Talk:Berlin Ostkreuz station

A fact from Berlin Ostkreuz station appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 13 October 2006. The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that modernization of the Ostkreuz station (pictured) in Berlin, the busiest interchange station of the city's transportation system, has been proposed since 1937 and is due to start next year?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2006/October.

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Eastern Crossing?

Sorry to be difficult, but I'm not happy with the translation for << Ostkreuz (German for "Eastern Crossing") >>. There seems to be a problem here, even the DB (Deutsche Bahn) likes to use "crossing" and have used it with regard to Berlin Hbf. which they also title a "Crossing station". In English, this has no meaning, ask an English speaker what is meant by a "Crossing station" and he´ll give you a blank look!

My suggestions would be "East Cross" as used in London on the "East Cross Route" or perhaps " Eastern Interchange", but certainly not Eastern crossing!--IsarSteve 13:26, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, I'll probably change it; technically Ostkreuz is a "cruciform station" and "cross" would be more appropriate, although the DB have their own preferences, as you mention. I simply used the term as translated in Berlin. "East Cross" sounded a little literal and abrupt, and slightly religious to me. Even so, "East Cross" it is. Regards, ProhibitOnions ^(T) 13:32, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

How about Eastern Cross? Then we could translate Südkreuz as Southern Cross. ;-) Angr 13:39, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Heh-heh... ProhibitOnions ^(T) 14:05, 10 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Shouldn't we think about changing the title of the article to Ostkreuz (Berlin)?? Other cities do have stations with the same names e.g. Westkreuz in Munich. etc., I think the addition of the suffix (Berlin) would be preferable. --IsarSteve 11:13, 14 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

We don't usually disambiguate pre-emptively. As long as Ostkreuz would be a redirect to Ostkreuz (Berlin) anyway, Ostkreuz is the better title. Kusma (討論) 11:26, 14 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Well, some brave soul dubbed Berlin-Südkreuz to be "Berlin South Cross". Let's put it this way for the other stations as well. The discussions around renaming the northern crossing station into Nordkreuz are showing the importance of the literal meaning to these stations. Using the *-ing names in English does not sound appropriate anyway - it's just the function like using a backtranslation of "nördlicher Kreuzungsbahnhof". Well that's enough to find it on a map but not what you use for a proper name. Guidod (talk) 13:18, 1 July 2016 (UTC)[reply]

LOXX

There's a model of Ostkreuz at LOXX Berlin, the large model railway layout in the Meinekestr. I was there a year or two ago and tooks some pictures, but Ostkreuz mustbe on the film roll. Have to dig it out. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 22:40, 12 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Captions

Would someone mind expanding the caption in the images? In the first we appear to be looking east on E with F above us in the background? In the second I think we are looking north along the Ringbahn, with the Stadtbahn running under it from the right. The track closest the camera is the curved line connecting the two, which used to be served by platform A and C? And there's no obvious curved track leading to the north because that's the one they lifted in 2006?

If that's basically correct would anyone mind if I re-wrote the platform description? I'm thinking of something like:

Platform A, is a triangular platform on the eastern end of the station lying between the curved lines connecting the Stadtbahn with the Ringbahn. The northern and southern faces of the platform handled traffic crossing from the westbound Stadtbahn onto the northern or southern Ringbahn (respectively). The northern connection was disused and eventually removed in 2006, leaving only the southern face of A in use, serving trains moving north from Treptower Park and then turning west to Warschauer Straße.

Platforms B and C were the outside platforms opposite the northern and southern faces of A (respectively), serving traffic from the Ringbahn heading eastward onto the Stadtbahn. They became dilapidated and were closed during East German rule, leaving service for westbound traffic only.

Platforms D and E, serve the four "straight through" tracks of the Stadtbahn, which has two separate lines with their own eastbound and westbound tracks. D serves the northern pair of lines.

Maury 00:16, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The article also mentions that the southern face of A will also no longer be used. Does this imply that there will no longer be any traffic using the connecting line, or will there still be traffic on this line, but it simply won't stop any more? If they are stopping traffic along this connector, is the line itself going to be removed, like the northern one, or will it be left for maintenance/switching purposes? Maury 02:23, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

No, when Ostkreuz is rebuilt, the entire platform layout will change radically, and the tangential line will be rebuilt on a viaduct and not stop at Ostkreuz at all.

Anyway, I've added your first two decriptions verbatim and tried to expand the third. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 07:26, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks, I think it's easier to understand now. Maury 12:14, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Pure trivia here: there seems to be a former line running off to the east in the second image. In fact I seem to see two lines there, crossing, with the northern one apparently older. Where did these go? Maury 12:22, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I think you mean the mainline alongside the Ringbahn S-Bahn tracks, which was expensively rebuilt and electrified but which is currently not in use; it has a connector that leaves the ring north of Ostkreuz and goes to Lichtenberg station; this also continues on to Betriebsbahnhof Berlin-Rummelsberg, on the Erkner line. (Google Earth will make this clearer; it should also make it obvious how crappy the other public transit links are to the station.) I'm not sure about the status of the mainline; without researching this, I was under the impression it was to be opened along with Berlin Hauptbahnhof but this has not been the case. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 10:39, 14 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Yes, that does seem to describe what I am seeing. But as to the crappyness of the lines, just be happy you don't live in Toronto. Over 5 million people, three subway lines (one only five stops long and in the middle of nowhere) and one three-stop "mini-train". Oh, they're all in good condition, they just don't go anywhere! So while it might be sad to see lines being pulled up, feel a little happier that at least you have some to pull up!

BTW, what's the big tower in the middle of the second image. Maury 13:32, 14 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It is a water tower (built in 1912 to store water for steam locomotives). Kusma (討論) 13:59, 14 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The tower is part of the station under historic protection (along with the viaduct, the footbridge and, I think, the collapsed stationmaster's house) and the rebuilding will see it restored and incorporated into the site, although details are pretty sketchy about what they want to do with it. It will be nice to be able to walk up to it, I suppose. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 21:46, 14 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Eastbound?

I changed this:

"For example, the next train to Berlin Ostbahnhof could leave from either D or E, which are connected by a pedestrian footbridge. It is a common sight to see passengers waiting on the bridge until they see where the next eastbound train will arrive."

to this:

"For example, the next train to Berlin Ostbahnhof could leave from either D or E, which are connected by a pedestrian footbridge. It is a common sight to see passengers waiting on the bridge until they see where the next westbound train will arrive."

because passangers going from Ostkreuz to Ostbahnhof would be travelling westward. --Boneka 01:01, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. This got switched around with "westbound" regarding the direction the trains do not stop in on the tangential route, which has been fixed already. Mea culpa, though I assure you as someone who used to live in the Sonntagstraße and had to do this myself, I do in fact know the correct direction. I might add more to this about the fact that this is not an issue in the other direction. Regards, ProhibitOnions ^(T) 07:11, 13 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Rename

I understand the logic behind the move, but I'm not thrilled with the move to "Ostkreuz station (Berlin S-Bahn)" as Ostkreuz by itself is unlikely to be confused with anything else, and the station itself is pretty iconic. (In the future it won't just be S-Bahn, either.) I'm really tempted to move it back to just "Ostkreuz" but I'd like to hear other opinions. ProhibitOnions ^(T) 21:49, 14 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I have moved it back per my rationale given above. Kusma (討論) 13:18, 15 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Ostkreuz

This station has been in the process of being completely dismantled and rebuilt since 2006, so the article is about five years out of date. Construction work is scheduled to last until 2016. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 85.177.80.18 (talk) 21:53, 28 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]