Zurich Stadelhofen railway station

Zürich Stadelhofen railway station (German: Bahnhof Zürich Stadelhofen) is an important local railway station in the city of Zürich, on the Zürich-Rapperswil, Zürich-Winterthur, Zürich-Uster lines of the SBB CFF FFS (Swiss Federal Railways). An adjacent station, Zürich Stadelhofen FB, is the terminus of the Forchbahn (FB) suburban railway and is served by several lines of the Zürich tram network.

Zürich Stadelhofen
Double-tracked railway line enclosed by concrete canopy
The platforms in 2006
General information
LocationStadelhoferstrasse 6A
Zürich
Switzerland
Coordinates47°22′0″N 8°32′55″E / 47.36667°N 8.54861°E / 47.36667; 8.54861
Elevation410 m (1,350 ft)
Owned bySwiss Federal Railways
Line(s)
Platforms2
Tracks3
Train operatorsSwiss Federal Railways
ConnectionsZVV: Bahnhof Stadelhofen, Opernhaus
Train
Train
S-Bahn
Tram
Tram
VBZ trams 8 11 15, and Forchbahn FB S18 at stop Bahnhof Stadelhofen, and VBZ trams 2 4 at stop Opernhaus
Bus
Bus
VBZ busses 912 916 at stop Opernhaus
Airport
Airport
A direct train S16 every half an hour to/from Zurich Airport in 0:18h and many more connections with one change in 0:20h
Construction
Architect1990: Santiago Calatrava
Other information
Fare zone110 (ZVV)
History
Opened1894 (1894)
Rebuilt1983–1990 (1983–1990) (S-Bahn launch)
Passengers
202380'400 per weekday[1] (SBB)
Rank10 out 1'159
Services
Preceding station Zurich S-Bahn Following station
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Bülach
S3 Stettbach
towards Wetzikon
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Zug
S5 Uster
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Baden
S6 Zürich Tiefenbrunnen
towards Uetikon
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Winterthur
S7 Meilen
towards Rapperswil
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Schaffhausen
S9 Stettbach
towards Uster
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Aarau
S11 Stettbach
towards Seuzach or Wila
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Brugg AG
S12 Stettbach
towards Schaffhausen or Wil
Zürich Hauptbahnhof S15 Uster
towards Rapperswil
Zürich Hauptbahnhof S16 Zürich Tiefenbrunnen
Terminus S18 Zürich Kreuzplatz
towards Esslingen
Zürich Hauptbahnhof S20 Küsnacht ZH
towards Uerikon
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
Terminus
S23 Winterthur
towards Romanshorn
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Aarau
SN1
Limited service
Stettbach
towards Winterthur
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Knonau
SN5
Limited service
Stettbach
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Würenlos
SN6
Limited service
Stettbach
towards Winterthur
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Bassersdorf
SN7
Limited service
Zürich Tiefenbrunnen
towards Stäfa
Zürich Hauptbahnhof
towards Bülach
SN9
Limited service
Stettbach
towards Uster
Terminus SN18
Limited service
Zürich Kreuzplatz
towards Egg
Location
Map
Notes

Stadelhofen lies close to the Zürich Opera House and near Bellevue Square. It is located in the city centre next to Lake Zürich and constitutes an early work by architect Santiago Calatrava in the city where he had studied.[4]

History

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Changes to the railway routes in 1990

Stadelhofen station opened in 1894, at the same time as the Lake Zürich right bank railway (Rechtsufrige Zürichseebahn) from Zürich Hauptbahnhof to Rapperswil station. Until 1990, the station was an intermediate stop on this single track line, which departed from the Hauptbahnhof in a westerly direction, before performing a clockwise 270 degrees turn via a viaduct over the River Limmat and passing through Letten station and the Letten tunnel to Stadelhofen. By rail the distance between the Hauptbahnhof and Stadelhofen was some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi), despite the fact that they are only 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) apart in a straight line.[5]

In 1990 there were major changes to the railway geography of this part of Zürich. To the north of Stadelhofen, the Letten tunnel was closed and replaced by the twin-track Hirschengraben tunnel, which took a direct route under the River Limmat to Hauptbahnhof, serving new through low level platforms there. At the same time a junction was formed to the south of Stadelhofen, allowing trains leaving Zurich to take either the original right bank line to Tiefenbrunnen station and onwards to Rapperswil, or to travel via the newly built Zürichberg Tunnel to Stettbach station and points to the east and north of Zurich.[5][6]

Stadelhofen therefore became part of the through west–east backbone of the Zürich S-Bahn, and was rebuilt into its current form with an additional platform and enhanced station infrastructure.[5][6]

Layout and facilities

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The station is situated to the south-east of Zürich city centre, adjacent to the Stadelhofen city square. The station is on a gentle curve, aligned roughly north to south, with the main station building and square to the west, and a rising hillside to the east. The station has three tracks, alongside a side platform to the west and an island platform to the east. The rail approaches at both ends are in tunnel, with the Hirschengraben Tunnel to Zürich Hauptbahnhof to the north. To the south the line divides inside the tunnel, with one route traversing the Zürichberg Tunnel to Stettbach station and the other a single track tunnel to Tiefenbrunnen station.[5][7][8]

The station can be accessed from either side. An underground retail arcade runs the length of the station below the tracks and provides access between the platforms and station entrances. Underground access is supplemented by two bridges which span the station, one carrying a footpath and the other restricted road traffic.[6]

Operation

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Stadelhofen station is a nodal point of the Zürich transport network. The main station is served by lines S3, S5, S6, S7, S9, S11, S12, S15 and S16 of the Zürich S-Bahn, running on the SBB lines. The S20 and S23 provide additional peak-hour service. S-Bahn line S18, running over the Forchbahn, leaves from outside the station, at a stop on Stadelhofenplatz.[9][7]

All trains from the main Stadelhofen station operate via the Hirschengraben Tunnel and low-level platforms 41–44 at Hauptbahnhof, continuing to Hardbrücke station. They provide, for most of the day, 18 trains per hour (tph) to or from these central Zürich stations. Other stations served include:[10][7]

The Forchbahn (line S18) runs from the Stadelhofenplatz stop via Forch to Esslingen. The Stadelhofenplatz stop is also served by tram routes 8, 11 and 15 of the Verkehrsbetriebe Zürich, whilst the same operators tram routes 2 and 4 serve the nearby Opernhaus stop. Trams and buses connect Stadelhofen to areas both inside and outside of the city of Zürich.[9][7]

Summary of all regional train services by Zürich S-Bahn:

During weekends, there are six nighttime S-Bahn services (SN1, SN5, SN6, SN7, SN9, SN18) offered by ZVV:[11][12]

Architecture

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The existing Stadelhofen station building dates from 1894, and was built in a neoclassical style reflecting the surrounding buildings. In the 1990s the train station was rebuilt by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The principal challenge of this rebuild was to add a third track to a station constrained by a steep hillside rising above the station to one side, and an urban square to the other.[6][13]

The resulting design preserved the existing station building on the square side, and excavated the hillside to provide room for the third track and the platform serving it. The hillside was then restored with a multilevel structure that reinstates the walkways and bank above, while providing an open, naturally lit island platform underneath serving the new track and its pre-existing neighbour. The massive canopy over this platform is complemented by a much lighter metal and glass canopy over the platform on the square side of the station. An underground arcade was created beneath the length of the station, providing retail space as well as access between the platforms and station entrances. The arcade is framed by sculptural arches, and is naturally lit through glass blocks embedded on the platforms. As well as the underground arcade, two bridges span the station, linking the city on each side.[6][13]

Both station building and platforms are inscribed on the Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National Significance.[14]

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See also

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Further reading

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  • Calatrava, Santiago (29 November 1990), "Bahnhof Stadelhofen", Schweizer Ingenieur und Architekt (in German), 108 (48: S-Bahn Zürich - Architektur): 1390–1392

References

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  1. ^ "Passagierfrequenz (2023)". Lausanne, Switzerland: SBB CFF FFS. 2023. Retrieved 4 August 2024 – via data.sbb.ch – SBB DATA PORTAL.
  2. ^ "Passagierfrequenz (2018)". Berne, Switzerland: SBB CFF FFS. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019 – via data.sbb.ch – SBB DATA PORTAL.
  3. ^ "Tarifzonen" (PDF). ZVV. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Stadelhofen Station". zuerich.com. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Verlag Schweers + Wall GmbH. 2012. pp. 64–65. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Calatrava - Stadelhofen Station, Zurich". My Architectural Moleskin. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d "S-Bahn trains, buses and boats" (PDF). ZVV. 9 December 2018. Retrieved 22 September 2019.
  8. ^ map.geo.admin.ch (Map). Swiss Confederation. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Zurich City Map" (PDF). ZVV. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
  10. ^ Swiss Federal Railways (10 December 2023). "Abfahrt: Bahnhof Zürich Stadelhofen" (PDF). Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Night timetable and line network". ZVV. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  12. ^ "Nachtnetz.an Wochenenden" (PDF). zvv.ch. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Stadelhofen Station by Santiago Calatreva". galinsky.com. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Schweizerisches Inventar der Kulturgüter von nationaler Bedeutung - Zürich" [Swiss Inventory of Cultural Property of National Significance - Zurich] (PDF) (in German). Swiss Confederation. 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 13 September 2011.
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