Railway Station Types In Germany

The railways in Germany use several abbreviations to differentiate between various types of stations, stops, railway facilities and other places of rail service.

Places with a set of points

* – ' (railway station), defined as a place where trains may start, terminate, stop, overtake, meet or change directions, and that has at least one set of points. It can be additionally named after its purpose:
** – ', the main or central station of a town or city. Also the only abbreviation commonly found on station timetables and signs.
** – ' (passenger station), usually used to differentiate in places that have several types of stations, but only one passenger station.
** – ' ( long distance station)
** – ' (freight station)
** – ', a station only for operational tasks like train overtakes.
** – ' (marshalling yard)
** – ' (transshipment station)
** – ', a station serving a factory or plant.
** – ' ( mail station)
* – ' (part of a station), used when a station consists of distinct facilities, for example a and a .
* – ' (a junction without platforms)
* – ' (crossover)
* – ' (industrial siding outside station limits), trains using the ' must not be passed by trains running on the main line.
* – ' (refuge siding), an industrial siding outside station limits where trains can run on the main line while another train is shunting at the ', in contrast to an '.
* – ', the term for a ' (see below) at the same location as an ', ' or '/'.
* – ', a simplified freight station used to transship goods, nowadays mostly part of a station or categorized as '.

Places without a set of points

* – ' ( halt), a passenger stop that does not fit the requirements to be a '. Defined as a place where trains can stop, start or terminate, but which has no sets of points in the vicinity.
* – ' (block post), a signal box outside station limits, where there is a long distance between stations and/or junctions/crossovers, with just one signal in each direction, to allow more trains following each other (only called ' if it is staffed, otherwise it is called ' – ' (automatic block post)).
* – ', a signal box outside station limits which protects rail operation at danger spots like moveable bridges with its signals.

Other railway facilities

* – ' (bus stop)
* – ' (office of the staff, locomotive depot; old/colloquial abbreviation: ' for ')
* – ' (head office of computer-based interlocking)
* – ', border to another railway infrastructure manager (domestic and foreign).
* – ', border between German federated states.
* – ', neutral section in an overhead line to separate two electrical supplies.
* – ' (ship dock)
* – ', change of VzG line.
* – ' (filling stations)
* – ' (traction substation)
* – ' (repair shop; old/colloquial abbreviation: ' or ' for ')

Classification of railway facilities

Railway facilities in Germany are divided into three categories:Eisenbahn-Bau- und Betriebsordnung: ''Bahnanlagen § 4 Begriffserklärungen''
* (railway facilities of the stations): e.g. station buildings, platforms, loading docks, signal boxes, goods sheds
* (railway facilities outside station limits): , , , , , , ,
* (other railway facilities): e.g. electrical substations, depots, repair shops

See also

*List of Deutsche Bahn station codes
*German railway station categories

References

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Railway depots in Germany