Chur railway station

Chur

Trains at Chur station.
Location Bahnhofplatz 1-2
7000 Chur
Plessur, Graubünden
Switzerland
Coordinates 46°51′11″N 09°31′45″E / 46.85306°N 9.52917°E / 46.85306; 9.52917Coordinates: 46°51′11″N 09°31′45″E / 46.85306°N 9.52917°E / 46.85306; 9.52917
Elevation 584 m (1,916 ft)
Operated by SBB-CFF-FFS
Rhaetian Railway
Line(s) Zürich HB - Chur
Landquart - Thusis / Disentis/Muster
Chur - Arosa
Distance 13.68 km (8.50 mi)
from Landquart
Platforms 12
Connections
History
Opened 30 June 1858 (1858-06-30)
Route map
Chur as shown on the Rhaetian Railway network.
Location
Chur
Location within Switzerland

Chur railway station serves the city of Chur, capital of the Canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. Opened in 1858, it is the most important railway junction in Graubünden.

The station is the terminus of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB-CFF-FFS) standard gauge main line from Zürich to Chur, and is also one of the most important stations on the Rhaetian Railway (RhB) metre gauge network.

SBB Intercity, Regio Express and Regional services stop at the station, alongside Rhaetian Railway Regio Express and Regional services. There are SBB trains to Landquart, and then stations to Zürich (and beyond) and Rhaetian Railway services to many destinations in Graubünden. The Glacier Express also calls and reverses at Chur.

History and development

1850-1895

Planning for a station at Chur began in 1850. After heated debate, the station was built at its present site, just outside the city limits, and designed as a terminus of the Rheineck–Chur railway. It was opened on 30 June 1858.

The first operator of the station was the United Swiss Railways. Initially, only a temporary wooden goods shed was constructed as a station building. But in 1860 work was completed on a station building still visible today in modified form. In 1876, that building was moved to a new location on the Gürtelstrasse, where it has remained ever since.

With continuing increases in tourism in the area, a new station building was completed on 1 November 1878. It still exists today, but over the years has undergone several modifications.

1896-1985

In 1896, the Rhaetian Railway opened a narrow gauge line between Landquart and Thusis. The first 13.68 kilometres (8.50 mi) of that line ran parallel with the already well established standard gauge line between Landquart and Chur.

Due to a ruling by the Swiss Federal Council, the Rhaetian Railway was forced to abandon plans for a railway station of its own in Chur, and, instead, had to integrate itself into the existing United Swiss Railways station.

In 1903, the Albula Railway was opened, making necessary another expansion of Chur station. In 1914, traffic at the station increased even further, with the opening of the Chur–Arosa railway. Between 1926 and 1928, following yet another sharp increase in traffic, the station was completely rebuilt. As part of the late 1920s renovation, the number of tracks was increased, new bridges were built, and the track layout was simplified. Simultaneously, buildings from earlier times were refurbished, and new buildings were erected.

1985-present

Today, the station is located in the centre of the town of Chur, and forms the transition between the old and new towns.

Bus terminal, on the upper level
Chur station platforms

The most striking of the station's buildings is now the roof over the Postauto bus station, which is located above the station platforms.

In 1986, the architects Richard Brosi and Robert Obrist won first prize in a competition for the design of the bus station, including its roof. Their idea was to create an airy concourse, and the structure built to their design was completed in 1993.

Comprehensive redevelopment of the station began in 2000. The complete redesign of the station was a joint project of the SBB-CFF-FFS, the Rhaetian Railway and the town of Chur. As part of the redevelopment, a new pedestrian underpass was opened in 2003. By 2006, the underpass had been expanded to the south. As a connection to the southern end of the underpass, a new shopping mall was opened. Meanwhile, the height of the platforms was raised to Switzerland's usual height of 55 cm, and the platform roofs were renewed.

The old station building, which was called Belle Epoque, was completely renovated in a project completed in 2007. Between the tracks of the SBB and those of the Rhaetian Railway's Chur-Arosa line is now a new office and retail building.

The Chur bus station was moved closer to the railway station and today has a direct connection to the underground shopping arcade. Also, the Bahnhofplatz in front of the station was extensively renovated in 2007.

Arosabahn

Chur is also the lower terminus of the Chur-Arosa line (the Arosabahn), which has its own dedicated platforms (numbers 1 & 2) at the front of Chur station, on Bahnhofplatz.

Hourly passenger services operate on the Arosa line (service "R4" on the Rhaetian network) to the town and resort of Arosa, calling at a number of places between. The route is shown as timetable 930 in the Swiss national timetables.[1]

SBB-CFF-FFS services

Preceding station   EuroCity   Following station
Vauban
( operates in Switzerland as IR )
Terminus
RätiaTerminus

Rhaetian Railway services

Preceding station   Rhätische Bahn   Following station
toward St. Moritz
RE1
RE940		Terminus
toward St. Moritz
RE3
RE910/RE920
toward Scuol-Tarasp
toward Arosa
R4
R930		Terminus
toward St. Moritz
R11

R940

Limited service		Terminus
R31

R910/R920

Limited service
toward Landquart
toward Rhäzüns
S1
S-Bahn
toward Schiers
toward Thusis
S2
S-Bahn		Terminus

[2]

Bus stations

The bus station on Bahnhofplatz

Other stations in Chur

There are three other railway stations in Chur:

References

  1. ↑ Timetable 930: Chur-Arosa-Chur
  2. ↑ Rhaetian Railway network

Images

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