EU-Germany:Temple to Transport - by von Tyler Brûlé
Berlin's new Euro 10bn railway station provides a working model of the country at its best, with integrated axes and methods of transport - engineering, logistics, architecture, technology and infrastructure, all under one big massive glass roof. That the whole station happens to be on the doorstep of the Reichstag and the Swiss embassy is no accident. For Germany's Federal ministers it's a confident symbol of modernity and public service; for Chancellor Angela Merkel it's a showplace for visiting heads of state to marvel at; and for the Swiss it's a reminder that they're not the only ones in Europe who know how to run a railway network.
Berlin's Hauptbahnhof, which opens officially on May 26, looks more like a temple to transport than a structure that might actually get involved with the gritty business of handling trains, selling tickets and dispensing fast food. Built to serve north-south and east-west traffic, the station borrows a considerable amount of inspiration from both Europe's grand railway stations and its better designed airports. There are also more than 80 shops, restaurants and services, suggesting that DB spent a lot of time with managers from Japan Railways looking at mixed-use opportunities in, above and around stations. The station will eventually handle over 1,000 trains a day and will rank as Europe's biggest rail crossing hub with north and southbound traffic using eight tracks on the lower level and east and westbound traffic cutting through the station on suspended tracks.
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