A ghost station is a disused train station through which revenue-service passenger trains (especially rapid transit trains) pass but at which they do not stop. The term is also sometimes used for any unused underground station or any unused station, whether or not trains pass through them. In Germany, a station that has been built in the course of constructing something else as a so-called "Bauvorleistung" (roughly: construction pre-effort) is referred to as a "ghost station", despite the different purpose and origin of the terms. Some English-language publications also refer to "pre-built" stations or parts thereof that have yet to see service as "ghost stations".
The term "ghost station" is a calque of the German word German: Geisterbahnhof (plural German: Geisterbahnhöfe). The German term was coined to describe certain stations on Berlin's German: [[Berlin U-Bahn|U-Bahn]] and German: [[Berlin S-Bahn|S-Bahn]] metro networks that were closed during the period of Berlin's division during the Cold War because they were an integral part of a transit line mostly located on the other side of the Berlin Wall.
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 German: U- and German: 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 German: U-Bahn lines now designated U6 and U8, and the German: Nord–Süd|nocat=y Tunnel on the German: S-Bahn—that ran for the most part through West Berlin but passed for a short distance through the borough of Mitte (the historic city centre), which was East Berlin territory. 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 have to slow down significantly while passing through.[1] (Trains did stop at German: [[Berlin Friedrichstraße station|Friedrichstraße]], on which more below.) The name German: Geisterbahnhof was soon aptly applied to these dimly lit, heavily guarded stations by travellers from West Berlin, who watched them pass by through the carriage windows. However, the term was never official; West Berlin German: U-Bahn maps of the period simply labelled these stations "German: Bahnhöfe, auf denen die Züge nicht halten" ("stations at which the trains do not stop"). East Berlin maps neither depicted the West Berlin lines nor the ghost stations. German: U-Bahn maps in the German: Friedrichstraße transfer station were unique: They depicted all the Western lines, but not the German: Geisterbahnhöfe, and showed the city divided into "German: Berlin, Hauptstadt der DDR" ("Berlin, capital of the German Democratic Republic") and "German: Westberlin", the official terminology used by East Germany.
The lines were a vital part of the West Berlin transit network, but because part of the route of some of the lines lay in East Berlin territory, it was difficult for Western support staff to perform maintenance work on the tracks and tunnels. If a train on a West Berlin line broke down in East Berlin territory, then passengers had 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.
At the closed stations, barbed wire fences were installed to prevent any would-be escapees from East Berlin from accessing the track bed, and the electrically live third rail served as an additional and potentially lethal deterrent. An alarm was triggered if anyone breached one of the barriers. As for the entrances, the signage was removed, walkways were walled up and stairways were sealed with concrete slabs. Police stations were built into the windowed platform service booths, from which the whole platform area could be monitored.
A wide white line on the wall marked the exact location of the border. Later, gates were installed at some stations that could be rolled into place at night while the guards were off-duty. Guard posts at other stations were staffed continuously, creating additional employment positions with the transport police. In the platform area, the guards always worked in pairs, and care was taken in their assignment to assure that there would be no personal ties between them. In addition, superior officers could conduct surprise inspections at any time, thus, maintaining maximum security. Other stations were secured by the East German border guards.
German: Friedrichstraße|nocat=y station, though served by Western lines and located in East Berlin territory, was not a German: Geisterbahnhof. Instead, it served as a transfer point between U6 and several German: S-Bahn lines. Western passengers could walk from one platform to another without ever leaving the station or having to show papers, much like air travellers changing planes at an international airport. Westerners with appropriate visas could also enter East Berlin there (they could even get a visa in the station). There was an Intershop in the station that could be accessed without having to pass a border or customs checkpoint of either East or West Germany and it was thus a popular place for westerners to buy cheap alcohol in D-Mark, but the West Berlin customs considered goods bought there contraband and did spot checks on what they considered customs evasion.
The German: Bornholmer Straße S-Bahn|nocat=y station was the only ghost station not located in a tunnel. It was situated close to the wall near the German: Bornholmer Straße border crossing. West Berlin trains passed through it without stopping. East Berlin German: S-Bahn trains passed the same station but on different tracks. The tracks used by Western and Eastern trains were sealed off from each other by a tall fence.
Another oddity was German: Wollankstraße|nocat=y station. Like German: Bornholmer Straße, it was an German: S-Bahn stop served by West Berlin trains, but located on East Berlin territory just behind the border. However, German: Wollankstraße was in use and accessible for West Berliners, as one of its exits opened on 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 to East Berlin streets were blocked.
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 informal name, with ads and signage on the walls unchanged since 1961. None of them have been preserved.
The first ghost station to reopen to passenger traffic was German: [[Berlin Jannowitzbrücke station|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 German: [[Berlin Friedrichstraße station|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 termini of post-1961 line extensions. On 22 December 1989, German: [[Rosenthaler Platz (Berlin U-Bahn)|Rosenthaler Platz]] (U8) was reopened with a similar provisional checkpoint.
On 12 April 1990, the third station to reopen was German: [[Bernauer Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)|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 German: [[Berlin Oranienburger Straße station|Oranienburger Straße]], German: [[Berlin Brandenburger Tor station|Unter den Linden]] and German: [[Berlin Nordbahnhof|Nordbahnhof]] had begun on 13 April 1990 without border controls. These took two months to clean up, removing all the dirt and refurbishing the interiors; all stations had been reopened on 1 July 1990 at 11 a.m., as East Berlin and East Germany had adopted the West German currency (DM), leaving the border checkpoints abandoned.
On 2 July 1990, German: [[Berlin Oranienburger Straße station|Oranienburger Straße]] was the first ghost station on the German: Nord-Süd-S-Bahn to reopen. On 1 September 1990, German: [[Berlin Brandenburger Tor station|Unter den Linden]] and German: [[Berlin Nordbahnhof|Nordbahnhof]] were opened following reconstruction works. On 12 December 1990, German: [[Berlin Bornholmer Straße station|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 German: [[Berlin Potsdamer Platz station|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 German: S-Bahn and German: U-Bahn networks in Berlin. The U-Bahn system reached its pre-war status in 1995 with the reopening of German: [[Berlin Warschauer Straße station|Warschauer Straße]] on U1. The German: 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. There was a political promise made in the course of reunification that all S-Bahn lines and services shut down due to partition were to be restored - with federal funds if need be - but as of 2021 this is still not the case and some former services are seen to be as of lower importance than proposed entirely new construction.
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 those sections of track were not in use.
Temporary checkpoints were set up for stations with access to East Berlin that 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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| German: Nord–Süd S-Bahn (S1, S2 and S25) | |||||
| No. | Station | Date reopened | Remarks | Order of reopening | |
| 1 | German: [[Berlin Bornholmer Straße station|Bornholmer Straße]] | 12 December 1990 | 7 | ||
| 2 | German: [[Berlin Nordbahnhof|Nordbahnhof]] | 1 September 1990 | 6 | ||
| 3 | German: [[Berlin Oranienburger Straße station|Oranienburger Straße]] | 2 July 1990 | First S-Bahn ghost station to reopen | 5 | |
| 4 | German: [[Berlin Brandenburger Tor station|Unter den Linden]] | 1 September 1990 | Renamed Brandenburger Tor station. Named in honor of East German Prime Minister Otto Grotewohl, 1949–1989. | 6 | |
| 5 | German: [[Berlin Potsdamer Platz station|Potsdamer Platz]] | 3 March 1992 | Named in honor of East German President Wilhelm Pieck, 1949–1989. | 8 | |
| U 6 | |||||
| 1 | German: [[Schwartzkopffstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)|Schwartzkopffstraße]] | 1 July 1990 | From approximately 1951 to 1971, the German: Schwartzkopffstraße station bore the name German: Walter-Ulbricht-Stadion after a nearby stadium named in honour of German: [[Walter Ulbricht]], then the First Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party (SED) and Latin: de facto leader of East Germany. In 1971, when German: Ulbricht was deposed and replaced by German: [[Erich Honecker]], the stadium and station were renamed German: Stadion der Weltjugend (Stadium of World Youth). When Honecker was deposed and replaced with Egon Krenz in 1989, the station and stadium were renamed after Krenz. After the 1989 resignation of Krenz, the station and stadium were named after his successor as party leader, Gregor Gysi, although the only trains that passed through the station were from West Berlin and did not stop there. The original name was restored in 1991. | 4 | |
| 2 | German: [[Naturkundemuseum (Berlin U-Bahn)|Nordbahnhof]] | 1 July 1990 | Renamed German: Zinnowitzer Straße (1991–2009), then German: Naturkundemuseum (from 2009) Previously named from 1964 to 1989 for East German Chairman of the Council of Ministers Willi Stoph. | 4 | |
| 3 | German: [[Oranienburger Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)|Oranienburger Tor]] | 1 July 1990 | From approximately 1961 to 1989, this station was named in honor of East German Stasi chief Erich Mielke. It was the most heavily-guarded of all the Berlin ghost stations. | 4 | |
| 4 | German: [[Französische Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)|Französische Straße]] | 1 July 1990 | Closed again December 2020 (see below) | 4 | |
| 5 | German: [[Stadtmitte (Berlin U-Bahn)|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 | German: [[Bernauer Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)|Bernauer Straße]] | 12 April 1990 | Only direct access to West Berlin was opened on this date (without the need for a checkpoint). The southern exit to East Berlin was not reopened until 1 July 1990. | 3 | |
| 2 | German: [[Rosenthaler Platz (Berlin U-Bahn)|Rosenthaler Platz]] | 22 December 1989 | Temporary checkpoint set up for border crossing into East Berlin. | 2 | |
| 3 | German: [[Weinmeisterstraße (Berlin U-Bahn)|Weinmeisterstraße]] | 1 July 1990 | 4 | ||
| 4 | German: [[Berlin Alexanderplatz station|Alexanderplatz]] | 1 July 1990 | Only the U8 station was closed. East Berlin Underground line A (part of today's U2), and line E (today numbered U5), as well as German: S-Bahn trains continued to stop here. | 4 | |
| 5 | German: [[Berlin Jannowitzbrücke station|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 | German: [[Heinrich-Heine-Straße (Berlin U-Bahn)|Heinrich-Heine-Straße]] | 1 July 1990 | 4 | ||
In contrast with the above-listed stations, multiple stations in the Berlin area that were of high importance during the Cold War rapidly lost importance and passengers after reunification, some to the point of becoming ghost stations. The most notable examples are:
The Spanish; Castilian: Buenos Aires|nocat=y Underground has four ghost stations. The two stations on Line A were originally two single-platform stations closed in 1953 since their close proximity meant trains had to stop in quick succession and frequencies were reduced. Their opposing platforms, located just metres away from each of the ghost stations, still remain open as Spanish; Castilian: [[Pasco (Buenos Aires Underground)|Pasco]] and Spanish; Castilian: [[Alberti (Buenos Aires Underground)|Alberti]] stations. The stations are preserved to maintain their original appearance and can still be seen when travelling on the line, even being used as a display for a time.[2]
On Line E, the two stations were closed in 1966 when the line was re-routed closer to the centre of Spanish; Castilian: [[Buenos Aires]] in order to improve passenger numbers. They have both been used as maintenance areas for Line E and Line C, while one of the stations served as a set for the 1996 Argentine film Spanish; Castilian: [[Moebius (1996 film)|Moebius]]. The stations were under consideration to be re-purposed as part of the new Line F, however it was later decided to build new tunnels instead.[3]
There are also two stations (Spanish; Castilian: [[Apeadero Boedo]] and Spanish; Castilian: [[Apeadero Carranza]]) on Line E and Line D which were designed to be used as temporary stations while their respective lines were being extended. Though the platforms remain, they cannot be considered true ghost stations since they were never intended to be a permanent part of the network and designed to be re-purposed as electrical substations once the permanent stations were built.
Apart from Berlin (which also has provisions for future extensions that serve no current purpose):
On some German high speed lines there are provisions made at overtaking stations (which serve an important function for operating trains, but do not appear obvious to most passengers as having any purpose) to allow for (conversion to) passenger service more easily in the future. In some cases this is as little as leaving more space between tracks to allow for the future construction of platforms, while in others there are significant parts of a passenger station constructed before the decision to not serve it after all is made. An example that has attracted particular public debate regarding the feasibility and desirability of passenger service is Ilmenau-Wolfsberg service station in a forest near Ilmenau along the Nuremberg–Erfurt high-speed railway.
Indonesia has some ghost stations like Gunung Putri railway station and Pondok Rajeg railway station.
Kishoge railway station in West Dublin on the Southwestern Commuter Line, between Adamstown and Clondalkin/Fonthill. It was intended to service new suburbs, but the post-2008 Irish economic downturn meant that the suburbs were never built and the train passes through empty fields at that point on the line. It is expected to open in 2024. [13]
Brennanstown station exists on the Green Line of the Luas tram system in Dublin, between Ballyogan Wood and Carrickmines. It was intended to service new suburbs, but, similarly to Kishoge, the post-2008 Irish economic downturn meant that the suburbs were never built and the tram passes through empty fields at that point on the line. The station is labelled "Future Stop" on the route map.[14] [15]
Rosh HaAyin South railway station became a ghost station on Israel Railways network in 2003, when the line it served as a terminus was extended towards Kfar Saba–Nordau railway station, and a new station, serving Rosh HaAyin was built a couple of kilometers to the north.
Italy does not have a long list of ghost stations. Amongst the few examples is Quintiliani, on Line B of the Rome Metro. It was built in 1990 as part of the extension towards the northeast of Line B, but was kept unused because it was meant to serve a planned business district called Sistema Direzionale Orientale (Eastern Directional District) that was never realized.[16]
In the early 2000s the project of the S.D.O. was cancelled and the station, which was in the middle of nowhere, was taken in charge by the Municipality of Rome and renewed to make it compliant with the new security rules issued in the meantime; a new bus line was established to link the station to the nearby Sandro Pertini general hospital. On 23 June 2003 it was officially opened to passenger traffic, ending a 13-year long period of ghost station status.
There are two "ghost stations" in the Seikan tunnel (Tappi-Kaitei Station & Yoshioka-Kaitei Station) which lost all remaining passenger service in the course of the construction of the Hokkaido Shinkansen.
All three are real ghost stations, underground stations with trains passing through.