Duisburg Hauptbahnhof

Location
	Duisburg Location within North Rhine-Westphalia Duisburg Location within Germany Duisburg Location within Europe

Duisburg Hauptbahnhof
Duisburg Hauptbahnhof
Through station
	Station building and forecourt
General information
Location	Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia; Germany
Coordinates	51°25′48″N 6°46′34″E / 51.43000°N 6.77611°E
Owned by	Deutsche Bahn
Operated by	DB Netz; DB Station&Service;
Line(s)	Duisburg–Oberhausen–Dortmund; (Duisburg–)Oberhausen–Arnhem; Duisburg–Essen–Dortmund; Duisburg–Cologne; Duisburg–Mönchengladbach; Duisburg-Moers-(Kamp-Lintfort Süd Landesgartenschau 2020)-Xanten; Duisburg–Duisburg-Entenfang; Duisburg–Bottrop(–Quakenbrück);
Platforms	12
Construction
Accessible	Yes
Architect	Eduard Lyonel Wehner
Architectural style	Functionalism
Other information
Station code	1374
DS100 code	EDG
IBNR	8000086
Category	1
Fare zone	VRR: 330
Website	www.bahnhof.de
History
Opened	1846 CME station; 1862 BME station; 1870 RhE station; 1886 PSE station; 1934 DRG station
Passengers
	ca. 110,000 daily
Services
	Krefeld Hbf towards Aachen Hbf
Düsseldorf Hbf towards Zürich HB	Oberhausen Hbf towards Amsterdam Centraal
Location
Location
	Duisburg Location within North Rhine-Westphalia Duisburg Location within Germany Duisburg Location within Europe

Duisburg Hauptbahnhof is a railway station in the city of Duisburg in western Germany. It is situated at the meeting point of many important national and international railway lines in the Northwestern Ruhr valley.

Lines

The station is situated at the northern end of the relatively straight Duisburg to Düsseldorf railway line which has to cope with one of the highest daily loads in continental Europe.^{[citation needed]} This line is slated to be widened to six tracks in the near future.^{[citation needed]} Currently it has four—and in some places five—tracks. The line to Krefeld and Mönchengladbach runs to the south. This crosses the River Rhine and then splits into the main line and a branch to Moers and Xanten at Rheinhausen. North of the station, seven tracks run to the River Ruhr crossing (which is a sight on the Route der Industriekultur (Route of industrial heritage) due to a maze of girder bridges) where a three track line split for Oberhausen and on to Arnhem and the other line runs to Dortmund via Gelsenkirchen. The four-tracked main line turns east and runs via Essen and Bochum to Dortmund.

Operational usage

Duisburg Hauptbahnhof, 2004.

Inside the station

Railway

The station is an important hub for InterCityExpress, InterCity and EuroCity trains from and to the Netherlands, Berlin, Switzerland, Munich, Frankfurt and Cologne. It also is an important connection point for RegionalExpress and RegionalBahn lines and has two S-Bahn lines of the Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn calling at the station. A nearby Stadtbahn station offers local connections as well as trams to Mülheim an der Ruhr and Düsseldorf.

Local travel

Underground station of Duisburg Stadtbahn (part of VRR) in 2009

Trams and buses call at the northern concourse (not connected to the main hall). There is another bus station at the eastern end of the main concourse, but not all lines serving the station call there. Taxis are available at both ends of the main concourse. The station is directly connected to the motorway A59, which runs under the plaza in front of the main entrance. Long-distance coaches depart from a small bus station at the city end of the station (behind the taxi ranks, to the left).

Architecture

The current station building dates from the 1930s and was modelled after the station in Königsberg. After WW2 it was extensively rebuilt and many features (such as murals in the main concourse) were lost. Its 6 platforms are covered by a train shed at their southern ends and modern canopies to the north where there is a second concourse housing the bus and tram stops.

The station today has a rather drab feeling with the train shed in need of repair as there are quite a number of holes in the roof. Work to replace the roof and platforms commenced in August 2022, starting with tracks 12 and 13. This work is expected to take several years^[4]

Amenities

As is usual with station of its size, Duisburg Hbf has a number of shops on its concourse and in the main hall. These include a book shop, a barber shop, several telecommunication accessories dealers, 2 bars, a small gambling arcade and several bakers and fast food stalls. The booking hall is located in the main hall (city exit), and lockers are provided at the beginning of the concourse to the right, next to the toilets. In the station building outside the concourse there is a hotel and local newspaper offices, and there used to be a fairly large night club which closed in early 2006 and has remained empty since.

History

The former station complex in 1910.

The northern area around Duisburg station at Königstraße, 1911.

Former private railways

Duisburg station was opened in Duisburg on 9 February 1846 by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company (Cöln-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, CME) along with the second section of its trunk line from Cologne-Deutz to Minden. On 15 May 1847 the line was extended to Hamm and Duisburg station became a through station on the line from Düsseldorf to Oberhausen.

Fifteen years later, in 1862, the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company (Bergisch-Märkische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, BME), opened its east–west route through the Ruhr region from Dortmund and Witten to Duisburg. Its station was built close to the existing station, but it was a terminal station that was approached only from the northeast, not a through station.

Finally, on 15 February 1870, a three kilometre long branch line was opened by the Rhenish Railway Company (Rheinische Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft, RHE) from the Rheinhausen–Hochfeld train ferry to Duisburg, which became the starting point of its new route to Quakenbrück, completed in 1879. It built a through station next to other stations in Duisburg.

Prussian state railways

The station buildings of the three railway companies survived until after their nationalisation when they became part of the Prussian state railways. In the 1880s the three stations were demolished and a joint station building was built on an island between the platforms of the various lines.

The entrance to this building was to the north on Mülheimer Straße, which the lines crossed at that time over level crossings. It was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries that all tracks had been raised above street level.

Deutsche Reichsbahn

Historical sight of the east side

"Floating" platform canopies

At the beginning of the 1930s, the station, which had been taken over by Deutsche Reichsbahn in 1920 when it absorbed the Prussian State Railway, was extended and rebuilt to its present size. The buildings have since been replaced.

The still-existing entrance building of the station at Portsmouthplatz was built from 1931 to 1934 under the direction of the government architect Johannes Ziertmann (an architect at the railway division of Essen) and was considered one of the most modern station buildings of its time. It is comparable with the entrance buildings in Düsseldorf, Königsberg (Pr.) and Oberhausen, built in the same period. The two sculptures at the front of a steel frame structure built for the ticket hall are by the Essen sculptor Joseph Enseling. The platform canopies were built with Vierendeel trusses and are structurally similar to the canopies at Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, which were scrapped in the 1980s, and follow the conceptually similar canopies of Darmstadt Hauptbahnhof built before the First World War. The Duisburg platform canopies were the first all-welded steel construction of this size.

During the Second World War the station was heavily damaged in a heavy bombing attack on Duisburg by allied forces.

Deutsche Bundesbahn

The station has been rebuilt several times since the war. In 1992, as part of the inauguration of the Duisburg Stadtbahn (light rail), the new northern connecting hall (Verknüpfungshalle) was opened, all six platforms were lengthened to several hundred metres over the former road underpass connecting Mühlheimerstraße and Königstraße and provided with simple platform roofs, which are easily distinguished from the old station hall.

Deutsche Bahn

Lobby shortly before the completion of the renovation

On 12 December 2008 Deutsche Bahn and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia announced that much-needed renovation work would begin in mid of 2009. The total cost was estimated at €60 million. The first phase includes the renovation of the lobby and the underpass. Among other things, the false ceilings would be removed and the building returned to its original state. Renovation work on the monumental facade is planned. The cost for the first phase is estimated at €10.1 million.^[5]

On 24 July 2009, the first phase of renovation work began and the major renovations in the entrance hall were completed on 22 December 2009. From January 2010 work started on the renovation of the pedestrian tunnel. In a second, much more expensive construction phase, the railway platforms, railway tracks and the dilapidated roof were due to be rehabilitated in 2011.^[6] However work on the roof and platforms only commenced in August 2022, with the first two platforms to be completed during 2023^[7]

Train services

The station is served by the following services:^[8]

Long distance

Line	Route	Frequency
ICE 10	Berlin Ostbahnhof – Berlin – (Wolfsburg –) Hannover – Bielefeld – Hamm – Dortmund – Bochum – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf Airport – Düsseldorf (– Cologne)	Every 2 hours
IC 32	Dortmund – Bochum – Essen – Mülheim – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Bonn – Remagen – Andernach – Koblenz – Mainz – Mannheim – Heidelberg – Stuttgart – Ulm – Memmingen – Kempten – Oberstdorf	1 train pair
IC 35	Norddeich Mole – Emden – Rheine – Münster – Recklinghausen – Wanne-Eickel – Gelsenkirchen – Oberhausen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf Airport – Düsseldorf – Cologne (– Bonn – Remagen – Andernach – Koblenz – Mainz – Mannheim – Stuttgart)	Every 2 hours
ICE 41	(Dortmund –) Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Köln Messe/Deutz – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt – Aschaffenburg – Würzburg – Nuremberg – Munich (one train pair: Düsseldorf – Duisburg – Essen – Dortmund – Hamm – Paderborn – Warburg – Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe – Fulda – Würzburg – Nuremberg – Ingolstadt – Munich)	Hourly
ICE 42	(Hamburg-Altona – Hamburg – Bremen – Münster –) Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Siegburg/Bonn – Frankfurt Airport – Mannheim – Stuttgart – Ulm – Augsburg – Munich	Every 2 hours
ICE 43	Hamburg-Altona – Hamburg – Bremen – Osnabrück – Münster – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Siegburg/Bonn – Frankfurt Airport – Mannheim – Karlsruhe – Freiburg – Basel	Individual services
ICE 47	Münster/Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Köln Messe/Deutz – Cologne/Bonn Airport – Frankfurt Airport – Mannheim – Stuttgart	Every 2 hours
IC 51	Gera – Erfurt – Bebra – Kassel-Wilhelmshöhe – Warburg – Paderborn – Hamm – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf	Once daily
ICE 78	Amsterdam – Oberhausen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt	Every 2 hours
ICE 91	Dortmund – Bochum – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Bonn – Koblenz – Mainz – Frankfurt Airport – Frankfurt – Hanau – Würzburg – Nuremberg – Regensburg – Plattling – Passau – Linz – Vienna	Individual services
Eurostar	Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – (Düsseldorf Airport –) Düsseldorf – Cologne – Aachen – Liège-Guillemins – Brussels – Paris-Nord	5 train pairs
FLX 20	Hamburg Hbf – Hamburg-Harburg – Osnabrück – Münster – Gelsenkirchen – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne	1-3 train pairs
FLX 30	Leipzig – Lutherstadt Wittenberg – Berlin Südkreuz – Berlin Hbf – Berlin-Spandau – Hannover – Bielefeld – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Aachen	1-2 train pairs

Regional

Regional services RE 1 NRW-Express Aachen - Cologne - Düsseldorf - Duisburg - Essen - Dortmund - Hamm
Regional services RE 2 Rhein-Haard-Express Münster - Dülmen - Recklinghausen - Essen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf
Regional services RE 3 Rhein-Emscher-Express Hamm - Dortmund - Gelsenkirchen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf
Regional services RE 5 Rhein-Express Wesel - Oberhausen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf - Cologne - Bonn - Koblenz
Regional services RE 6 Rhein-Weser-Express Minden - Bielefeld - Hamm - Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf - Neuss - Cologne - Cologne/Bonn Airport
Regional services RE 11 Rhein-Hellweg-Express Kassel - Paderborn - Hamm - Dortmund - Essen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf
Regional services RE 19 Rhein-IJssel-Express Arnhem - Emmerich - Wesel - Oberhausen - Duisburg - Düsseldorf
Regional services RE 42 Niers-Haard-Express Münster - Dülmen - Recklinghausen - Essen - Duisburg - Krefeld - Mönchengladbach
Regional services RE 44 Fossa-Emscher-Express: Moers – Rheinhausen – Duisburg – Oberhausen – Bottrop
Local services RB 31 Niederrheinstrecke Xanten – Moers – Duisburg
Local services RB 32 Rhein-Emscher-Bahn Dortmund - Gelsenkirchen - Wanne-Eickel - Duisburg
Local services RB 33 Rhein-Niers-Bahn Essen – Duisburg - Krefeld - Mönchengladbach - Aachen
Local services RB 35 Emscher-Niederrhein-Bahn Gelsenkirchen - Oberhausen - Duisburg - Krefeld - Mönchengladbach
Rhein-Ruhr S-Bahn services S1 Solingen - Düsseldorf - Duisburg - Essen - Dortmund

Düsseldorf Airport rail services

Legend



					Duisburg Hbf

					Duisburg-Rahm
					Düsseldorf-Angermund

					Düsseldorf Airport
					SkyTrain Parkhaus 4
					SkyTrain Terminal A/B
					SkyTrain Terminal C
					Düsseldorf Airport Terminal C
					Düsseldorf-Unterrath
					Düsseldorf-Derendorf
					Düsseldorf Zoo
					Düsseldorf-Wehrhahn
					Düsseldorf Hbf

Notes

^ Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas) (2009/2010 ed.). Schweers + Wall. 2009. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.
^ "Stationspreisliste 2025" [Station price list 2025] (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
^ "Wabenplan für das Rheinbahn-Bedienungsgebiet" (PDF). Rheinbahn. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2019.
^ Wahl, Philipp (2022-08-08). "Duisburg Hauptbahnhof: Umbau startet mit Kränen und Sperrung". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-20.
^ "Bahn frei für den Umbau" (in German). Der Westen. 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
^ "Hauptbahnhof erstrahlt in neuem Glanze" (in German). Der Westen. 21 December 2009. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
^ Wahl, Philipp (2022-08-08). "Duisburg Hauptbahnhof: Umbau startet mit Kränen und Sperrung". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-20.
^ Timetables for Duisburg Hbf station

External links

"Duisburg Hbf track plan" (PDF, 648 kB) (in German). Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
"Platform heights and lengths" (in German). Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
"Duisburg Hbf". NRW Rail Archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
"Operations in EDG track zone". NRW Rail Archive (in German). André Joost. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
"Hauptbahnhof Duisburg" (in German). route-industriekultur. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
"History of station with current and historical photographs" (in German). duisburgweb.de. Retrieved 18 August 2011.

[Eisenbahnatlas-1] Eisenbahnatlas Deutschland (German railway atlas) (2009/2010 ed.). Schweers + Wall. 2009. ISBN 978-3-89494-139-0.

[categories-2] "Stationspreisliste 2025" [Station price list 2025] (PDF) (in German). DB Station&Service. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 5 December 2024.

[3] "Wabenplan für das Rheinbahn-Bedienungsgebiet" (PDF). Rheinbahn. 1 August 2008. Retrieved 4 November 2019.

[4] Wahl, Philipp (2022-08-08). "Duisburg Hauptbahnhof: Umbau startet mit Kränen und Sperrung". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-20.

[5] "Bahn frei für den Umbau" (in German). Der Westen. 12 December 2008. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 18 August 2011.

[6] "Hauptbahnhof erstrahlt in neuem Glanze" (in German). Der Westen. 21 December 2009. Archived from the original on 9 June 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2011.

[7] Wahl, Philipp (2022-08-08). "Duisburg Hauptbahnhof: Umbau startet mit Kränen und Sperrung". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 2022-08-20.

[8] Timetables for Duisburg Hbf station

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