Ghost station

This article is about deserted tube stations. For the books on Haunted Military Airfields, see Ghost Stations. For the 2007 Thai film, see Ghost Station (film).

Saint-Martin, a ghost station in Paris Métro.

Ghost stations is the usual English translation for the German word Geisterbahnhöfe. This term was used to describe certain stations on Berlin's U-Bahn and S-Bahn metro networks that were closed during the period of Berlin's division during the Cold War. Since then, the term has come to be used to describe any disused station on an underground railway line, especially those used by passing passenger trains.

Ghost stations in Berlin

Background

Sign at Unter Den Linden in 2007, unchanged since the 1930s. It has since been covered by a modern sign showing the station's new name, "Brandenburger Tor".

In August 1961 the East German government built the Berlin Wall, ending freedom of movement between East and West Berlin. As a result, the Berlin public transit network, which had formerly spanned both halves of the city, was also divided into two. Some U- and S-Bahn lines fell entirely into one half of the city or the other; other lines were divided between the two jurisdictions, with trains running only to the border and then turning back. However, there were three lines—the U-Bahn lines now designated U6 and U8, and the Nord-Süd Tunnel on the S-Bahn—that ran for the most part through West Berlin but passed through a relatively short stretch of East Berlin territory in the city centre. These lines continued to be open to West Berliners; however, trains did not stop at most of the stations located within East Berlin, though for technical reasons they did need to slow down significantly while passing through. (Trains did stop at Friedrichstraße, more on which below.) The name Geisterbahnhof was soon understandably applied to these dimly lit, heavily guarded stations by the westerners who watched them pass by out the windows. However, the term was never official; West Berlin subway maps of the period simply labeled these stations "Bahnhöfe, auf denen die Züge nicht halten" ("stations at which the trains do not stop"). East Berlin subway maps did not depict Western lines or ghost stations at all. U-bahn maps in the Friedrichstraße transfer station were unique: they depicted all the Western lines but not the Geisterbahnhöfe, and showed the city divided into "Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR" ("Berlin, capital of the German Democratic Republic") and "Westberlin."

The situation described was obviously less than ideal. The lines were a vital part of the West Berlin transit network, but because part of their length lay in East Berlin territory, it was difficult for western support staff to do needed maintenance work on the tracks and tunnels. If a western train broke down in East Berlin territory, then passengers would need to wait for Eastern border police to appear and escort them out. The East German government occasionally hinted that it might someday block access to the tunnels at the border and run its own service on the East Berlin sections of these lines. However, this awkward status quo persisted for the entire 28-year period of the division of Berlin.

For the stations that are closed, barbed wires were installed to prevent the escapees from running into the track bed and it had their live rail. But if the person breaks one or two barriers, the alarm will be triggered, whereas for the entrances, the signages were removed, walkways were walled up and stairways were sealed with concrete slabs. Behind the windows, police stations were built, from which the whole incident could be overlooked from the platform.

A wide white line on the wall marked the exact location of the border. Later, even rolling gates were installed that were operating during night sleep always close. The other stations were only to secure jobs with the transport police. In the platform area, the Guardsmen had always occur in pairs. Care was taken that there could be no personal ties between items. In addition to this higher departments instead of checks that have not been announced. Thus, a maximum security personnel was also given. Other stations were secured by the border guards.

Certain things had been misused, and originally there is railroad board at Alexanderplatz whereas it was replaced by closed rooms. These rooms were used by a railroad board. The "Mäusetunnel" (Extra tunnel) that connected the two platforms in the city center railway station was used as a storeroom. Even years after the opening of the tunnel, the imprints of the containers in the asphalt ground could also be seen.

Particular stations

Friedrichstraße station, though served by western lines and located in East Berlin territory, was not a Geisterbahnhof. Instead, it served as a transfer point between U6 and several S-Bahn lines. Western passengers could walk from one platform to another without ever leaving the station or needing to show papers, much like air travellers changing planes at an international airport. Westerners with appropriate papers (visas) could also enter East Berlin here.

The Bornholmer Straße S-Bahn station was the only ghost station not located in a tunnel. It was situated close to the wall nearby the Bornholmer Straße border crossing. West Berlin trains passed through it without stopping. East Berlin S-Bahn trains passed the same station close by on different tracks. The tracks used by western and eastern trains were sealed off from each other by a tall fence.

Another oddity was Wollankstraße station. Like Bornholmer Straße, it was an S-Bahn stop served by West Berlin trains but located on East Berlin territory just behind the border. However, Wollankstraße was in use and accessible for West Berliners, as one of its exits was open to a West Berlin street; this exit was exactly on the border line, a warning sign next to it informing passengers about the situation. Its other exits towards East Berlin streets were locked.

Reopenings

The reopening of Jannowitzbrücke U-Bahn station on 11 November 1989, the first of the ghost stations to be reopened after the Fall of the Berlin Wall.

The first people to enter the ghost stations after the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 found that they lived up to their name, with the ads and signage on the walls being unchanged since 1961. None of these have been preserved.

The first ghost station to reopen to passenger traffic was Jannowitzbrücke (U8) on 11 November 1989, two days after the fall of the wall. It was equipped with a checkpoint within the station akin to Friedrichstraße, where East German customs and border control were provisionally installed to facilitate passengers heading to or coming from East Berlin. Hand-drawn destination signs were hung up covering the old ones from pre-1961; these signs were both crumbling from age and obviously missing the terminuses of post-1961 line extensions. On 22 December 1989, Rosenthaler Platz (U8) was reopened with a similar provisional checkpoint.

On 12 April 1990, the third station to reopen was Bernauer Straße (U8). As its northern exit was directly on the border, it could be opened with direct access to West Berlin without the need of a checkpoint. Its southern exit towards East Berlin was not reopened until 1 July 1990.

Discussions on reopening all the U6 and U8 stations including the S-Bahn station Oranienburger Straße, Unter den Linden and Nordbahnhof had begun in 13 April 1990 without border controls. These had to take 2 months to do their cleanup, removing all the dirt; refurbishing the interiors and all stations had been reopened on 1 July 1990 at 11.00am, as the East Berlin and East Germany had adopted the West German currency (DM), leaving the border controls all abandoned.

S-Bahn station Potsdamer Platz – formerly a ghost station and now reopened.

On 2 July 1990, Oranienburger Straße was the first ghost station on the Nord-Süd-S-Bahn to reopen. On 1 September 1990, Unter den Linden and Nordbahnhof were opened following reconstruction works. On 12 December 1990, Bornholmer Straße was reopened for West Berlin trains; a second platform for East Berlin trains allowing interchange followed on 5 August 1991. The very last ghost station to reopen was Potsdamer Platz, which opened on 3 March 1992, following an extensive restoration of the entire North-South tunnel.

In the following years, the city and German government put a great deal of effort into restoring and reunifying the S-Bahn and U-Bahn networks in Berlin. The U-Bahn system reached its pre-wall status in 1995 with the reopening of Warschauer Straße on U1. The S-Bahn system reached a preliminary completion in 2002 (with the reopening of the ring), even though there are still disused sections of lines closed in the aftermath of the wall. Decisions on reopening of some of these sections are still to be made.

List of all Berlin ghost stations

Please note that this list only includes those stations in East Berlin territory that western trains passed through without stopping. There were other stations on both sides of the wall that were closed during the division because sections of track were not in use.

Temporary checkpoints were set up for stations with access to East Berlin which were reopened before 1 July 1990. Checkpoints were no longer necessary for those reopened after that date when border checks were eliminated with the currency union between East and West Germany.

List of Berlin's ghost stations as a result of the Cold War
Nord-Süd S-Bahn (S1 and S25)
No	Station	Date reopened	Remarks	Order of reopening
1	Bornholmer Straße	12 December 1990		7
2	Nordbahnhof	1 September 1990		6
3	Oranienburger Straße	2 July 1990	First S-Bahn ghost station to reopen	5
4	Unter den Linden	1 September 1990	Renamed Brandenburger Tor station	6
5	Potsdamer Platz	3 March 1992		8
U 6
1	Schwartzkopffstraße	1 July 1990	From approximately 1951–1971, the Schwartzkopffstraße station bore the name Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion after a nearby stadium named in honour of Walter Ulbricht, then the First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and de facto leader of East Germany. In 1971, when Ulbricht was deposed and replaced by Erich Honecker, the stadium and station were renamed Stadion der Weltjugend (Stadium of World Youth). This was despite the fact that the only trains that passed through the station were western and did not stop there. The original name was restored in 1991.	4
2	Nordbahnhof	1 July 1990	Renamed Zinnowitzer Straße (1991–2009), then Naturkundemuseum (from 2009)	4
3	Oranienburger Tor	1 July 1990		4
4	Französische Straße	1 July 1990		4
5	Stadtmitte	1 July 1990	Only the U6 station was closed. East Berlin Underground line A (part of today's U2) trains continued to stop here.	4
U 8
1	Bernauer Straße	12 April 1990	Only direct access to West Berlin was opened on this date (without the need for a checkpoint). Southern exit to East Berlin was not reopened until 1 July 1990.	3
2	Rosenthaler Platz	22 December 1989	Temporary checkpoint set up for border crossing into East Berlin.	2
3	Weinmeisterstraße	1 July 1990		4
4	Alexanderplatz	1 July 1990	Only the U8 station was closed. East Berlin Underground lines A (part of today's U2, and line E (today numbered U5, and S-Bahn trains continued to stop here.	4
5	Jannowitzbrücke	11 November 1989	Only the U8 station was closed. East Berlin S-Bahn trains continued to stop here. After reopening, checkpoints were set up for border crossing into East Berlin.	1
6	Heinrich-Heine-Straße	1 July 1990		4

Ghost stations elsewhere

Argentina

• San José vieja (line E)
• Pasco Norte (line A)
• Alberti Sur (line A)

Australia

• General Motors on the Melbourne train network.
• Nyanda railway station (between Rocklea and Salisbury) on the Gold Coast Line, Brisbane.

Austria

• Lerchenfelder Straße in Vienna U-Bahn.

Brazil

• Parada Pirelli in São Paulo
• Paranapiacaba Station in São Paulo
• Monhangaba/Walmart Station in Rio de Janeiro

Bulgaria

• St. Naum Station (Станция Свети Наум) and NDK Station (Станция НДК) of the Sofia Metro. Both stations were built in the 1970s, together with the National Palace of Culture and the redevelopment of the surrounding area. Currently these stations are fully restored and operational as of 31 August 2012. Also adding a new ghost station naming модерно предградие and 55 СОУ

Canada

• Lower Bay in Toronto
• Lower Queen in Toronto
• Municipal Building in Calgary. A downtown subway was originally planned under 8th Avenue for the Calgary C-Train. In preparation, a short section of tunnel and underground LRT station were built under the Calgary Municipal Building when it was constructed in 1985. Subway plans were put on the shelf because the initial surface line on 7th Avenue turned out to have much more passenger capacity than expected. The underground station and downtown subway may be completed in the foreseeable future as future C-Train lines which are under construction and proposed will exceed the capacity of the 7th Avenue surface line.

Czech Republic

• Hloubětín and Kolbenova stations on Line B of Prague Metro were ghost stations from 1998 to 1999 (2001 for Kolbenova). Stations were in a state of suspended construction as the heavy industry factories they should have served were closed after the Velvet Revolution. Trains slowed down when passing through these dimly lit stations. As the whole industrial area is slowly revitalized the stations were finally completed.

• Národní třída station is closed since July 2012 for approximately two years due to construction of a new shopping and business centre. Trains only pass through the station without stopping.

China

• Fushouling in Beijing

Hong Kong

• Rumsey Station in the MTR. This platform was originally reserved for the East Kowloon Line proposal in the 1970s, in order to minimise the effects on the Island Line. However, these platforms are now abandoned and brick walls have been placed at the two ends of the 60-metre long platforms to block them off. The station is now called Sheung Wan and currently serves as the terminus of the Island Line. Since the platforms were built as the upper platforms, passengers going to and from exit E must pass through the abandoned platforms. The MTR Corporation is considering the proposal to fill in these ghost platforms to build shops on top of them.

Denmark

• Ellebjerg station is a former surface station on Køgebugtbanen (line A), which is a part of the S-train network in Copenhagen. The station was closed in 2007 when the Ny Ellebjerg station ("New Ellebjerg station") was built when Ringbanen (line F) was extended, with connections between these two lines.

Finland

• Munkkivuori in Helsinki. When a new shopping centre was built in 1960, a metro station was built inside of it. However, Helsinki Metro has not reached Munkkivuori so far and the intended station has been only rarely used as an auditorium. So there is no traffic through the station.
• Kamppi station has two platform levels, of which only the upper one is in use. The lower one was built at the same time in anticipation of later use and has no traffic.

France

Further information: Ghost stations of the Paris Métro

• Arsenal (Paris Métro)
• Champ de Mars (Paris Métro)
• Croix-Rouge (Paris Métro)
• Haxo (Paris Métro)
• Porte Molitor (Paris Métro)
• Saint-Martin (Paris Métro)

Germany

Apart from Berlin:

• Hellkamp on Hamburg U-Bahn line 2

The article on German Wikipedia contains several unused surface stations, or unused underground stations without traffic.

Malaysia

• Rantau Panjang railway station is a partially disused railway station owned by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) which is a part of the Rantau Panjang extension of KTM Intercity's East Coast Line in Rantau Panjang, Kelantan. After DMU drivers from Thailand refused to stop their railcars between Rantau Panjang and Tumpat, it is reused by Eastern and Oriental Express trains as a railway station for emergency purposes.

North Korea

• Pyongyang Metro - Kwangmyŏng station (Korean language: 광명

) has been closed since 1995 when the mausoleum of Kim Il-Sung was opened atop that station.

Norway

• Valkyrie plass on the Oslo Metro
• Volvat on the Oslo Metro
• Elisenberg in the Oslo Tunnel

All three are real ghost stations, underground stations with trains passing through.

Russia

Moscow Metro

• Stadion Spartak: An unopened station left in a half-finished state because the housing district it was intended to serve was never built. It may see completion in the future, should the area be developed.
• Vystavochnaya (opened as "Delovoy Tsentr"): only one of three stations in the complex is opened, the other two stations are built in as provisions. A part of the platform is a temporary picture gallery.
• Pervomayskaya (depot) and Kaluzhskaya (depot): Temporary stations built in the respective metro depots. After the lines they were serving were extended and proper stations built, these were closed.
• Park Pobedy (Victory Park): two stations were built as cross-platform transfer on Mitino-Butovo Chordal line, but the project was canceled and stations work as single virtual side platform station (because one platform does not have the direct exit).

Saint Petersburg Metro

• Dachnoye - bay platform opened in 1966, closed in 1977, a part of the platform was rebuilt as a police building.

South Korea

• Jeungsan Station in Busan Subway
• Magongnaru Station in Seoul Subway/AREX
• Magok Station in Seoul Subway, formerly indefinitely closed due to low ridership but recently renovated and reopened.

Spain

• Disused Barcelona Metro stations
• Chamberí and Arroyo del Fresno in Madrid Metro
• El Tejar, San Martín de la Vega and Parque de Ocio in Cercanias Madrid

Sweden

• Kymlinge in Stockholm Metro (trains pass through it)
• Rannebergen in Gothenburg (prepared underground station not used by trains)

Ukraine

• Lvivska Brama in Kiev Metro

United Kingdom

• List of former and unopened London Underground stations
• Merkland Street on the Glasgow Subway.
• Kings Cross Thameslink

United States

58th Street on the Chicago 'L' Green Line.

• Cincinnati Subway, which has never been opened.
• Nine stations on the New York City Subway, as well as two stations on the PATH system
• Franklin Square (on the PATCO Speedline) and Spring Garden (on the Broad-Ridge Spur) in Philadelphia
• Seven stations in Chicago
• Eureka Station in San Francisco
• Subway Terminal in Los Angeles
• Knox–Henderson Station in Dallas
• Bicentennial Park Station (on the Miami-Dade Metromover) and the unused east-west platform at Government Center Station (on the Miami-Dade Metrorail) in Miami
• Harvard-Holyoke near Boston (in use from January 1981 through August 1983)
• Part of the old Gateway Center station in Pittsburgh
• Michigan Central Station in Detroit
• Rochester Subway

See also

• Abandoned railway station

External links

• Historic Berlin metro maps (German)
• View from the cab of a journey from Gesundbrunnen to Leinestraße in a Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe museum train in 1987, passing through several ghost stations (German captioning)
• [2]