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Berlin's gleaming new focal point is the massive Hauptbahnhof main station, located just north of the Reichstag and government buildings.
After an 8-year construction period (and just 5 years behind schedule) the station recently opened, permitting the main east-west rail corridor to cross the north-south route, in a new tunnel, and giving Berlin a central station for the first time.
The numbers concerning the building and related transport connections are amazing: it cost some 4 billion euros to complete the project; the station is 16 metres high, 60 metres wide and 400 metres long and has nearly the same volume as New York's Empire State building; and 11800 glass panes weighing 100kg each form the platform roof, a total of 1,2 million kilos of glass.
The main east-west S-Bahn track was rerouted through the semi-complete station in 2002, after which the adjacent old S-Bahn station was demolished. As the budget and money were tight, some concessions were made during construction, much to the ire of the architect: the glass platform roof was made 100m shorter than planned (so that the front and rear of ICE trains will still get rained on), and the underground area was given a fixed roof rather than the planned 'cathedral ceiling' that would have reflected light down onto the lower platforms.
Another problem that locals point out is that the station is not really near to anything ? it's built in a wasteland close to the former Wall, not within walking distance of either the traditional centre of Mitte or western Berlin.
Still, it's a marvellous and well-connected station, well worth a short detour. More information can be found at www.bahn.de.
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