Winterthur railway station

Winterthur
Central pass-through railway station
The station frontage in 2008
Other names	Winterthur Hauptbahnhof
Location	Bahnhofplatz 5–9, Winterthur, ZH Switzerland
Coordinates	47°30′00″N 8°43′24″E / 47.50000°N 8.72333°E / 47.50000; 8.72333Coordinates: 47°30′00″N 8°43′24″E / 47.50000°N 8.72333°E / 47.50000; 8.72333
Elevation	438 m (1,437 ft)
Owned by	SBB CFF FFS (Swiss Federal Railways)
Operated by	SBB CFF FFS THURBO
Line(s)	Zurich–Winterthur (750-752) Tösstal line (754) Winterthur–Bülach–Koblenz (761) Rheinfall line (762) Winterthur–Etzwilen-Stein am Rhein (821) Winterthur–Romanshorn (840) Winterthur–Wil (850)
Platforms	6
Tracks	9 (German: Gleis)
Connections	ZVV / STADTBUS: Winterthur Hauptbahnhof, Museumstr./HB, Archstr./HB
	S-Bahn
	STADTBUS, PostAuto
	up to 8 direct trains per hour to/from Zürich Flughafen in c. 0:15h
Construction
Structure type	at-grade
Depth	0
Platform levels	1 (4 passenger levels)
Parking	P&R above tracks
Bicycle facilities	openair, covered, secured
Architect	1855: A. Beck 1860: Jakob Friedrich Wanner 1896: Ernst Jung and Otto Bridler
Architectural style	1896: Neorenaissance
Other information
Fare zone	ZVV: 120
Website	Bahnhof Winterthur
History
Opened	1855 (1855) (wooden construction) 1860 (1860) (total reconstruction) 1894-96 (1894-96) (total reconstruction)
Rebuilt	1875 (1875) July 1988 (1988-07): car park deck 2000 (2000): new building "Stadttor" 2012-2013 (2012-2013): Bahnhofplatz reconstruction
Previous names	Hauptbahnhof Winterthur
Traffic
Passengers (2014)	105,200 per working day
Rank	5 of 1735
Services
Preceding station   Swiss rail network   Following station Zürich Airport   EuroCity Zurich to Munich   St. Gallen Zürich Airport   InterCity Geneva to St. Gallen via Bern   Wil Zürich Airport   InterCity Geneva to St. Gallen via Neuchâtel   Wil Zürich Airport   InterCity Brig to Romanshorn   Frauenfeld Zürich Airport   InterRegio Biel/Bienne to Konstanz   Frauenfeld Kemptthal   Zurich S-Bahn S7 service   Terminus Effretikon   Zurich S-Bahn S8 service   Oberwinterthur Stettbach   Zurich S-Bahn S11 service   Terminus Stettbach   Zürich S-Bahn S12 Seuzach service   Oberwinterthur   Zürich S-Bahn S12 Winterthur Seen service   Winterthur Grüze Effretikon   Zurich S-Bahn S24 service   Andelfingen Terminus   Zurich S-Bahn S26 service   Winterthur Grüze Terminus   Zurich S-Bahn S29 service   Oberwinterthur Terminus   Zurich S-Bahn S33 service   Hettlingen Terminus   Zurich S-Bahn S35 service   Winterthur Grüze Terminus   Zurich S-Bahn S41 service   Winterthur Töss
Location
Winterthur Location within Switzerland

Winterthur railway station (German: Bahnhof Winterthur or Hauptbahnhof Winterthur) is the principle railway station in the town of Winterthur, itself in the Swiss canton of Zürich.^[1][2]

The term Hauptbahnhof or HB (for main railay station) is no longer used by Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS), the station's owner and operator, but is still sometimes used colloquially. Thus the station's name appears simply as Winterthur on the station signs and on schedule information, but the name Hauptbahnhof is still used for the bus stop in front of the station.

Winterthur is Switzerland's fifth most busy station, and is a major node between Switzerland's largest railway nucleus in Zürich and places in Eastern Switzerland (such as St. Gallen and Schaffhausen), as well as Germany (Munich), and Austria (Vorarlberg). The station is served by trains on Zürich's suburban S-Bahn, as well as by regional and intercity trains, with most through passenger trains making a stop. It is also connected with Zürich's airport railway station Zürich Flughafen, which can be reached in about 15 minutes about every 8 minutes. Zürich Hauptbahnhof can be reached with up to 16 direct connections per hour and the fastest connection takes only 22 minutes (S12). The station has 9 standard gauge platforms (numbered 1-9).

All public transport of Winterthur is part of canton of Zurich's integrated fare network ZVV. It is very well connected to the city's local public transport, the STADTBUS Winterthur bus network, and regional bus services (e.g. PostBus Switzerland).

The station is inscribed on the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National Significance.^[3]

Location

Bahnhof Winterthur is centrally located, at the northwestern edge of the city centre.

History

In 1855, the first temporary station building was built in Winterthur as a timber framed structure. The design of the building was by A. Beck, who also managed the construction. The building was sold in 1860 to the City of Zurich, which wanted to move and rebuild it in the vicinity of the Kornhaus. Most likely, it was used for the construction of the Kornhauswirtschaft, as these two buildings bear a very great resemblance.^[4]

Entrance to the station building, 2011

Five years after the opening of the provisional building, the first real station was built, under the direction of the architect Jakob Friedrich Wanner, who, together with A. Beck, was responsible for the design. The builder, Meier, came from Winterthur, and the train shed was built by the firm Benkiser of Pforzheim.^[5] In 1875, its first expansion was completed, to coincide with the commencement of the Winterthur operations of the Tösstalbahn and the Nationalbahn. This expansion consisted of an extension to each side of the station building equal to the width of four window bays, in order to create space for new waiting rooms.

Further renovations in 1894−96 left the station building in its present form. These renovations, proposed by the architect Ernst Jung and Otto Bridler, produced a station building in Renaissance style; the Federal Palace of Switzerland served as a template.

In 1944, the present day tracks 8 and 9 were added. In 1980, the station was again extended by two tracks (the current platforms 1 and 2), which were used for the Tösstal line and for postal trains. Today, S-Bahn trains to Wil depart from the Postal train track.

In 1988, the two-storey parking deck was built over the station yard. In 2000 followed the construction of the Stadttor Winterthur between the station building and the EPA department store, which is now a Coop City department store.

Tracks

Winterthur is a through station with nine tracks, of which only tracks 1 and 2 are bay platforms. From those two platforms, S-Bahn trains depart for the Tösstal and to Wil. Long distance trains stop at tracks 3, 4 and 5, which are the ones closest to the station concourse.

In front of the station, on the line towards Zurich, is the former goods station. It was closed in 1995/1996, and serves today only for the storage of trains. As a replacement for the closed structure, a maintenance facility was built at the Oberwinterthur railway station.

Long distance services

The following regularly scheduled long distance trains stop at Winterthur:

• IC Genève Aéroport – Genève – Lausanne –Fribourg- Bern – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil SG- Uzwil - Flawil - Gossau SG – St. Gallen
• IC Brig - Visp – Spiez – Thun – Bern – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Frauenfeld – Weinfelden - Amriswil - Romanshorn
• ICN Genève Aéroport – Genève - Nyon - Morges/Lausanne – Yverdon-les-Bains – Neuchâtel – Biel/Bienne – Solothurn - Olten - Aarau – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Wil – St. Gallen
• IR Biel/Bienne – Solothurn – Oensingen - Olten – Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – Frauenfeld – Weinfelden – Kreuzlingen – Konstanz
• EC Zürich HB – Zürich Flughafen – Winterthur – St. Gallen – St. Margrethen – Bregenz – Lindau (Bodensee) – München Hbf

Local services

Zürich S-Bahn

The following S-Bahn lines, all of which belong to the Zürcher Verkehrsverbund, serve Winterthur. While the lines with the lower numbers are operated by the SBB CFF FFS, the trains with the higher numbers (from S26) are operated by THURBO.

• S 7 Winterthur – Kloten – Zürich HB – Meilen – Rapperswil
  Operates non stop between Stadelhofen and Meilen.
• S 8 Weinfelden – Frauenfeld – Winterthur – Wallisellen – Zürich HB – Pfäffikon SZ
  Operates between Weinfelden and Winterthur only Mon-Sat at hourly intervals.
• S 11 Zürich Hardbrücke – Zürich HB – Winterthur – Schaffhausen / Romanshorn / Wil SG
  Supplementary express trains.
• S 12 Brugg – Zürich HB – Winterthur – Seuzach / Winterthur-Seen
  Operates non stop between Stettbach and Winterthur.
• S 24 ( Thayngen – Schaffhausen – ) Winterthur – Zürich Airport – Zürich HB – Thalwil – Zug
• S 26 Winterthur – Bauma (– Rüti ZH)
  Operates only on weekends to Rapperswil.
• S 29 Winterthur – Stein am Rhein
• S 30 Winterthur – Frauenfeld – Weinfelden (– Romanshorn – Rorschach)
• S 33 Winterthur – Andelfingen – Schaffhausen
• S 35 Winterthur – Wil SG
• S 41 Winterthur – Bülach (– Bad Zurzach – Waldshut )

Night trains

Winterthur is a terminus of five night trains, two of which are part of the Zürich S-Bahn network. The other three belong to the "THURBO-Nightliner" system. Line SN4 of the Zürich S-Bahn is also operated by THURBO and belongs simultaneously to the THURBO-Nightliners.

• SN1 Winterthur – Zürich HB – Dietikon – Lenzburg (– Aarau)
• SN4 Winterthur – Schaffhausen (– Stein am Rhein – Konstanz (D) - Kreuzlingen - Romanshorn)
• SN Winterthur – Romanshorn ((– Konstanz (D)) - Kreuzlingen)
• SN Winterthur – Wil SG – St. Gallen
• SN Winterthur – Bülach

Urban public transport

Winterthur Hauptbahnhof or HB is the central bus station of the local STADTBUS Winterthur bus operator and therefore also the most important hub of the Winterthur trolleybus system. All but two of the city bus lines stop at the Hauptbahnhof. Additionally, the regional Stadtbus lines, along with PostAuto lines, all stop there. Only the lines that serve Wiesendangen and a few villages northeast of Winterthur depart from Oberwinterthur station instead. The Winterthur bus station is the largest in the canton of Zurich.

Stadtbus Winterthur

Bus (left) and trolleybus (right), outside the station building, 2010

Lines 1–3 are trolleybus lines. The remaining lines are operated exclusively by low-floor buses. Normally, articulated buses run on lines 5, 7 and 14. On the remaining lines, conventional (rigid chassis) buses provide the services.

Regional lines

The yellow numbers are PostAuto lines, and the blue numbers are city bus lines. However, lines 665/670 are served by both PostAuto buses and city buses.

Night buses

Night buses operate hourly on Friday to Saturday and Saturday to Sunday from 01:30 to 04:30. As the last regular buses usually depart from HB at 0.50 and the first such buses start running again from 05:30, one can therefore speak of a continuously operating network when the night buses are running.

The night buses operate on the following lines, but only outwards; there are no return services.

Panorama

Concourse viewed from platform 3 (directly with one's back to the station building)

See also

• History of rail transport in Switzerland
• Rail transport in Switzerland
• Trams in Winterthur

References

Cited works

• Stutz, Werner (1976). Bahnhöfe der Schweiz [Railway Stations of Switzerland] (in German). Zürich: Verlag Berichthaus. ISBN 3-85572-018-5. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Winterthur Hauptbahnhof.

• SBB CFF FFS website
• RailCity Winterthur