- Source: Wuppertal-Oberbarmen station
Wuppertal-Oberbarmen station is located in the city of Wuppertal in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Historically, it served as a significant railway junction, connecting to four railway lines. Presently, the station is served by two remaining lines: the Dortmund–Wuppertal main line and the branch line to Solingen.
History
The first station building was opened along with the Elberfeld–Dortmund line under the name of Barmen-Rittershausen by the Bergisch-Märkische Railway Company on 9 October 1847. It was subsequently renamed Wuppertal-Oberbarmen in 1930.
In 1910, the tracks and Rosenau street were relocated to accommodate the construction of a depot at Wuppertal-Langerfeld. The station area and the station building suffered significant damage during the Second World War. After a partial demolition carried out by Deutsche Bundesbahn in the post-war period, the station was reconstructed in the 1980s during the establishment of S-Bahn line S8. Today there is a square-shaped commercial building with a newsagent, a bakery shop and a McDonald's branch.
In its prime, Wuppertal-Oberbarmen boasted a triangular junction that interconnected the Elberfeld–Dortmund main line with the Opladen and Solingen lines, as well as a connection to the Düsseldorf-Derendorf–Dortmund Süd railway and the Wuppertal-Wichlinghausen–Hattingen line.
Furthermore, Wuppertal-Oberbarmen held significant importance as a freight terminal for an extended period. Nevertheless, the last freight tracks were dismantled in 2006, and the area was repurposed to accommodate a DIY store.
Current operations
Long-distance passenger trains pass through Wuppertal-Oberbarmen without stopping. However, all regional trains running through Wuppertal stop. The Wupper-Express (RE 4), the Rhein-Münsterland-Express (RE 7) and the Maas-Wupper-Express (RE 13) stop at the station at hourly intervals. Services on S-Bahn lines S8 to/from Mönchengladbach and S 7 to/from Remscheid) stop every twenty minutes on the local platforms. Services on line S 9 and one in three services on line S8 run to/from Hagen every 60 minutes.
Deutsche Bahn classifies the station as category 3.
Wuppertal-Oberbarmen is also a major connecting point between the railway and other public transport services. The Schwebebahn has its eastern terminus here, and there is a bus station, which is served by many of the lines of Wuppertaler Stadtwerke (Wuppertal's operator of public utilities and transport) and Verkehrsgesellschaft Ennepe-Ruhr (the transport company of Ennepe-Ruhr).
Platforms
Today, there are three platforms with a total of six tracks. Regional trains stop on tracks 2 and 3; they are also used for non-stop operations by long-distance trains. Services on S-Bahn lines S 7, S 8 and S 9 stop on tracks 5 and 6. The other platform tracks are not barrier-free for the disabled.
Interchanges
The following services stop at the station.
References
= Footnotes
== Sources
=WSW mobil Gmb, ÖPNV Systemmanagement (2009). Wuppertal timetable 2009/10 (in German). Wuppertal: ECO-Druck GmbH.