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Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof
Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof is the main station in Ostwestfalen-Lippe, in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is important because it is in the big city of Bielefeld. The station is at a special place called the Bielefeld Pass. This makes it a key spot for trains traveling long distances and in the region.
The station opened in 1847 when the Cologne-Minden trunk line started running. Today, Deutsche Bahn says it is a category 2 station. This means it is a busy station that helps people travel across the area.
Station environment
Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof is located in the north-west part of Bielefeld, between the Neue Bahnhofsviertel (new station district) and the city centre. Near the station, you can find the entrance to the underground station on the Stadtbahn line that goes through the inner city. Across from the station is the Stadthalle Bielefeld conference centre, which also has a hotel.
The station is on the Hamm–Minden railway, running through the city from the north-east to the south-west. Because it doesn’t have a big train shed, each platform has its own small canopy for shelter.
History
Bielefeld station opened on 15 October 1847 with a simple wooden building. The first stone station was finished in 1849. The station was far north of the city because there was plenty of flat space there. Over time, the city grew to reach the station.
A new, grand station building opened on 1 May 1910. It had separate waiting rooms for different types of tickets and offices for railway staff. The station had six platforms connected by tunnels. Even during heavy bombings in 1944, the station's front stayed almost the same.
In the 1990s, the station became a stop for fast trains between Cologne and Berlin, making it even busier. In recent years, the station was updated with new tracks, platforms, and better access, finishing in 2006. Now, the station connects directly to a new area with places to eat and relax, making Bielefeld more appealing.
Rail services
Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof is a busy train station. It has long-distance and regional trains. Trains run on the Ruhr–Hanover line and in the Ostwestfalen-Lippe region. The station has 7 platform tracks, so sometimes two trains share a platform.
You can use all regional trains, trams, and buses with special fares called Der Sechser (“the six”) from the Ostwestfalen-Lippe transport association and NRW-tariff fares. Night buses do not run between 1 AM and 5 AM. The Niedersachsen-Ticket can be used on the Regional-Express service RE 70 (Weser-Leine-Express) with a small extra charge when traveling to or from Herford.
| Line | Route | Frequency | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ICE 10 | Cologne – | Düsseldorf – Duisburg – Essen – Dortmund – | Hamm – Bielefeld – Hanover – Wolfsburg – Berlin – Berlin Ostbahnhof | Hourly |
| Wuppertal – Hagen – | ||||
| ICE 14 | Aachen – Mönchengladbach – Essen – Bochum – Dortmund – Hamm – Bielefeld – Hanover – Berlin – Berlin Ostbahnhof | Four trains a day | ||
| ICE 19 | Berlin East – Berlin Hbf – Berlin-Spandau – Hanover – Bielefeld – Hagen – Wuppertal – Cologne (– Bonn – Koblenz – Mainz – Mannheim – Heidelberg – Stuttgart) | Every 2 hours | ||
| IC 55 | Dresden – Leipzig – Magdeburg – Braunschweig – Hanover – Minden – Bad Oeynhausen – Herford – Bielefeld – Gütersloh – Hamm – Wuppertal – Cologne – Bonn – Koblenz – Mainz – Mannheim – Heidelberg – Stuttgart (– Tübingen) | Every 2 hours | ||
| FLX 30 | Leipzig – Lutherstadt Wittenberg – Berlin Südkreuz – Berlin Hbf – Berlin-Spandau – Hannover – Bielefeld – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Cologne – Aachen | 1-2 train pairs daily | ||
| Line | Name | Route | Frequency | Operator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE 6 | Rhein-Weser-Express | Minden (Westf) – Bielefeld – Hamm (Westf) – Dortmund – Essen – Duisburg – Düsseldorf – Neuss – Cologne – Cologne/Bonn Airport | Hourly | National Express |
| RB 61 | Wiehengebirgs-Bahn | Bielefeld – Herford – Osnabrück – Rheine – Bad Bentheim | Hourly | eurobahn |
| RB 67 | Der Warendorfer | Bielefeld – Gütersloh – Warendorf – Münster (Westf) | Hourly | eurobahn |
| RB 69 | Ems-Börde-Bahn | Bielefeld – Hamm (Westf) – Münster (Westf) | Hourly | eurobahn |
| RE 70 | Weser-Leine-Express | Bielefeld – Minden (Westf) – Hanover – Braunschweig | Every 2 hours | WestfalenBahn |
| RB 71 | Ravensberger Bahn | Bielefeld – Herford – Bünde (Westf) – Rahden (Kr Lübbecke) | Hourly | eurobahn |
| RB 73 | Der Lipperländer | Bielefeld – Lage (Lippe) – Lemgo | Hourly | eurobahn |
| RB 74 | Senne-Bahn | Bielefeld – Sennestadt – Paderborn (continues as RB 84 to Holzminden) | Hourly | NordWestBahn |
| RB 75 | Haller Willem | Bielefeld – Halle (Westf) – Osnabrück | Hourly | NordWestBahn |
| RE 78 | Porta-Express | Bielefeld – Herford – Löhne (Westf) – Minden (Westf) – Nienburg (Weser) (Mo bis Fr) | Every 2 hours | eurobahn |
| RE 82 | Der Leineweber | Bielefeld – Lage (Lippe) – Detmold (– Altenbeken) | Hourly | eurobahn |
Stadtbahn connections
The underground Stadtbahn station has all Stadtbahn lines stopping there:
Buses leave from the station to places like Bad Salzuflen, Leopoldshöhe, Borgholzhausen, Gütersloh, and Steinhagen. They also go to nearby areas such as Heepen, Dornsberg, and Quelle in Bielefeld. The main bus station in Bielefeld is at Jahnplatz, which is not far away and has buses going many places.
| Line | Route |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | Schildesche – Hauptbahnhof – Jahnplatz – Bethel – Brackwede – Senne |
| Line 2 | Altenhagen – Milse – Baumheide – Hauptbahnhof – Jahnplatz – Sieker |
| Line 3 | Babenhausen-Süd – Hauptbahnhof – Jahnplatz – Dürkopp Tor 6 |
| Line 4 | Lohmannshof – Universität – Hauptbahnhof – Jahnplatz – Sieker Mitte – Stieghorst Zentrum |
Parking and cycle facilities
There is a parking area on the northwest side of the station. You can park your bicycle right next to the station building. You can also rent bikes and electric bikes there.
Access
The main entrance of Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof is in the station forecourt, called Bahnhofsplatz. It is a short walk from the Stadtbahn station. The station has lifts and moving walkways to help everyone get around easily.
You can also reach the station from a new area on the other side. Platforms 1 to 6 can be reached by wheelchair using lifts and an underpass. Track 8 can be accessed from ground level in the new station district, which connects to the station building by lift and underpass.
Images
Related articles
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