Brackwede Station

Brackwede station is the second most important station in the city of Bielefeld in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, after Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof. It is classified by Deutsche Bahn as a category 4 station. Train services are operated by NordWestBahn and Eurobahn.

History

It was opened in 1847 with the opening of the Cologne-Minden trunk line.

In the course of the upgrade for Expo 2000 all stations were modernised along the line to Osnabrück. Only Brackwede station was not fully rehabilitated. The cost of the remedial work is estimated by DB Station&Service to cost about €4-5 million. DB Station&Service has installed dynamic train service indicators with funding from an economic stimulus package.

Until May 2019, the tracks were accessible via a pedestrian tunnel that led from Eisenbahnstraße under the railway line and the ''Ostwestfalendamm'' (urban expressway embankment, part of Bundesstraße 61) to the Brackwede natural swimming pool on the border with the Quelle district. The tunnel is the main connection for pedestrians and cyclists from Brackwede-Mitte to the Quelle district and to the natural swimming pool, which reopened in 2009, and has barrier-free access on both sides. The tunnel was renovated between 2019 and 2021. During the modernisation, barrier-free access with lifts was built to the platforms. The rear part of the tunnel that passes under the ''Ostwestfalendamm'' was embellished by young people with a continuous piece of graffiti showing the "skyline" of Brackwede.

Station area

The station has a parking area. In addition, covered bike racks and lockable bike boxes are available.

Close-by located next to the ''Ostwestfalendamm'' and the natural pool, are a mosque of the Turkish-Azerbaijani Cultural Association, a junkyard, a Turkish/Russian supermarket, Lutter valley including the ''Lutterkolk'' (pond) and the sources of the Lutter as well as the ''Gestamp GMF Umformtechnik'' (formerly the ''ThyssenKrupp Umformtechnik'') company.

Rail services

The following Regionalbahn services stopped at Brackwede station in 2025:

Stadtbahn and bus connections

Services on Bielefeld Stadtbahn line 1 stop 300 metres to the north east of the station on Gütersloh Straße at a stop called ''Bahnhof Brackwede'', which is reached via a staircase that is not accessible for the disabled, although there is a longer route that is accessible. The station is also served by the following bus routes.

It has long been planned for bus lines running on the Brackwerd city ring to pass the station and to end at a terminus in the station district (''Bahnhofsviertel''), in order to improve connections between trains and buses. Since the relocation of the bus route 94 to Brackweder Kirche, however, only two bus routes operate on this route.

Bielefeld International Bus Station

On 30 March 2009, the previous three stops for international long-distance bus services in Bielefeld ( Hauptbahnhof, Sennestadt Ratio-Markt and Kesselbrink) were brought together at Brackwerd station. This mainly offers connections to Poland and Eastern Europe (including the Baltic states), but also to Western and Southern European countries (France, Portugal, England, Belgium). The domestic long-distance buses to Magdeburg and Berlin (''Berlin Linien Bus GmbH'') run via the Hauptbahnhof. For the relocation of the bus station to the central part of the Brackwerd station building, it was renovated and equipped with a waiting room for travellers as well as toilets. A travel agency and a newspaper stand are also located in the station building.

References

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Railway stations in North Rhine-Westphalia
Buildings and structures in Bielefeld
Railway stations in Germany opened in 1847
1847 establishments in Prussia