| RB25 | DB | Limburg (Lahn) - Eschhofen - Kerkerbach - Runkel - Villmar - Arfurt - Aumenau - Fürfurt - Gräveneck - Weilburg - Löhnberg - Stockhausen - Leun/Braunfels - Solms - Albshausen - Wetzlar - Gießen | DB Class 628 | 1x per hour |
| Preceding station | Deutsche Bahn | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Weilburg toward Koblenz Hbf | RE 25 Lahn Valley Railway | Gießen Hbf Terminus |
||
Aßlar toward Dillenburg | SE 40 Mittelhessen-Express | toward Frankfurt (Main) Hbf |
||
| Preceding station | Hessische Landesbahn | Following station | ||
Albshausen toward Limburg (Lahn) | RB 25 Lahn Valley Railway | toward Gießen Hbf |
||
toward Siegen | RE 40/99 Main-Sieg-Express | Gießen Hbf toward Frankfurt (Main) Hbf |
Operations
Wetzlar station has five platform tracks. It is served by Regionalbahn, Regional-Express and EuroCity trains.
Trains operate through the following the platforms:
| Track | Destination | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | disused | previously to Gießen/Limburg/Grävenwiesbach/Beilstein |
| 2 | disused | previously to Gießen/Limburg/Grävenwiesbach/Beilstein |
| 3 | RB/SE to Gießen/Fulda, RE to Gießen | |
| 4 | RB to Weilburg/Limburg, RE to Koblenz | |
| 5 | MHE to Gießen/Frankfurt, RE to Gießen/Frankfurt | |
| 6 | siding 5/7, currently only used by freight trains | until December 2006, twice daily RB to Dillenburg |
| 7 | RB/MHE to Dillenburg, RE to Siegen | |
| 8 | disused | former connecting line to Buderus cement works |
East of the passenger station in the district of Garbenheim is Wetzlar freight yard, which has been the most important of its kind in central Hesse since December 2006.
Long distance
In the 1980s and before, there were many daily express services from Wetzlar Station to remote destinations such as Oberstdorf. In the early 1990s there were regular fast train connections at two-hour intervals to Frankfurt (Main) Hauptbahnhof and Münster Hauptbahnhof. From 1993, these services were replaced by Interregio line 22, Frankfurt–Münster. Once a day there was a direct Interregio connection from Wetzlar to Norddeich Mole (Norderney). The inter-regional trains on the Dill line were, however, gradually thinned out from 2001. Most recently, in December 2002, the Norderney service was abolished.
From December 2009 until December 2011, Wetzlar station was connected to the long distance network for the first time in six years. In the morning there was a EuroCity service from Wetzlar via Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich to Klagenfurt. A through carriage also gave a direct connection to Ljubljana and Zagreb. The return service from Croatia, Slovenia and Austria reached Wetzlar in the evening and continues to Siegen. This service was not extended in 2011.
Future expansion
Between 2011 and 2012, the station will undergo a major reconstruction. Among other things, the platforms will be replaced by new higher platforms. Also, the sheltering roofs on the platforms will be restored. The bus station, which is currently located 150 metres away, will be placed in front of the station building. The passenger tunnel under the station will be extended to connect with the park and ride area on the north side of the station and the suburb of Niedergirmes.
Connections
About 150 metres away is the bus terminal for regional and local bus routes. In the station forecourt there is a taxi stand and short-term parking. There are also various parking facilities nearby.