The U-Bahnhof is an underground station or a station of the subway. It in most cases concerns a critical point (no genuine station), in some cases (usually at the END and junctions) also around storage sidings. Underground yards are in all larger cities of the world, which have over an underground or similar underground rail traffic systems.

General information

Like the term subway already suggest, are underground yards usually underground, however undergrounds are ebenerdig implemented also in some places as overhead railway or. Normally there is however tunnel constructions, in which the courses are dispatched.

Underground yards are visibly marked by an appropriate sign. In Germany it is the white U on blue reason. Depending upon execution and available building ground they partly possess an above ground construction than entrance hall. In each case however stairs lead escalators into the underground U-Bahnhof, usually also. A U-Bahnhof is considered as obstruct fair, if it has an elevator or ramps and/or moving pavements.

Underground yards are often social meeting places in large cities, meet one here nevertheless in the rush hour on the way to the work or to the spare time. Frequently one finds here also road musicians, who, depending upon law situation, arise partly also in the courses. At the same time one finds direct on and with underground yards kiosks and lunches.

While in Germany the underground yards are to a large extent vacant, are particularly in London and in communist countries the stations particularly with police officers occupies.

Often the name of a certain U-Bahnhofs is a place name for a whole city area (something is at the U-Bahnhof XY in the closer periphery). Names of underground yards can remind also of disappeared buildings, for example the U-Bahnhof station in Berlin. With larger cities in the city area the stations have often road or place names.

Designs

The platforms of a U-Bahnhofes are implemented either as side or central platforms. With Seitenbahnsteigen its own platform exists for each track, so that the tracks usually lie directly next to each other without turning. (The platforms are thus because of the side of the station.) central platforms are however between the tracks, so that a platform serves two tracks. Central platforms are in principle more user friendly and cheaper than Seitenbahnsteige, since the platform furniture only once and also passengers must to be purchased be able themselves to orient more easily. In Spain there is the so-called Spanish with the undergrounds platform solution. Here platforms are on both sides of the track. One mostly steps out on the left of and right. This system has the advantage that the passenger change accelerates itself. In Munich with the rapid-transit railway one finds this system in some tunnel act ions also.

Architecture

Newer underground stations became by well-known architects such as Norman Foster (London, Canary Wharf) or Santiago Calatrava (Valencia, Alameda) arranges clearly more responding than still in the 1960er or 1970er years. One gets away from the crushing, dark and dangerous image and creates correct architectural masterpieces. To mention also the Tunnelbana is in Stockholm, which is considered as the longest art exhibition of the world. For the Jubilee LINE in London was written out at the beginning of the 1990er years a whole architectural competition.

Already into the 1950er years went one new ways: In the new underground stations of the USSR an architectural style was developed, which resembles rather a church as a railway station. The stations were decorated proper kitschig and are quiet witnesses of the Russian architecture at that time.

In newer stations one sets rather on concrete, glass and steel. Transparency is one of the most important components of the stations.

The possibilities during the station equipment are limited depending upon design:

• Open building method: Here is as well as everything possible, since one does not have a border upward and to the side more, to which one adhere must.

  Example: London, Canary Wharf

• Drilling stake cover building method: Similarly as with the open building method one has here also nearly all possibilities openly, however one has at the sides only limits place.

  Example: Munich, pc. - Quirin place

• Slotted wall cover building method: Here one has quite little place for architecture, since the place is limited to the side upward and.

  Example: Munich, west cemetery

• building method: Here the two tracks in tubes, the interior equipment run are limited to walls and Interieur

  Example: Munich, Trudering

• Trough building method: Similarly as with the open building method here also all possibilities are open.

  Example: Stuttgart, Waldau

See also

• Tunnel station
• List of the cities with undergrounds

Related links

• Architecture of the underground stations
• Underground stations in the former Soviet Union
• Metro bit: Art and architecture in the underground (world-wide)

Articles in category "U-Bahnhof"

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