Wilhelmsburg Urban Railway Station and Pedestrian Bridge

Wilhelmsburg Urban Railway Station has become somewhat dilapidated over the years, and is in need of modernisation. Since the 1960s it has connected the two areas of Wilhelmsburg that have been separated by the railway line, and handles up to 17,000 passengers every day, a figure which is on the increase.

The Gateway to Wilhelmsburg Central

With its bridge over the railway tracks, Wilhelmsburg Urban Railway Station is the neighbourhood’s most important transport junction. Not only is it connected to a central transfer point for bus routes serving Wilhelmsburg itself and its surrounding areas, it also links the two parts of Wilhelmsburg Central separated by the railway tracks, as well as the Elbe island as a whole. In view of its outdated structure, rising passenger figures, difficult access, and its role as the entrance point for visitors to the IBA and the igs 2013, the Urban Railway Station was in urgent need of a revamp.

New Design Ideas

Five architects were invited to set out their ideas on the design of both the station and the bridge, and to include details of how their design would facilitate transport connections and urban planning. The concept presented by the Hamburg-based architects Gössler Kinz Kreienbaum won over the jury.

The bridge was shifted slightly southwards relative to its former position, so that the path from the station leads directly to the vocational college, the Island Park, and the State Ministry for Urban Development and the Environment. On the eastern side, the station forecourt and the bus station each have separate approaches, with the new station building accessible via escalators. The bridge and the station itself, with a small retail passage selling travel necessities, form a link between Berta-Kröger-Platz, Wilhelmsburg’s shopping centre, and Wilhelmsburg Central. The new bridge is completely accessible and can be used by pedestrians and cyclists alike.